Fansided

Best-selling NHL jerseys for the 2016-17 season show Penguins’ brand power

By Derek Helling

Jun 15, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) lifts the cup during the Stanley Cup championship parade and celebration in downtown Pittsburgh. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 15, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) lifts the cup during the Stanley Cup championship parade and celebration in downtown Pittsburgh. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NHL released its list of the top 20 best-selling jerseys this season, and three Pittsburgh Penguins appear on the register.

Winning a Stanley Cup championship can have lasting economic effects, as evidenced by this year’s list of best-selling NHL jerseys. The Penguins are all over this year’s version.

Sidney Crosby tops the list, according to Sean O’Leary of The Score. Evgeni Malkin is 14th, while Kris Letang is 19th. Pittsburgh is the only team with three players on the list, but several teams have two stars on the list.

The Chicago Blackhawks claim the second and third spots on the list, thanks to Patrick Kane’s and Jonathan Toews’ popularity. Henrik Lundqvist and Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers come in at fifth and 10th respectively. At ninth and 12th on the list are Philadelphia Flyers teammates Claude Giroux and Shayne Gostisbehere. Dylan Larkin and Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings are the final duo, ranking 17th and 20th.

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the only rookie on the list, tallying the fourth-most jersey sales this season. Making the Stanley Cup Finals and losing doesn’t seem to be as lucrative, as no member of the San Jose Sharks appears on the list.

Rounding out the top 20 are Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (sixth), Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (seventh), the St. Louis Blues’ Vladimir Tarasenko (eighth), the Boston Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron (11th), Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild (13th), Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens (14th), the New York Islanders’ John Tavares (16th) and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos (18th).

Related Story: NHL regular season attendance winners and losers for the 2016-17 campaign

There hasn’t been much movement in terms of new faces lately, just movement within the familiar names. Last season, the top 10 was was as follows: McDavid, McDonagh, Crosby, Parise, Price, Ovechkin, Bergeron, Lundqvist, Kane and Toews.

This year’s Stanley Cup playoffs will have a heavy influence on next season’s jersey sales if any of the teams represented on this list can take the cup home. If that happens, expect that team’s players to top this list for 2017-18.

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