a hockey birthday party - GAME SEVEN

Ethan wanted a hockey-themed party for his 7th birthday, so naturally we decided on the slogan “GAME SEVEN” to celebrate like it’s the Stanley Cup final! The Edmonton Oilers are our favourite team, so I started there and used their team colours - navy + orange - for the colour scheme.

I used our outdoor patio area for the party set-up, as I was hoping we would have nice weather to keep the fun outside! Behind our house is paved area next to a park, so we set up 2 nets for the kids to play hockey (we asked the guests to wear a jersey and bring a hockey stick!). Between that and some fun outdoor games in our backyard, we had no problem keeping a ton of 7yr-old boys entertained for a few hours! In true hockey arena spirit, our “concession” featured freshly popped popcorn, burgers & hotdogs for supper, gatorade, chips, and lots more birthday treats!

SHOP HOCKEY SET UP

For the main table set up, I used this hockey net shooting target - but attached it to my table stand instead! It worked so well to create a backdrop and I love that we can use it again after. (This similar one is a pop-up version which would actually work even better because it would support itself!) On top of that, I layered a “happy birthday” banner that I made, and hung the “GAME SEVEN” sign that I made as well (you can download a printable version here!)

Everyone knows you can’t go to a hockey game without hitting the concession - so I made this banner to hang up along the railing of our patio! (you can download a printable version here)

For the snacks - I set out assorted donuts with custom treat toppers, a variety of individually wrapped crackers + granola bars (with orange and blue wrappers of course!), and then I made custom “Mini Pucks” wrappers for Oreo snack packs - they turned out so cute! (you can download the file to make your own here!) I also set out a bucket of mini bags of chips, and we had a popcorn machine making fresh popcorn too! These cute little black+white popcorn bags were perfect for the guests to fill on their own.

I made custom sugar cookies with fondant icing to match the party graphics (3D printing custom cookie cutters has become my newest obsession) - featuring the hockey jersey, “game seven” banner, and a jersey-style #7 along with a set of standard hockey cutters and stamps made the perfect set for this party!

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This is the second time I’ve used these amazing reusable balloons from PartyAire - I am forever converted - seriously it just doesn’t get any easier! For this party, I used 2 packs of the white clusters, and mixed them with 1 navy and 1 black cluster (4 total in this set up). They take no time at all to fill up with an air pump, and you can customize the clusters however you want to mix and match your colours. I just really love that they are so durable (especially for outdoor set ups!), and won’t get that weird dull finish like latex balloons do when they’ve been out in the sun. And I also just really like the perfectly round shape of them. Then when your party is over - just deflate and stow away for your next party! I love that I can pull them out for our little festive celebrations instead of buying more latex balloons that just end up in the trash after. Another big win for my party supply bin for sure!

SHOP REUSABLE BALLOONS

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For the cake - I kept it simple this time with plain buttercream frosting and topped it with a 3D-printed Stanley Cup. For the cake topper, I created a stylized illustration (from a real photo of Ethan playing hockey) and printed it on transparency film and sewed it onto a layer of felt and cardstock for the backer. (I love using these clear acrylic sticks for my cake & treat toppers!)

I also made a second illustration from a different photo of Ethan for the “game day” poster that I framed for the table set up as well. I love that he’ll have these keepsakes from his seventh birthday!

Another fun DIY that I made was the canvas “Happy Birthday” pennant banner that’s hanging on the backdrop. I designed it to look like the new Oilers’ alternate jersey design, and just like this Oilers’ pennant.

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As always - I design the invitation for the party to ensure that the graphic design is cohesive with the decor! Using the invitation as my starting point, I also designed round graphics to add to each of the guests’ plates, and a “Game Day” poster featuring an illustration of Ethan playing hockey!

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For the favours, I used navy mesh pencil cases to hold each guests’ goodies. Inside each case was a 3D printed stanley cup trophy, a pack of hockey cards, a pencil with a 3D printed hockey stick topper, a chocolate bar, and an orange foam hockey ball. I also set a bunch of assorted hockey stickers that the guests could choose from as they left as well!

To customize the favours - I made a beaded hockey lace keychain for each guest with their name on it. These were so easy to make, and a fun way to incorporate hockey laces to make them more on-theme for the party!

SHOP HOCKEY FAVOURS

To make sure the guests each had a spot to sit for eating snacks + food, I set up a few different picnic areas. Each place setting had orange+blue plates and a mini gatorade with the guest’s name on it. My biggest pet peeve at kids’ parties is when they take a sip from a pop, juice box, or cup and then run away to play… and then never finish it because they either don’t remember where they put it, or can’t figure out which one was theirs! So this is a fun way to avoid that happening, and make sure each guest has a spot as well (this also helps put certain kids beside each other, if there are kids who you know will want to sit together, or maybe siblings who might not know all of the kids, etc) Obviously you could just have a sharpie handy to write their names on them… but we know I love a custom detail! You can find the custom name labels here to print and make your own!

shop picnic set up

shop tableware

shop matching sets

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even more cute hockey party things

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link LIST

hockey cookie cutter set (helmet, skate, sticks, arena) | hockey jersey cookie cutter | kids table - wood/orange | kids stools - wood/orange | blue paper plates | orange paper plates | acrylic rods for DIY cake toppers | reusable balloons - white | reusable balloons - black | decorating rod for over table | metal hockey wall art | reusable balloons - navy | oilers 2026 alternate jersey | shooting target (used as backdrop) | picnic tables | oilers mini hockey net set | metal favour stand | blue/white/black striped rug | hockey skate laces | orange snack bin | wooden number 0 | wooden number 7 | orange hockey ball | pencil hockey stick game (favour) | cake plate | mini stanley cups (favours + on cake) | blue striped paper runner |