The Vegas Golden Knights are proving to be as popular at the merchandise table as they are in Sin City.
The NHL expansion team has been a hot ticket all season at T-Mobile Arena and that has continued during the Golden KnightsB次元官网网址� deep playoff run.
With goalie Marc-Andre FleuryB次元官网网址檚 jersey leading the way in sales, Golden Knights gear is also flying off the shelves.
Specific numbers werenB次元官网网址檛 immediately available but Nirva Milord, the NHLB次元官网网址檚 senior director of corporate communications, said that the teamB次元官网网址檚 overall North American sales have been very strong.
B次元官网网址淭he Vegas Golden Knights are in the top five in merch sales all season,B次元官网网址� she said Tuesday in an email. B次元官网网址滿arc-Andre Fleury is tops among players in playoffs merch sales.B次元官网网址�
Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup champion in Pittsburgh, was not protected by the Penguins in last yearB次元官网网址檚 expansion draft. He has helped anchor the Golden Knights and gave the first-year squad some immediate star power.
The Vegas success story reads like a Hollywood script.
A random mix of journeymen, up-and-comers and castoffs quickly meshed as a team, delivered results on the ice, and provided one of the top storylines of the season.
Few hockey observers predicted that Vegas would roll through the campaign and topple the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Golden Knights will host the Jets in Game 3 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday after splitting the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Winnipeg.
Along the way, cash registers have been ringing with sales of hats, hoodies, sweatshirts, T-shirts and jerseys adorned with the knight helmet symbol and the teamB次元官网网址檚 steel grey, black, gold and red colours.
Marvin Ryder, a marketing professor at McMaster University, feels there are several reasons for the strong merchandise sales, including the lack of competition from other top sport leagues in Las Vegas and the fact hockey fans and youngsters will flock to anything new when it comes to gear.
But where the franchise really delivered, Ryder said, was with the creation of a modern, powerful logo coupled with an attractive colour scheme.
B次元官网网址淲hatever graphic identity team they hired, they knocked it right out of the park,B次元官网网址� Ryder said from Hamilton.
It helps to have a winning hockey team too.
B次元官网网址淯ltimately itB次元官网网址檚 how the fans embrace it,B次元官网网址� Ryder said. B次元官网网址淚n this case, IB次元官网网址檓 going to say itB次元官网网址檚 more about (being) lucky. You had all the pieces but they got them right the very first day. ThatB次元官网网址檚 the unusual part of the story. Normally it takes longer for the teams to find that combination of performance and the right-looking logo that people are proud to wear.
B次元官网网址淭hey got it right from Day 1.B次元官网网址�
Last month, the NHL reported that Fleury was fourth in jersey sales behind TorontoB次元官网网址檚 Auston Matthews, PittsburghB次元官网网址檚 Sidney Crosby and EdmontonB次元官网网址檚 Connor McDavid.
Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press
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