Chicago Blackhawks’ Toews, Kane Top 2015 Jersey Sales

In 2015, Jonathan Toews was better than Patrick Kane … in jersey sales, anyway.

The Chicago Blackhawks forwards collected the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, on the NHL’s list of best-selling jerseys from its online store. The list was released Friday, and it saw Toews top the group for the first time in his career. For a guy that has already accomplished so much in hockey, the guess here is Toews takes this with a nod and chuckle and moves on with his life.

Kane wound up runner-up to his teammate a year after having the top-selling jersey in the NHL’s online store. Toews was third for the 2014 calendar year. Considering the offseason Kane had, it’s somewhat surprising his jersey continued to sell so well. Then again, with the Blackhawks coming off their third Stanley Cup in six seasons, maybe it isn’t that surprising.

Here’s the full top 10 for the calendar year 2015:

1. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
2. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
3. Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers
4. Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
5. Sidney Crosby, Penguins
6. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
7. Zach Parise, Wild
8. Carey Price, Canadiens
9. Ryan McDonagh, Rangers
10. Connor McDavid, Oilers

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All of the names on this year’s list are familiar, though you may consider some to be surprises for a top-selling jersey list. (Granted, this is just from the NHL’s online store.) Parise is a bit of a surprise, considering the Wild are kind of a “meh” team and Parise can be overshadowed by guys like Ryan Suter and Devan Dubnyk.

McDonagh is my big surprise on this list, considering other defensemen who might come in ahead of him. I especially think of Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson and Montreal’s P.K. Subban, two very good and very popular (in Subban’s case, controversially popular) defensemen from Canadian cities in which hockey is well watched and supported. I’d say Price being on the list is a surprise, but considering how good he was in 2015, it’s not that shocking that his jersey saw a sales bump.

Here’s the top-selling list from the NHL online store for the 2014 calendar year, for reference:

1. Patrick Kane, Blackhawks
2. Sidney Crosby, Penguins
3. Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks
4. Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers
5. Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
6. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
7. Claude Giroux, Flyers
8. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins
9. Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings
10. Anze Kopitar, Kings

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Apparently, Penguins fans are getting a little frustrated with their team not winning a Cup in the last few years, as Malkin went from No. 6 to off the list, and Crosby fell three spots. Giroux’s exclusion in 2015 isn’t surprising considering how bad the Flyers are, nor is Kopitar’s considering he plays in Los Angeles, which I’m not sure will ever fully accept a hockey team like Chicago. Datsyuk is an interesting case, as he’s still a well-known and well-liked (and feared) star across the nation. But with the Wings pushing their youth movement a little harder these days, it’s likely some Wings fans are ordering more jerseys for Dylan Larkin and the like.

Are there any players you’re surprised aren’t on the top-selling jersey list for 2015? Whose jersey(s) did you buy in the calendar year? Let us know in the comments section.