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Stanley Cup Win Great For Boston Business And Tourism

BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Bruins' Stanley Cup championship win is an immensely satisfying moment for Boston hockey fans and it's also a pretty good moment for local businesses.

While Boston-area businesses like sporting goods retailers, bars and restaurants have seen an immediate uptick in sales, there will also be a longer-term benefit to racking up yet another sports championship for the Hub.

Branding Massachusetts as the state of champions will further burnish Boston's brand and national profile since "historically, that had not been part of Boston's brand," said Pat Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau, of the Stanley Cup win.

Already, the impact has been a big boost for tourism and retailers.

The three Stanley Cup Finals games played in Boston generated $5 million each or a total of $15 million for the visitor economy, according to Moscaritolo.

Lisa van der Pool of the Boston Business Journal reports

For some historical perspective, the two World Series games that were played at Fenway Park in 2007 generated $8.5 million per game for the visitor economy and the Celtics championship games played back in 2008 generated $5.4 million for each of the four games played in Boston, according to data from the Greater Boston Visitors Bureau.

Joe Heiser, general manager at Modell's Sporting Goods in Cambridge, said that his store opened three hours early at 6 a.m. on Thursday, the morning after the Bruins' Stanley Cup win.

Since then, Bruins memorabilia including hats, t-shirts and shot glasses have been flying off the shelves, despite the fact that fresh shipments of Bruins' products have been arriving at the store throughout the day.

"We sold out pretty darn quick. We're pretty wiped out at the moment," said Heiser. "We've had four deliveries and they can't replenish us fast enough."

Heiser declined to disclose a dollar figure for today's sales.

While the Cambridge Modell's opened early, the Medford and Newton locations of Modell's both opened immediately after the Bruins silenced the Canucks, and stayed open all night.

"I didn't expect it to be this busy," said Heiser.

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism also plans to capitalize on Boston's sports pedigree, as the city marks its seventh championship in ten years.

"This is a great win for the Bruins and the Commonwealth. Massachusetts is home to many innovations - including superior professional sports," said Betsy Wall, executive director of the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism, in a statement.

"With our teams, venues, sports museums and attractions, there are plenty of ways for fans to pay homage to their favorites."

CBSBoston.com will carry the Bruins Stanley Cup Championship Parade live

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