Boston Bruins
There is a type of Bruins fan that you don’t need to win over. You already know what they’re going to get you. They grew up watching Orr and Esposito skate circles around everyone else, or maybe they came to it years later through Bergeron and Chara, but either way you know the black and gold runs deep in their veins and The Garden is their cathedral and that, my friend, is not up for discussion. Purchasing a present for this person should be simple. In reality it’s one of the most challenging endeavors there is because the official merchandise game is ten plastic sunglasses repeating endlessly and almost everything feels like it belongs in the gift shop at your local airport.
We compiled this list for the Bruins fan who deserves better than an officially licensed logo mug and hopes. These people care about the team they love. They have opinions on Boston’s 2011 Cup run. They remember where they were when Lombardi lifted the 2019 trophy, and they do not want to talk about it. Or they absolutely do want to talk about it and will at length, over drinks. We have that friend. You have that friend. We crafted this list with that friend specifically in mind.
What we wanted were products we could get behind. Gifts that feel more thoughful than impulse buys, that showcase some degree of craft or wit or actual quality behind them instead of just taking some garbage logo and printing it on a pile of Chinese plastic. Your Bruins fan already has 4 Bruins jerseys. What they need are gifts that demonstrate you know them as more than just “Oh yeah they like that hockey team.” Trust us, they have enough suppliers driving those agendas already.
This list was kept intentionally small. A small list curated by people who care about this stuff is more valuable than an exhaustive list full of endless junk, and Bruins fans are the absolute last people who will reward filler when a compact group of killers will do. Everything on this list checked one box. Is this something we would buy for another person who we know loves this team as much as we do? If the answer wasn’t a resounding yes then it didn’t make the cut.