Greg WyshynskiESPN3 minute read
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Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin had the NHL’s best-selling jersey in his record-breaking 2022-23 season, according to Fanatics.
As he continued his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goalscoring record of 894, Ovechkin set records for most goals with a franchise, most career goals scored on the road and most 40-goal seasons. On December 23, 2022, Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second place on the scoring list behind Gretzky, finishing the season with 822 career goals.
It was the second straight season that Ovechkin led the NHL in jersey sales.
While Ovechkin jerseys have been top sellers throughout his career, the Capitals also had two new designs this season: their Reverse Retro jerseys with a blue, black and gunmetal color scheme and their white Stadium Series jerseys. created for their game at NC State. Ovechkin did not participate in this 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 at the Winter Classic at Fenway Park this season, releasing two new jersey designs.
New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes has seen 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 Maples Toronto Leafs finished fifth.
The Maple Leafs won a playoff series for the first time since 2004, which helped give Matthews the best-selling jersey in the first round of the playoffs, 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 best-selling jerseys as they set regular-season records for wins (65) and points (135). The rest of the top five selling teams were the New York Rangers, Penguins, Capitals and the 2022 Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.
The Bruins once again led the way in jersey sales in the first round of the playoffs, despite being 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 the first round.
According to Fanatics, first-round NHL merchandise sales are up 45% over 2022. These sales come from across Fanatics’ online store network, which includes NHL e-commerce stores in the United States and Canada.
