Maple Leafs Jersey, Merch Sales Dwindling As Team Struggles

List Of Top 10 Selling Jerseys Does  Not Include A Maple Leafs Player

With the Maple Leafs having a "toilet-dwelling record, no captain at the helm and a faceless identity on the ice, jerseys and memorabilia are moving slower than a Leafs breakout play," according to Robert Cribb of the TORONTO STAR. Some believe that those "dwindling sales figures signal a distant early warning that Torontonians ... are losing interest" in the team. Retailer Avenue Road Sports has "seen a $20,000 drop in Leaf merchandise sales from three years ago." Avenue Road Sports Store Manager Brent Hawkins: "There's no demand for any players in particular. It's been a slow decline for three years now with Leafs' jersey sales. It's been pretty sad." Toronto Hockey Store and Goalie Heaven Owner Fiorenzo Arcadi said, "Anything with a Leafs logo, people simply aren't interested in buying." Cribb notes the "majority of hockey sweaters inside Toronto sporting goods stores are more likely to bear names like Crosby, Ovechkin and Lecavalier than any member" of the Maple Leafs. Retailers said that "even flashy newcomer Phil Kessel hasn't had much impact so far." Arcadi: "I think we've sold one Kessel (jersey)." The NHL's list of top-10 selling jerseys between July '08-July '09 "doesn't list a single Leaf" (TORONTO STAR, 11/25).

NHL Winter Classic Tuques Most Popular Product Besides Jerseys

WINTER WARDROBE: THE HOCKEY NEWS' Josh Ferguson notes with the NHL Winter Classic "comes a plethora of corresponding product lines that allow fans to sport a piece of the classic and vintage game." Products around the January 1 Flyers-Bruins game at Fenway Park include "gloves, thermal wear, jackets, polar fleece sweaters, hoodies and scarves." NHL VP/Consumer Products Jim Haskins noted, "The branding really starts with the uniforms. Many of the products are directly connected back to the fact that the game is being held outdoors." Reebok "produces the jerseys and much of the apparel." Aside from the jerseys, the "most popular product is undoubtedly the team tuque." Meanwhile, Ferguson notes Banner 47, a company that "produces high-end, premium clothing," and Twins Enterprise, both have "jumped on board to release their own line of NHL paraphernalia" for the event (THE HOCKEY NEWS, 11/23 issue).