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It's time-out for a great hockey fan celebration!

A favorite theme for a kid's birthday, or adult fan get-together, hockey parties may also be geared to celebrating a trophy win, a major match, or a favorite team.

Or, join the millions of hockey fans who meet in living rooms every year coast to coast to watch the annual NHL Stanley Cup! What better reason to decorate the buffet table in your favorite team colors as you cheer on the winner?

Whatever the reason, the fact remains that hockey fans like to party hearty! And, the more friends who gather to celebrate the better.

Just up ahead, gather 'round to find out how to celebrate a birthday or your favorite team with an easy, do-it-yourself hockey theme party -- with tips on homemade invitations, decorations, party food, party games and goodie bags:

Invitations

Along with the time of the party, location, and RSVP information, your homemade invite might include free colorful hockey clipart along with catchy headlines like: "We Are The Champions!" or "The Puck Stops Here!"

Decorations

Use your favorite team colors for napkins, tablecloths and other party ware. Decorate the walls with hockey gear such as hockey sticks or helmets, printable banners, or hockey posters.

Hockey cake idea Bake a sheet cake and cut out pieces, as shown, to make a sports jersey decorated with your favorite team colors.

Party Food

Chow down on party food that's easy to eat and serve. English muffin pizza, buffalo chicken wings, homemade chicken nuggets, a platter of nachos, or any other quickly-prepared or make ahead freezer meals are a good bet.

For dessert, Chocolate Hockey Puck cakes are always a favorite. Or, make it easy by using a recipe for a 1-layer 9" chocolate-iced cake, then get creative by decorating the top with a favorite NHL team logo using colored icing or gels. Or go wild with this great recipe for Hockey Sticks & Pucks Cookies.

Party Games

• During half time and commercial breaks, host a quick-fire Stanley Cup trivia game to keep guests entertained.

• Hockey Hangman (a variation on Hangman's Noose, where players fill in the missing letters to solve the word puzzle (ie. W _ _ _ _ G _ _ _ _ _ _ answer: Wayne Gretzky)

• Print out a photo of a puck and a goal net to play Pin The Puck on the Goal (as in Pin the Tail on the Donkey, this is great for kids' parties.)

Goodie Bags

Send your guests home with a goodie bag filled with red licorice hockey sticks (bend them at the ends), hockey puck chocolate candies, team stickers, team photos or playing cards.

Have fun!

More hockey party ideas around the Web:

10 game-time snacks for hockey night - lots of great party nibbles to try.

Hockey Party Ideas - mom-submitted ideas for kids' hocky-themed birthday parties.