For anyone looking for some last-minute gift inspiration, a few of the Penguins shared some recommendations – whether it’s something they love, something they listed, or bought for someone else.
Along the way, they also shared some of their holiday traditions from Christmases past and present.
Bryan Rust
Every year, Rust asks for a new pair of dress shoes, “because I wear them out over the course of a season. My wife (Kelsey) usually picks out some good ones.” That’s about it for his list, because “as you get older and become a parent, it’s more about making it magical for the family,” he said.
As a father of two boys, Logan and Hunter, Hot Wheels and toy trucks are a big commodity in the Rust household. The foursome will be dressed in matching holiday-themed pajamas on Christmas Day, a tradition that started with Kelsey’s family and has since been adopted by Bryan’s family. “My mom really liked it, so we’re actually doing ours when we go to Detroit for the New Year’s Eve game,” he said.
Noel Acciari
The Acciari family also does matching holiday-themed pajamas, and have pancakes for breakfast on Christmas morning. When he was a kid, Noel, his brothers and their parents used to watch A Christmas Story as their annual tradition. “Every Christmas Eve, it would run from I think 8-8, 24 hours straight on TBS or something that. So, on Christmas Eve, we always watch that, and open up one gift that night,” Acciari said.
He would love to unwrap a Dunkin gift card, as that’s his coffee of choice. “I get a large iced coffee with buttered pecan and skim milk. Every time,” Acciari said. “I was so happy because I think it was this past year, they made buttered pecan yearly rather than seasonally. Every day after practice, I go over. It’s to the point where sometimes, they see me coming in, and they start making it before I even order.”
Rickard Rakell
For those who enjoy cooking and baking like Rakell, who started doing it a lot more when he moved here and continued it since his wife Emmeli is a fan of his concoctions, the winger recommends ‘The Swedish Christmas Table’ book. His favorite recipe is the saffron cake, something Rakell has made “probably 30 times. It’s just for Christmas Day.”
Christmas Eve is when the holiday is celebrated in Sweden, and the Rakells have carried that tradition to the States, usually with Marcus Pettersson and his family. Rickard said in the morning, they open a small gift from their Christmas stockings and make rice porridge for breakfast. Later, they’ll put together a buffet with various foods.
That’s followed by watching the 1958 Walt Disney Presents Christmas special Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul - "Donald Duck and his friends wish you a Merry Christmas" - or KalleAnka for short. Then, Santa (which may or may not be Rakell or Pettersson all dressed up) pays a visit. All the gifts are opened, and glögg - the Swedish word for mulled wine - is consumed.
Marcus Pettersson
Like several of his teammates, the defenseman drinks a lot of coffee, so he recommended a Yeti. Or the Penguins 3-piece grill set, for any dad looking to become a grill master. Pettersson barbecues back home in Sweden, saying he’ll throw on a ribeye or marinated pork chop.
Regarding the best gift he’s received, Pettersson said the year he got his first set of street hockey equipment stands out: “I got everything – the pads, the blocker, the glove, the mask. I always wanted to be a goalie.”
Alex Nedeljkovic
For those looking to up their golf game, the goaltender has a Perfect Practice putting mat in his basement. He also thinks board games are an excellent gift for all ages. “Every Christmas, we play a big game of UNO with my family. That's always fun. It gets intense. My aunts and uncles and brother and sisters, we get into it a little bit,” Nedeljkovic said with a grin. “Anytime you can play cards or a board game, it's a lot more interactive, and anybody can do it.”
When Nedeljkovic was younger, he was into collecting trading cards. So, his parents got him a set of hockey cards – then his parents got Alex two tickets to a Blue Jackets versus Devils game. “So, I got to go to a Blue Jackets game, and I’m a big Marty Brodeur fan, so I got to see him play. That's probably the most memorable one,” said the Ohio native.
Blake Lizotte
Bombas socks were his first answer, a good and realistic one. “I’m an adult now, I just need clothes. It’s not that exciting,” Lizotte said. Then he circled back and said a Yamaha guitar is actually on his bucket list: “I can play at an elementary level.”
Lizotte is also a big Harry Potter fan. Blake and his wife Abby like watching the movies throughout the fall and winter, so he said it’s a bit of a holiday tradition for them. “We prolong it. We watch one movie, wait a week or two. So, it goes from around Halloween through Christmas,” Blake said. He lit up when asked if he’d seen James and Oliver Phelps at a recent game, saying, “I texted my wife, like, the Weasley brothers are here! Can’t believe we missed that. Wish we could have met them.”
