Eighteen years after departing Hartford for North Carolina, Whalers merchandise, "including hats, sweatshirts and jerseys, still has a cult following not only among fans in Connecticut but around the country," according to Debra Rughoo of the HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL. adidas GTM Dir of NHL Licensed Apparel Keith Leach, whose company owns Reebok, said that Whalers gear is currently the company's "top selling non-current, or defunct, NHL hockey team." After the club left Hartford in '97, there was "still high demand for Whalers gear." However, companies "weren't able to make it for several years because they didn't have the rights to do so." But the NHL "allowed companies to start using and producing the logo again" in '09. Once clearance was given, a number of brands such as Mitchell & Ness, Old Time Hockey, New Era, Reebok, CCM (a division of Reebok), Original Retro Brand, Majestic, '47 Brand and Zephyr "started making Hartford Whalers merchandise." While the Reebok has expanded its lineup to include Whalers logos from different eras, Leach said that gear featuring the team's original logo "is still the most popular and is offered every year." Of Reebok's Whalers selection, jerseys and hats "are the best sellers." Leach said that the other area "that does well" is Reebok's CCM apparel line, which "includes long sleeves and hoodies." Whalers merchandise "is sold in stores in other parts of the country as well," such as N.Y., Philadelphia, Raleigh and even cities in California. It is also "offered online by many of the major sports retailers in the U.S. such as Dick's Sporting Goods and Just Sports." In addition, Leach "points out that Reebok has 'registered fairly good sales in Canada.'" In fact, the Lids Canada website "features 25 different styles of Whalers hats from a number of brands" (HARTFORD BUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/13 issue).
