Predators fans send merchandise sales through the roof

Joel Ebert | The Tennessean

Show Caption Hide Caption New Nashville residents become Nashville Predators fans Erica Zuhr and Kevin Ekkebus, recent Nashville residents, discuss their newfound love for hockey and the atmosphere in Nashville during the Ascend Amphitheater watch party for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Throughout their team's push to the first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history, Predators fans have garnered attention for their catfish throwing and ear-splitting fervor at home games, generating interest from players, commentators and experts alike.

Predators fans might soon help their team attain another title: top selling merchandise in NHL playoffs history.

Just ahead of Sunday’s Game 6, Sean Henry, chief executive officer and president of the Predators, said he was informed the team has the second-highest merchandise sales in the playoffs in the history of the NHL.

Although Henry declined to say which team held the top spot, he said the goal remains to be No. 1

“We’re just going into our third home game right now for the finals; it’s really incredible,” he said. “The passion our fans have shows in those numbers.”

Demand for Predators gear has been so high the team has had to make some unusual requests in recent weeks. With all NHL teams set to have their jerseys manufactured by Adidas starting next year, production of this year’s uniforms have ground to a halt. But that hasn’t slowed demand from Nashville fans.

To accommodate the high demand, the team has had to purchase stock from NHL.com, Dick’s Sporting Goods and sports apparel website Fanatics.com, as well as resort to other methods.

“We tried to trade with other stores in and around town to the point where when we had certain sizes that we had and others didn’t, we offered straight trade,” said John DonVito, general manager for food service and retail. “People would laugh at us and say they didn’t even want to trade and then we bought their stock anyways and just sold it. That’s what we did to be successful.”

When asked how much money merchandise sales have generated for the team, DonVito simply said, “I can tell you it’s great and people are super excited about the gold. The gold is growing, and that’s what matters.”

Henry said during Game 5 – when Predators fans packed Bridgestone Arena to watch the game that was in Pittsburgh – merchandise sales were at least double what they were during a regular-season game.

In terms of the top selling jersey, DonVito said it would be hard to say off the top of his head but the entire starting lineup are strong sellers.

Henry said although he didn’t know the exact numbers in terms of jersey sales, he thought there was a healthy balance in terms of the entire team.

“I’m going to guess the number one selling guy and the number 10 selling guy are fairly close,” he said, while looking at the variety of jerseys fans were wearing as they milled through the arena prior to the start of Game 6.

In May, defenseman P.K. Subban was the top-selling jersey of any player on the team on the NHL’s online store and at the Predators Team Store inside Bridgestone Arena.

Vice President of Operations Dan Fetcho said the team already has begun transitioning its orders for next season, opting to increase its purchases in anticipation of high demand given the Predators' performance this season.

Fans are invited to put their name on a pre-order list, which allows them to get a phone call from the team once the league allows sales of the new jerseys to begin. DonVito said new jersey sales are tentatively set to begin Sept. 9.

The first view of the new home jersey will be at the NHL Draft, which take place June 23 and 24.

Reach Joel Ebert at jebert@tennessean.com or 615-772-1681 and on Twitter @joelebert29.