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DOWNERS GROVE – Even after selling sports fan gear – hats, jerseys, T-shirts and more – for years, Dan Verven still is blown away by the tenacity of fans.
Even before the Chicago Blackhawks clinched their third Stanley Cup in six seasons on June 15, fans were clamoring for championship merchandise.
“Pretty much the day before people started asking, ‘Are you gonna have it once they do it?’ Immediately the phones were ringing that night,” said Verven, owner of Pro Jersey Sports in Downers Grove. “It’s the biggest one yet, bigger than the other two.”
When Verven got to the store early the next day, phones were constantly ringing. Championship merchandise arrived around 9 a.m. the morning after the Blackhawks’ clinching 2-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the store immediately opened to satisfy a growing group of fans waiting outside the door.
T-shirts were the first items to arrive. The white and gray locker room hat worn by the players on the ice arrived on June 17 and immediately was in high demand.
“We had the T-shirts initially, hats the following day, which we fielded probably 500 to 700 phone calls a day just for the hat,” Verven said. “The hat by far is No. 1 item, then the locker room T-shirt is No. 2. But definitely the locker room hat it seems to be that there is not enough supply. Unfortunately, not everybody was able to order enough. They weren’t able to produce enough.”
Fans looking for Father’s Day presents helped keep demand high. Polo shirts with the Stanley Cup championship logo arrived June 19. Verven said the store sold out the next day.
New merchandise still is arriving daily. Championship hats and T-shirts are the top sellers, but there is a range of merchandise to commemorate the Blackhawks’ latest title.
“We’re getting new stuff every day. Glassware, collector’s mugs, pennants, a lot of new T-shirts, jackets – you name it,” Verven said. “The combination of the Hawks logo and the Stanley Cup logo is a big deal.”
Verven was the owner of the Sports Fan in Wheaton for 12 years, during the time when the Chicago Bulls were winning their titles. He said the Blackhawks’ championship run has kept him busier.
“This is bigger because there is so much more product than back then,” Verven said. “Licensed product was much more limited back in the 90s, so this is bigger.”
The initial demand for championship gear had died down a bit by June 22, though the phones still were ringing frequently and a steady stream of customers still were coming through the door. Verven said the start of the next hockey season will bring another boost and that demand won’t completely die out until after the holidays.
“At the start of the season when they unveil the banner and hang it in the rafters, everybody’s going to want more championship merchandise,” Verven said, “and it’ll go through Christmas.”
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Pro Jersey Sports
What: Licensed sports merchandise
Where: 1510F 75th St., Downers Grove
Phone: 630-769-1990
Online: projerseysports.com