The NHL recently unveiled a pretty interesting chart displaying which players had the best-selling jerseys in 2015. The majority of the names and teams represented are about what you’d expect, but there are a few noteworthy points which deserve some analyzing.
2015 Top-Selling Player Jerseys on https://t.co/uVFwKq4AbP: pic.twitter.com/2IX135ack3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 8, 2016
As you can see in the chart above, two Blackhawks (Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane) led the pack. That’s particularly interesting considering the allegations against Kane which were a significant story for a huge chunk of 2015. Once again it looks like on-ice success (a Stanley Cup win in 2014-15 and a big point streak at the start of 2015-16) are enough to make fans overlook the trouble off the ice.
Is anyone else surprised to see Zach Parise and Ryan McDonagh on this list? Both are major players on their respective teams, but it’s fascinating that both skaters are popular enough on a wider scale to have jerseys in this top-10 list.
It’s also pretty incredible that McDavid’s sweater was in the top-10. The hype was huge prior to McDavid making his NHL debut, but it’s amazing that it led to such big jersey sales. His first game wasn’t until October, but the hype still drove massive sales throughout 2015.
Will these names appear on 2016’s list? The rise of young stars around the league may shake things up as far as merchandise is concerned.
