Penguins COO Travis Williams following a watch party at Consol Energy Center for the team's win on Sunday night said all of the Stanley Cup merchandise in the venue "sold out immediately," according to Patty Tascarella of the PITTSBURGH BUSINESS TIMES. Williams: "People were clamoring for it." Tascarella noted the selection of merch "included a variety of shirts, hats and hockey pucks that the team prudently ordered -- weeks before it was clear that the Pens would compete" in the Cup Final. The three PensGear powered by Reebok stores opened yesterday at 8:00am ET -- "two hours early." Williams "did not have figures but believes demand was higher" than in '09, when the team last won the championship. Dick’s Sporting Goods' quick merch response was "even more nimble." Dick’s "opened 15 Pittsburgh-region stores" after the Penguins clinched the Cup, shortly before 11:00pm. Dick's Community Marketing Manager Maureen Hester said, "There was no set time to close but I was at the South Hills store and we closed at just before 2 a.m." Tascarella noted the "same 15 reopened" yesterday at 6:00am. Dick's "used a similar strategy" when the Penguins won in '09 (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/13). Pennsylvania-based The Sports Factory co-Owner Kevin Burns said that the Penguins' victory "will allow him to sell championship merchandise for months to come, and he predicted fans will eat it up." Burns: "It’s a frenzy, there’s no two ways about it. I’m definitely going to jump in the game in the next couple of days, and it will affect our business probably for the rest of the year." Burns noted that the Steelers "always draw better than the Pirates or Penguins," but a "championship is a championship nonetheless." Burns "expects about six months of strong sales for Penguins gear" (BEAVER COUNTY TIMES, 6/14).
PEN TO PAPER: Fanatics has signed an exclusive memorabilia and collectibles deal with Penguins G Matt Murray, whereby Fanatics Authentic will be the sole distributor of authentic Murray memorabilia. Murray joins Stephen Curry, David Ortiz, Peyton Manning, Kris Bryant and Alex Ovechkin as prominent athletes with exclusive Fanatics deals (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
