(Bloomberg)—St. Louis Blues fans are making up for lost time after the team’s first-ever Stanley Cup title.
Sales of Blues championship apparel and memorabilia set a National Hockey League record for the 12-hour period after winning a title, according to Fanatics, the largest retailer of NHL product. The Blues’ sales were 10% higher than those of last year’s champions, the Washington Capitals, who previously held the record.
“Being one of the oldest franchises never to win, being a great sports town and the unique story of the mid-season turnaround were all major factors,” said Jack Boyle, co-president of direct-to-consumer retail at Fanatics. “We also see a nice lift every time there’s a seven-game series. The drama of the series adds to the business performance.”
The Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on the road Wednesday night in a winner-take-all Game 7. Fanatics, which runs the online stores for both the NHL and the Blues, began offering items touting the championship within a minute of the final whistle. The company doesn’t give out specific sales numbers, but it said 70% of transactions have come from mobile devices.
Stanley Cup products include T-shirts, hats, banners, autographed pucks and jerseys. There’s even a vial of game-used ice—now water—from the finals selling for $49.99. Fanatics also made the official hats and shirts that the Blues wore on the ice during their celebration and is selling versions of those to the public.
“Woke up this morning being the biggest hockey fan ever!!!” Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin said Thursday on Twitter. “The St. Louis Blues are CRUSHING the all-time Stanley Cup merchandise record – beating the record Washington set last year on @fanatics by 20% after the first 8 hours of sales!!Congrats @StLouisBlues!!!”
The Blues joined the NHL in 1967 and made the Stanley Cup finals in each of their first three years. But they were swept in those series and didn’t return until this season.
This year’s title appeared highly unlikely during the season. The Blues were in last place in the entire league in early January.
Fanatics is No. 14 in the Internet Retailer 2019 Top 1000.
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