TAMPA, FL. – To the victor belong the spoils.
Might as well include the fans when it comes to the “spoils” part of the proverb, which dates to Andrew Jackson’s presidential victory nearly 200 years ago.
While at least a few Tampa Bay Lightning players could run for public office and win in a landslide about now, the team’s faithful has been spoiling itself by basking in the glow of two Stanley Cups in nine months.
It has been five weeks since the Lightning downed Montreal in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final at Amalie Arena and paraded Lord Stanley’s chalice in front of more than 18,000 — plus several thousand watching outside in Thunder Alley — who soaked up every second of the celebration.
Those fans have since been wearing and showing off many items commemorating their team’s achievement.
“Last year when we won in the Edmonton bubble, it was a shared, communal experience with everybody isolated,” said Matt Zalkowitz, Vinik Sports Group’s director of retail. “This year, obviously we had fans that were physically present at Amalie Arena whether it was for games or watch parties. Even if they purchased Stanley Cup items (from the 2020 championship), I think they wanted something to commemorate that in-person experience this time around.”
Not surprisingly, Zalkowitz noted that the hats and t-shirts given to players immediately after winning the Cup are top sellers. The same goes for the boat parade tees.
“The locker room hats, the locker room tees and stuff the players were wearing on the ice and during the parade, such as the boat parade tees, sold very, very well from the get-go,” he said.
Those types of impulse or got-to-have-it purchases have given way a bit to sales of hard goods, or non-clothing items.
“What we are seeing more and more now is the kind of ‘I was there’ mindset translating into the type of items that people are buying,” said Zalkowitz
Two items in particular have stood out. One is a back-to-back Stanley Cup puck on which a fan can have his or her name engraved, a keepsake Zalkowitz noted is one of the hottest sellers among items under $30.
Another hot item that also offers a personal touch is a framed team championship photo that comes with a commemorative Stanley Cup final ticket that can be customized with the fan’s section, row, and seat. The collectible also includes a piece of Amalie Arena rink glass and a piece of goal net. It sells for $179.99.
“We are seeing a lot of those orders come in as fans now want to kind of commemorate the fact that they were here and they lived it this time around,” said Zalkowitz, of the items being sold through the Tampa Bay Sports store in Amalie Arena and through the store’s web site.
Fans can also live it up by toasting a second consecutive Cup.
For the second straight year, the Lightning and Mano’s Wine partnered to offer collectible bottles of “Championship Reserve.” A three-pack is available on the winery’s site for $99.99.
“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with this great franchise and the amazing fans,” said Kyle Rensenhouse, CEO of Kansas City-based Mano’s, in a statement. “We love creating products that fans are able to add to their Lightning collections and hope to do so for years to come.”
Since the postseason did not conclude until July, the Lightning will be back on the ice before you know it. In fact, the team announced single game tickets will be available to the public on August 19.
A quick turnaround means new merchandise collections will be available before too long. Zalkowitz noted that another banner-raising ceremony and the holidays will yield opportunities for fans to add to their collection of Lightning items.
Might as well keep the “spoils” coming.
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