Overall sales of the Capitals championship merchandise are up 25% over last yearCAPITALS
It took the Capitals 44 years to win their first Stanley Cup, and the team's fans are showing that there is no demand like pent-up demand. Less than five full days after the Caps beat the Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup Final, online hot market sales are already being called the best ever, with the first few days after the clincher establishing NHL e-commerce records. Overall sales of championship products are up 25% over last year’s win by the Penguins, which was their second straight Cup. Championship merchandise online sales, which include NHL.com and the Caps team site, are up better than 130%. Both the Caps and Golden Knights hit record venue sales, with unprecedented increases in per cap merchandise spending of nearly 75%. Overall championship sales are on track to make it a top five Stanley Cup hot market, a category paced by championships for the Blackhawks in '10 and the Rangers in '94 ending long droughts. Other than long pent-up demand, NHL Exec VP/Marketing Brian Jennings attributed strong sales to a combination of factors. That includes LW Alex Ovechkin finally winning a championship, a beloved owner in Ted Leonsis and a balanced mix of Caps players from around the globe. “It’s a championship with all the right ingredients,’’ Jennings said. Top-selling items on NHL.com, Fanatics.com, and the Caps team site, all administered by Fanatics, are the company’s championship T-shirts and caps. Fanatics has its NASCAR “haulers” on the parade route today in DC selling merchandise.
