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.
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.
