Canucks fans shocked by “insane” price of Lunar New Year jerseys
Vancouver Canucks jerseys are thrown on the ice as much as it rains in the city these days, but nobody will be tossing the special edition Lunar New Year jerseys.
Not at those prices, anyway.
The club wore the unique jerseys in warmups ahead of a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on January 24. Yet, the red and gold jerseys are listed at a whopping CND$750, exponentially more expensive than the regular game-edition jerseys for sale at CND$200.
C'mon read the room! The fans are NOT happy and the jersey is a rip-off?! Jeeezz
— Laís Ferreira 🇧🇷 🇨🇦 (@laisdferreira) January 25, 2023
After impressing with last year’s Lunar New Year threads, artist Trevor Lai designed the 2023 jerseys.
The new look, featuring a golden rabbit replacing the Canucks wordmark on the skate logo, is almost unanimously loved, but some are still balking at the price. The jerseys for sale — which are the same quality as the on-ice editions — are designed by hand, making them labour-intensive and adding to the hefty price tag.
@Canucks are the Lunar New Year’s jerseys supposed to be over $500 USD? I want to know cause I wanted to buy one but that’s insane
— Matt (@Laczkoisms) January 20, 2023
A percentage of the total cost goes towards Vancouver’s Elimin8hate and the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, but the hockey club never announced what amount makes its way to the beneficiaries.
“Last year, #Canucks donated $20,000 to charities incl the Chinatown Storytelling Centre where I presented for Lunar New Year (all ticket proceeds benefited them),” Lai said on Twitter. “These jerseys are a small part of a big campaign.”
Hi Sam, I’m the designer who created the logo and shoulder patch. Last year, #Canucks donated $20,000 to charities incl the Chinatown Storytelling Centre where I presented for Lunar New Year (all ticket proceeds benefited them). These jerseys are a small part of a big campaign❤️
— Up Studios 🌟Animation, Stories, Licensing (@UPStudiosWorld) January 25, 2023
High prices for Canucks specialty jerseys aren’t out of the norm, with the well-received Pride jersey last March retailing for CND$650 each and October’s Diwali jersey matching the Lunar New Year sweater’s CND$750 mark.
The auction and resale market isn’t any cheaper, with Thatcher Demko’s 2022 Pride jersey selling for $272,500 at auction, putting it in the realm of the world’s most expensive hockey jerseys.
Canucks do be winning with their lunar new year jerseys again 😌 https://t.co/2PneXcLXkG
— to the power of ⁷⁴ (@bearybestboys) January 20, 2023
Fortunately, for fans looking for a piece of Canucks Lunar New Year memorabilia, there are smaller offering such as hoodies, hats, T-shirts, pucks, and key chains, all going for much more familiar prices.
While the Canucks got a win to open the Rick Tochett era, the noise regarding the coaching situation since the start of the season hasn’t been the best way to ring in the Year of the Rabbit.
I think the Canucks have more Alternate jerseys then regular season wins this year 😂
But sick jerseys tho.— Jay Durant (@durantjay37) January 21, 2023