Your 2018 Columbus Blue Jackets (Mostly) Secondhand Gift Guide

You may have heard that Christmas is next week. Kwanzaa, too. We’re in the middle of the holiday season and you’re scrambling to get that special Columbus Blue Jackets fan in your life the perfect gift. Sure, you could grab a Seth Jones jersey or a hat they’ll have to throw the next time they see Cam Atkinson play in person. But I’ve done the hard work and scoured eBay to find the perfect gift they’ll never expect to open this year.

Without further ado:

R.J. Umberger and CBJ T-Shirt Two Pack

We can all probably guess that the R.J. Umberger T-shirt wasn’t going to sell by itself. There’s probably some value in jersey T-shirts from former stars like Rick Nash (one of the greatest players in franchise history) or Ryan Johansen (flashy forward who’s still lighting it up), but R.J. Umberger isn’t necessary in the same tier of bygone Blue Jackets. Sure, he’s an Ohio State alum and his blocked shot set up the goal heard ‘round the state, I’m just not sure how much merch he’s moving these days. This two-pack will only set you back $17.50, though, which is a pretty good deal.

Vote Tugnutt T-Shirt

You can’t get much more vintage than a T-shirt from the very first season. Goaltender Ron Tugnutt became a fan favorite during the Blue Jackets’ expansion campaign in 2000, and a “Vote Tugnutt” campaign took on a life of its own complete with local ads and merchandise. There’s a cool feature about Tugnutt from 2001 that the NHLPA uploaded to YouTube in May of this year, touching on the “campaign” and even including a segment where Tugnutt goes to an OSU football game. HOMAGE released their own now-discontinued “VOTE TUGNUTT” shirt in 2015, but this $30 bargain is perfect for the Day One CBJ fan in your life.

Used Infant (6-9) Blue Jackets Outfit

This is straight-up adorable. You’re gonna see a lot of the old CBJ logo while perusing eBay, so you might as well make sure you get it on something the recipient will outgrow in a matter of months. There’s something about an infant in a tracksuit—especially when at that age they’re probably not even walking yet—that I can’t get over. It’s an impossibly cool combination. Stand up your baby in this $24.95 outfit, give him or her a hockey stick and you have a little Gerard Gallant on your hands!

CBJ Youth Sweatshirt

I love how early 2000s this sweatshirt is. “Thumbs Up Athletics,” the company that made this sweatshirt and put their used-car-dealership-size-American-flag logo on the bottom, doesn’t even exist anymore. Whoever designed this went HAM on the bevel and emboss tool in Photoshop. Is that square supposed to be a picture frame? How many light sources are shining on this thing? Why does the puck have rivets? I love it, and at $8.88, someone you love can love it too.

CBJ Starter Jacket

This isn’t old—it’s new. Starter jackets are back. Time is a flat circle. Most of this list is a goof (although I would absolutely own everything on here), but this one’s legit. It’s a little too “Cleveland baseball” looking and probably not warm enough for a Columbus winter, but come on. I can hear myself swishing around in this thing as everyone’s heads turned my way. $55.

Columbus Blue Jackets Santa with Dog

This has the old logo (as do most items on this list), and the copyright information on the underside of the base pegs this piece at 16 years old. It’s made by the Memory Company (who still does business making things like this) and is called “Santa’s Friend.” Here, Santa is asking his friend to keep it down. Shhhhh. Santa brought a tree and some hockey sticks to town but he doesn’t need everybody to know about it. Look at that pup. I need this on my end table. $20 to have this forever.

Sergei Bobrovsky Facsimile Autograph Mousepad

Mousepads are still a big deal in 2018, and a CBJ mousepad is an easy way to show off your fandom at home or at the office. There are a couple of things about this mousepad, though.

• It’s not a real autograph. Which, fine. You probably don’t want to roll your mouse over an authentic signature all day anyway. A little puzzling, though.
• This is an old photo. Judging by the jerseys, the scoreboard and seeing R.J. Umberger over there (for the second time on this list!), this looks like it’s from a 2-0 CBJ win in Philadelphia on Thursday, April 3, 2014. So, y’know, not current.
• It’s not that great a photo of Bob. It appears he’s stretching during a late-game timeout. You can’t even see his face. Maybe find a photo of him making a save? In Nationwide Arena? It is from a shutout, though, so that’s something.
• $15.99. Maybe a little steep./

Kristian Huselius Strapback Hat

Kristian Huselius played two solid seasons in Columbus from 2008-2010 before tearing his pectoral muscle in an offseason workout. He claimed the team rushed him back from that injury, playing 33 more games before the Blue Jackets cut him and he retired. Sad ending to a good career (he scored 20 goals in each of his first two seasons as a Blue Jacket), but cool hat! He once scored a hat trick in a 6-3 loss to Edmonton in 2010, which is a perfect summation of the team during those years. The listing says the hat is used, but $7.19 is a small price to pay for a piece of history.

Marian Gaborik OYO Figure G1

This isn’t Lego; it’s OYO. Don’t get it twisted. Still, you can have your own Marian Gaborik brick minifigure to display anywhere you want. Thrill as you remember how the Blue Jackets traded for a top offensive talent but famously didn’t know how to use him in their system, so they traded him to Matt Frattin and he helped the Kings win another Stanley Cup. I love Marian Gaborik and proudly own a CBJ Gaby jersey T-shirt, so I’d absolutely pull the trigger for $9.99. He once carried a Christmas tree through New York on his shoulder, so you know he’s all about the holiday season.

No matter what gift you choose, you’ll be a hero if you wrap up one of these babies for 2018. It could be a late Hanukkah present! If they don’t like it? Please don’t blame us.