Oilers fans slam Fanatics for pricey, ugly Stanley Cup Final merch
The Edmonton Oilers have made it back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in 18 years and fans are not happy with the merch that Fanatics has put out to commemorate the achievement.
One of the more interesting fan storylines associated with a team’s success is the various merchandise released by the league. Hats and shirts bearing the team’s crest alongside the Stanley Cup are hot commodities around this time of the season, as fans are eager to celebrate.
Yet, it looks like the excitement has turned to anger this year as fans are ripping into Fanatics for putting out some fairly ugly and pricey products.
Really love the effort @Fanatics pic.twitter.com/1hIXVRbFzo
— World Hockey Report (@worldhockeyrpt) June 4, 2024
The hat is as bland as can be and doesn’t do much to bring excitement to the most important time of the NHL calendar. It also, frankly, looks rather cheaply made to be official NHL merchandise despite it having quite an expensive price tag.
This specific hat isn’t currently listed on the NHL’s online shop, but similar-looking hats are retailing for over $50.
Fans, predictably, aren’t thrilled.
Who okay’d this
— Ricardo (@KawhiElite) June 4, 2024
Fanatics sucks 🤣
— Kyle Fletcher (@KFLETCH___) June 5, 2024
— Blake Ferguson (@blakeferguson48) June 5, 2024
Oh man, are we seeing the Wish version?? These are not gonna move off the shelf.
— Rob 🇨🇦 (@FreddyRob19) June 5, 2024
I’ve seen folks bootleg merch better than this before.
— shaun hamilton (@Shaunth79) June 5, 2024
If plain yogurt was a hat
— Christopher Tanzola (@tanz10) June 6, 2024
It wasn’t just the hats that fans took issue with. Another spotted an Oilers Stanley Cup polo shirt selling for a whopping $121, and the quality and design looked just as unimaginative.
$121 for this is outrageous 💀 pic.twitter.com/9uBs7ZOBAx
— Brodeur (@rbrodeur88) June 5, 2024
Once again, the design simply missed the mark in commemorating what should be a very exciting time for Oilers fans. The drab gray colour alongside the awkwardly positioned patches just doesn’t make it all that appealing.
Fanatics is a joke.
— Casey the M (@wrecker44) June 6, 2024
I can see the square from the press pic.twitter.com/HBHcqd7YvA
— Kasabe_ (@kasabekompiles) June 6, 2024
Fanatics is garbage
— Oilers-4-Life (@oilers_life) June 6, 2024
Nothing says premium like a neutral gray poly polo with a couple of heat-seal hits!
Bargain at twice the price. 😂
— Holmes Ghassemi (@Projekt29) June 6, 2024
For $20 I’d consider it, any more and I’d say it’s overpriced.
$121 is an outright joke, at that point just save up a little more and get a jersey
— Kia619 (@Kiaria619) June 6, 2024
This is just the latest wrinkle in the Fanatics NHL saga. Hockey fans have not been too thrilled with the company ever since they were named the successor to Adidas to manufacture the league’s jerseys starting next season.
Here’s hoping the eventual Stanley Cup Champion has much nicer merch than what has been shown so far.