I, like many of you, had my hopes of getting an authentic Alex Ovechkin Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey today online. But, on the same day that Taylor Swift concert tickets crashed Ticketmaster, I found the experience a wee bit challenging due to crushing demand once again.
Fanatics launched NHL Reverse Retro jerseys and merch through its online store, shop.nhl.com, at 9 am on Tuesday. A few minutes after, Capitals Reverse Retro merch such as jackets, shirts, hats, and hoodies populated. But there was a tech glitch — per our Fanatics rep — that caused Capitals RR 2.0 jerseys to be sold exclusively on https://shop.monumentalsportsnetwork.com until a little after 11 am. The Capitals are one of the rare NHL teams that utilize Fanatics for a second online branded shop which allows MSE to have a one-stop online marketplace for merch of all its franchises including the Wizards, Mystics, Go-Go, and online gaming teams.
Authentic Alex Ovechkin Reverse Retro 2.0 jerseys were sold out by the time they were populated to shop.nhl.com shortly after 11 am. And the authentic jerseys offered in the two Fanatic stores (NHL Shop/Monumental) sold out shortly after noon.
Despite this confusion, a source tells RMNB that the Capitals had huge sales on day one.
There are two practical examples I could find to highlight this. Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid authentic RR 2.0 jerseys are still available online in every size while Ovechkin’s sold out before noon. Crosby and McDavid are comparable superstars to Ovechkin in terms of skill and popularity. This makes me think the demand for Screaming Eagle merch is off the charts.
The Capitals also released Reverse Retro jerseys at its two brick-and-mortar team stores, Capital One Arena and MedStar Capitals Iceplex, at varying times this morning. At COA, there were long lines outside before doors opened around 10 am.
“I got there at about 9 am and the line was already to the corner of 7th and F, about 200 feet,” Matt Pennybacker said. “They started letting people in a minute or two before 10 am, and by that time the line was about twice as long. I made it in at about 10:20. All said, it ran pretty smooth, and there was plenty of stock.”
Photo: Vic Jain
The store brought out long metal racks that had hundreds of authentic jerseys of Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and TJ Oshie. The team also had blank jerseys as well. Other RR 2.0 merch could be purchased too. Capitals legend Peter Bondra signed autographs and took photos with fans.
From what our readers tell us, none of the jerseys that were sold had the Caesars Sportsbook patch already on them for sale, but we’re told they can be ironed on at Capitals games in the future.
The Cap One team store announced on its Instagram page that it restocked its jerseys in the afternoon. By closing time (5 pm), there were still authentic RR 2.0 jerseys available. So if you still want one, that is a great bet. They are not taking online orders though.
Meanwhile, at the Capitals’ team store at MedStar Capitals Iceplex, reader Julia Stonner showed up early in the morning to try and grab a jersey at the practice facility.
“I got there a couple minutes before 8 am and the line was already into the Capitals’ ice rink,” she said. “It took an hour-plus to finally get in the store and buy the merch.”
Line for the RR jerseys.. goes into the practice rink.. #Caps @rmnb pic.twitter.com/iLuMXvBSPq
— julia (@casadoresdean) November 15, 2022
Authentic jerseys were in boxes and given out depending on what size each fan requested.
By 6 pm, the MedStar Capitals Iceplex store still had some blank men’s authentic jerseys. The store was out of some adult beanies and all-black caps.
Capitals’ Special Edition RR 2.0 jerseys (replicas) were not available today at either team store.
Moving forward, there will be more opportunities to buy authentic Capitals Reverse Retro 2.0 jerseys online as other NHL sales partners like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Canada’s CoolHockey will release their own stock on November 20.
It’s worth pointing out that the NHL’s online shop still has a lot of merch available that isn’t authentic jerseys. Here’s a quick list. (RMNB will get a tiny percentage of anything purchased through the following NHL Shop links.)
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