Popular NHL Merchandise Showcasing the Young Stars in Hockey

The 2009-2010 NHL season has been underway for about a month, and it's been an exciting start to the hockey year. Building off the fantastic finish to the playoffs last season, the NHL is showcasing their young stars on various teams throughout the league. If you have an NHL fan in your life, merchandise from these players and teams will be a hitt.

The defending Stanley Cup champions highlight the league's youth movement. When the Penguins first put this group together, it was clear that they had their hands on a talented group of players. But to have already won a Cup and with potentially many more Stanley Cups in the future, the Penguins young core certainly is noteworthy and fans have been taking note with all of the merchandise they have been buying up.

Pittsburgh Penguins hats & jerseys were already popular long before the club won another Stanley Cup this past summer. But now sales are through the roof. At the top of everyone's list is Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, as potent a 1-2 punch as there has been since perhaps former Penguins players Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr suited up together.

Of course the team also has young center Jordan Staal on the roster, and it's only because of the two names ahead of him that he doesn't have more notoriety and playing time. Goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury rounds out the young troupe, and none of these players are older than 24 years old.

An equally young squad resides in the Western Conference. The Chicago Blackhawks didn't make it to the Cup last year, falling to the Detroit Red Wings. However, they have their own precocious stars that are ready to take the team into the future. While just a few years ago the arena in Chicago was empty, it's now jam packed and Chicago Blackhawks apparel is more prevalent than ever.

In Chicago, the youth movement is led by captain Jonathon Toews. One of the youngest captains in league history, he's joined by two high scoring young players, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp. Together, they have made the Blackhawks a fast paced, high scoring team that is ready to build on the experience of last season to make a serious run at a championship in the future.

Whoever your favorite team is, 'tis the season to grab some NHL merchandise as a gift to yourself or for another hockey fan in the family. While the youth movement is highlighted in Pittsburgh and Chicago, it's present everywhere. From league MVP Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, the young stars on the New York Rangers, the budding players on the Los Angeles Kings and more, the young players are continuing to assert their dominance and fans have been responding in kind by tuning in and cheering them on.