The 2022 Holiday Gift Guide

Nov 25, 2022 - 2:00 PM

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I know we’ve been way to wrapped up in the actions of the Tampa Bay Lightning to realize it, but they’re here. The holiday season is well under way and we here at Raw Charge have put together a little list of things you can buy the Lightning fan in your life.

I tried to include things in all price brackets and from various different vendors. If you use some of the provided links we will get a small commission. The emphasis should go on the word “small” not “commission”. None of us will be quitting our day jobs if you buy using the links, but it will help us feed the office alligator.

The very first thing I would recommend getting for yourself or the Lightning fan in your life is a subscription to Lightning Insider. With The Athletic bailing on Tampa in general, Erik Erlendsson is by far the most experienced writer left covering the team. While you can catch his podcasts for free on all of the platforms, there is a subscription needed for his written pieces. They are worth the yearly fee of $40 (or $4.99 a month) but Erik is being super generous and offering y’all a 35% discount on the first year. When you sign up, use the promo code Raw Charge . It’s valid now until December 26th so don’t hesitate!

Next up, a nice general starting spot would be the monolith that is Fanatics. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Fanatics usually has the widest selection of sporting apparel and accessories on the internet. Recently they’ve also moved into the trading card business by taking over Topps Trading Cards. As of right now their hockey card selection is limited since Upper Deck hasn’t sold out to them, but there are a few (overpriced) items on there.

We do have a link for that one that we would appreciate if you used. This link takes you directly to the Lightning landing page. The prices are their listed prices, but they are constantly running promotions that should save you some bucks. They have the usual selection of jerseys and hats, but here are a few things that might intrigue Lightning fans.

It’s Florida, it’s the golf capital of the world. Why not show your playing partners your Lightning pride when you’re marking the ball for that 10-foot triple bogey putt?

Show your support as you’re stuck in traffic on the Howard Frankland bridge on the way to the game (or the Rays game).

Look, those playoff games in May and June can be pretty hot. So why wear a jersey when you can still show your support with a good old fashioned t-shirt. There are several designs on Fanatics, all kinds of cuts and styles.

I hope whoever the first person to think of this idea is in some sort of marketing and sales hall of fame. “Hey, what if we took the ice (or dirt or turf) that we were going to throw away and put it inside something and then sell it to fans?” I am an absolute sucker for things like this. I am also bad with money. There may be a correlation.

C’mon now, who wouldn’t want a 31” inch (that’s like half of a Marty St. Louis) Christmas decoration?

If you’re looking for a little something in the t-shirt department that isn’t so generic, check out our friends at Breaking-T. Again, we do have an affiliation with them, so a small proceed of each purchase ends up in our pockets. All designs are available as t-shirts or hoodies.

Whether he’s weaving his way through the defense to score a goal or throwing a blind backhand pass to no one, we all know Vintage Kucherov when we see it.

We all know it, so why not celebrate it?

C’mon. You know you want one. You won’t admit it, but you do.

The next few items are from Tampa Bay Sports, basically the folks that run the team stores inside Amalie Arena. So, if you’re local you can get them when you go to games, but for all of us #DistantThunder folks, here’s a way to order them online.

If you love beer and the both iterations of the Storm Jersey, this may be the perfect gift. Yes, I did just order one as I was putting together this list. Like I said, I am not great with money.

Oh. My. Goodness. Not only do you get the most adorable dog in the Lightning family, $5 of each purchase goes to the Human Society of Tampa Bay. I feel like this is one of those things that may sell out, so get it now.

Like I said, I wanted to include something for all price ranges. So, if you’re reading Phil Hughes, here’s your chance to own a piece of history from the 2018-19 season.