NHL sees strong boost in SCF item sales
Thanks to the popularity of the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL has seen a large surge in Stanley Cup championship merchandise this season.
The snippet below is from a press release that can be found at the NHL Media website, but since most people (including myself) don’t have access to it, I’m going to send you to George @ Snapshots if you want to see the rest.
The increase represents a 128 percent boost from the last time the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2002, and is a Stanley Cup Champion merchandise sales record at Shop.NHL.com.
“Strong sales indicate robust North American demand for the NHL and one of its most storied franchises,” said Perry Cooper, Vice President of NHL Direct. “In addition to healthy demand from local fans celebrating the Red Wings’ championship, the NHL’s digital, direct-to-consumer platform enabled us to connect thousands of geographically displaced Red Wings fans living outside of Michigan with Stanley Cup Champion merchandise.”
The first day after the Stanley Cup Final, merchandise sales increased 108 percent from the first day of such sales in 2007. The second day of sales in 2008 increased 136 percent from the second day of sales in 2007, and the third day of sales in 2008 increased 176 percent from the third day of sales in 2007.
Total sales at Shop.NHL.com for the three day period were 282 percent more than in 2003, 310 percent more than in 2004 and 265 percent more than in 2006.
Personally, I’ve spent over $250 on Red Wings merchandise for myself and my dad (an early Father’s Day present) and I’m a broke college student. I can only imagine what people are spending if they actually have disposable income to spend. My favorite two items? The Stanley Cup locker room hat (incredibly comfortable and a sleek design) and the Stanley Cup red t-shirt with the Wings logo and SCF print patch on the front and the roster and Cup on the back. Definitely worth the money!
Have the BTJ readers been contributing to this surge in Stanley Cup championship merchandise sales? Why or why not?
Congrats to the 2008 Stanley Cup Champs!!!
The past 48 hours have been absolutely amazing and I am just blown away with how blessed I am right now. I can’t really talk about what I did today at the Joe, but I can say that I had my photo taken with 3 other interns and the five big trophies at center ice of the JLA. And the fact that it was right after Yzerman, Holland, Jimmy D, and Nill went made it even sweeter.
I try not to talk much about my internship because I don’t really want to bring much attention to that fact and that’s not what this blog is about, but this past season has been amazing. To see all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes from the sound guy Ricky to the zamboni driver Al to the marketing director to my bosses in the PR department to the coaching staff to the front office to the players themselves, has been an incredible learning experience. I have enjoyed every single minute of it and I truly mean that.
I obviously enjoyed the previous Cup wins, but I was 10, 11, and 15. I couldn’t attend the parades because I couldn’t drive myself down to Detroit for them. I didn’t attend a single Wings game in any of those seasons so I only watched from afar. This season, I worked every single home game but one including the preseason, regular season, and postseason games (around 50 in total). Sports PR is a lot of long hours, but it’s so worth it. I have no complaints about my experiences this season and the Detroit Red Wings are truly a world class organization. To have worked so much and seen what goes on behind the scenes and have interacted with the players all season, this Stanley Cup win has been absolutely amazing and incredibly rewarding. I never dreamed how it would feel to win with this kind of involvement with a hockey team and I certainly have not been disappointed.
Congrats to your 2008 Stanley Cup Champs, the Detroit Red Wings!
Update:
Four of the PR interns posing with the five trophies at center ice.
Best. Day. Ever.
I am on such a high right now, it’s absolutely ridiculous. I “worked” the parade today and was surrounded by my coworkers, the players, and their friends and family all day. No complaints whatsoever. Thanks to my VIP pass, all-access pass, and my staff t-shirt, I could go anwhere I wanted outside of the stage (which I went on after they were all done).
I got to…
- Be escorted by police in the staff bus to Hockeytown Cafe.
- Attend the pre-parade VIP party at Hockeytown Cafe where I mingled with coworkers, players, and their families and friends.
- Drive a red Corvette in the parade. I drove a Detroit city councilwoman named Brenda.
- Go in the VIP tent after the parade.
- Sit with the players’ family and friends in front of the stage during the presentation.
- Celebrate with coworkers and players!
I am sharing my photos from the day, which you can view in its entirety on Flickr. But here are some of my favorites below!
Me with the Conn Smythe and its 2008 winner, Henrik Zetterberg.
Me with BTJ favorite Niklas Kronwall.
Me with Aaron Downey, the most talkative player to the interns, and two other interns.
Me with Kirk Maltby, two interns, and Nicklas Lidstrom.
Me driving the red Corvette during the parade.
Another intern and I in front of the stage before the presentation.
Updated: Here are a couple more from my friend’s camera…
Pretending to lick the Cup like a certain Heroes actress.
In Hockeytown Cafe for the VIP party before the parade.
I’m going to the Stanley Cup parade!
So I get to work at my internship in Chicago Thursday morning and my bosses ask when the parade is. I tell them and they ask if I’m going. I said that no, I’m working here. After a discussion amongst themselves, they decided they would be mad if I didn’t go. So I took the 5.5 hour train after work from Chicago to Ann Arbor. It’s 7:10am on Friday and I leave for Joe Louis Arena in half an hour. I’ll be front and center at the parade and I couldn’t be more excited!!
Basically, I’d like to apologize for a lack of posting especially after such a fantastic victory, but I’ve been a little busy and getting home to work the parade was a bit more important than blogging. Sorry! Whenever I get back from the Joe, I will be sure to make some decent posts or two this evening. But until then…I’m celebrating in Detroit!
P.S. I’d like to remind everyone that I picked the Wings in six this series. Spot on baby.
Stanley Cup Champs!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve been celebrating if you can’t tell and the Wings are Stanley Cup frickin champs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ll have more post game analysis when I get off of work and am of sound mind. Haha. But go Wings!!!!!!!!
Update Thursday Morning:
I’m about to head off to work so no actual game analysis until later. Until then, here’s a couple photos to hold you over.
BTJ favorite Niklas Kronwall lifts the Cup. / Photo courtesy of Getty Images.
Chelios and Franzen cart the Cup out of the arena on a pile of Miller Lite boxes. / Photo courtesy of AP Photo.
Game 6 Live Blog: Wings/Penguins
Joe here. Join me tonight at 8:00 p.m. ET for Game 6.
Because, really, what else are you going to watch?
Follow along after the jump…
Thanks Knob Hockey for needed laughter
It’s been a depressing day just thinking about the game and the 34.7 seconds that kept us from the Cup. But then I find out that KnobHockey has created some new clips and the two below got me cracking up so thanks to the brains behind Knob Hockey for providing some much needed laughter.
I was bummed to learn that I can’t seem to find the Dominik Hasek one from last postseason that was absolutely hilarious on either YouTube or Heavy.com. If you have a link to it, please let me know!
Game #5: Wings 3, Pens 4 (3OT)
Last night’s game concluded at 12:45am at Joe Louis Arena in a disappointing 4-3 triple overtime loss for all Detroit fans. The team was 34.7 seconds away from winning the Stanley Cup and blew it. Yes, I’m frustrated that the team lost their lead in regulation. Yes, I’m frustrated that we couldn’t score on our many chances in the three different overtimes. But, I felt like the team played hard. They played like they wanted to win (from the third period on that is) and definitely by the third, they dominated the majority of the game. While Pittsburgh was certainly desperate and had nothing to lose, I felt like the Wings were playing with more intensity and unfortunately it did not reflect in the final score.
I wouldn’t say I’m terrified that the Wings won’t be able to win another game, but I just don’t like the thought of the series heading back to a Game #7 and then a Wings’ loss equals no Cup. I believe the Wings have shown that they are definitely the better of the two teams and we just need one more win. Pittsburgh has to win two more (but a total of three straight wins) and another game on the road. I just hope that losing the game after it was in their hands with just under 35 seconds left in the game has made the Wings even more determined to finish the series out in Pittsburgh and that the uber long game and short break in between games does not hurt our older team. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens on Wednesday night.
As with past home games, my dad took photos at the game and you can view the Flickr gallery here. Due to broadcast regulations in the SCF, he could not use the camera he typically shoots with so that explains any differences you may note from the previous galleries.
Zetterberg takes a shot on Fleury. He had two assists in the loss.
Fleury was the reason the Penguins won Game #5. He faced 58 shots and stopped all but three. Impressive.
Scrum in front of the Pittsburgh net.
ESPN Highlights of the action.
Couple more thoughts…
Let them play! I know they had to call the penalty on Hudler since he did draw blood, BUT I hate that a power play goal decided a game in the third overtime. And the three other penalties (two for Detroit, one for Pittsburgh) were not bad enough to warrant a penalty in an overtime game of this magnitude. I have the mindset that unless there is blood or something bad, the refs should not call a penalty after regulation.
As time was winding down in regulation, two Pittsburgh fans were standing in their seats in front of the auxiliary press box. The girl was wiping tears from her face and I almost felt bad. And then Pittsburgh scored and the sounds of joy from those two still rings in my head. Ugh.
34.7 seconds.
34.7 seconds. So close you could almost taste it. The Joe was rocking. Chanting “We Want Cup.” And then those dreams of victory celebrations crumbled as the Penguins scored to tie up the game with 34.7 seconds to go.
I drove all the way from Chicago after working until 4pm (Central time) and made it to the Joe halfway through the second period. I am on two hours of sleep and about to head to the train station to head back to Chicago before working a half day there. I’m in an awful mood. Just awful. I can’t truly express how disappointing it was to completely dominate the third period and overtime and come away empty handed. Fleury was a beast- I will definitely give him that. But 34.7 seconds!
$%U&**&^$E^%
I will have photos and more game thoughts after work or after I wake up after work.
Game 5 Live Blog: Wings/Pens
Joe Hass again. Join me here at 8:00 pm ET for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Before I being tonight, a story.
In 1997, my sister graduated high school. As it happened, the commencement ceremony took place at the Detroit Masonic Temple on the same day of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals.
With a 2:00 p.m. start, my mom and my siblings and my then-girlfriend and I drove down early. We thought it’d be a cool idea to have Beth, Dave and I’s picture in front of the Spirit Of Detroit, which was draped in a Red Wings jersey (in 1997, this created a major controversy, as some felt it disrespected the statue).
When we got there, there was something I had never seen before. The streets of downtown Detroit were actually alive. There were people wandering around. It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday afternoon, and people from all over the area were downtown, just to be downtown. Having grown up in Troy, with parents who needed a really good excuse to go south of 8 Mile, this was just something I hadn’t see.
And it was wonderful.
I lived in Chicago, have visited many times since then, and what Chicago always has that Detroit hasn’t was the sense of life, even when you’re just walking to the Billy Goat at 11:30 at night. Sure, you see it on major events, or near Comerica Park on the day of a ballgame. But never just on a Saturday afternoon.
Later that day, after playing beeper tag with a friend, my girlfriend, me, and two friends went to Mr. B’s to watch the game. As it turns out, my girlfriend’s ex boyfriend was working that day, and treated us like stars: shooing away standers in front of us, keeping us filled with drinks, and generally being a sweetheart.
When the game ended, we left a $50 tip on a $70 tab and ran out to Main Street. It was lined with Royal Oak and Oakland County’s finest, ensuring that people didn’t run into the street. That did not, however, stop us from crossing at the appropriate times, and dancing and screaming. We hugged, we kissed, we screamed.
It is impossible to rationally justify professional sports. It is the circus of modern times, that shows the imbalance of the have and the have nots, drains money for outrageous buildings that few can then afford to enter. The gap between the players and the fans is wide; for many, the idea that they’re one of us is absurd. The price to simply wear something with a logo on it doesn’t justify the cost, and we put so much on a bunch of professionals who could care less about you or this town. The teams treat you, the fans, as an afterthought: so many of the teams still believe in the therory that all they have to do is turn on the lights, open the doors, and the cash will come in like a river. They disgust me, infuriate me, frustrate me, when I have a wife and a dog and a mortgage and a job and a life that all demands far, far more attention than me sitting in front of a computer.
Tonight, this night, is the reason for it all.
The live blog after the jump.