Ovi's outfits, Bruins gear lead way for NHL sales
Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin had the top-selling NHL jersey during his record-breaking 2022-23 season, according to Fanatics.
As he continued his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s career NHL goals record of 894, Ovechkin set records for the most goals with one franchise, most career goals scored on the road and most 40-goal seasons. On Dec. 23, 2022, Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second on the goal-scoring list behind Gretzky, finishing the season with 822 career goals.
This was the second straight season that Ovechkin led the NHL in jersey sales.
While Ovechkin jerseys have ranked highly in sales throughout his career, the Capitals also had two new designs this season: their Reverse Retro sweaters with a blue, black and bronze color scheme and their white Stadium Series sweaters created for their game at NC State. Ovechkin didn’t play in that game due to the death of his father, but his jersey was available.
Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins was second among NHL players in jersey sales, and Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak was third. Their teams met in the Winter Classic at Fenway Park this season, featuring two new jersey designs for sale.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had a surge in jersey sales this season to join the top five in fourth place as his team made the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs was fifth.
The Maple Leafs won a playoff series for the first time since 2004, which helped give Matthews the highest-selling jersey in the first round of the postseason, according to Fanatics. Hughes was second and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche was third, followed by Pastrnak and Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid.
Among NHL teams, the Bruins had the top-selling jerseys as they set regular-season records for wins (65) and points (135). The rest of the top five for best-selling teams were the New York Rangers, Penguins, Capitals and 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.
The Bruins again led the way in jersey sales during the playoffs’ first round, although they were eliminated in seven games by the Florida Panthers. The rest of the top five were the Maple Leafs, Seattle Kraken, Rangers and Devils. The Kraken won their first-ever playoff series in Round 1.
According to Fanatics, NHL merchandise sales during the first round were up 45% over 2022. These sales are from across the Fanatics network of online stores, which includes the NHL’s e-commerce stores in the U.S. and Canada.
