Real or fake? How to spot counterfeit NHL jerseys

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The NHL store in Midtown's packed with hockey fans in from all over the world, and they're all looking to take home some playoff memorabilia.

There's plenty of phony merchandise out there for sale, and it may be hard to tell which ones are real and which ones are fake. A fake Henrik Lundqvist by Homeland Security as a very good counterfeit.

"There are counterfeiters coming in from all over the country to try to take advantage of sports fans," said Tom Prochnow, NHL Legal and Business Vice President

Prochnow helps US customs agents crackdown on the counterfeiters. Just like during the Super Bowl, undercover agents are out looking for unlicensed gear, and know exactly what to look for.

The number one thing to look for in fake merchandise is a hologram hangtag. All genuine NHL jerseys have a hologram hang tag.

Real jerseys will have a sewn-in label id'ing the name of the licensee and will also have reflective hologram hangtag.

"NHL changes over to LNH and you can see that in the light, and you can be sure you're getting a genuine product if you see that," says Prochnow.

Genuine products have quality workmanship. It is important to look for shoddy stitching. Patches are also another dead giveaway - if pieces of paper are falling off the letters, the jersey is a fake.

Also beware of cut or marked out labels - these are signs the shirts were sold on the secondary market. Bleeding colors or colors that don't match are also sure signs of a phony. It is important to examine the lettering carefully, counterfeits are always filled with sloppy mistakes. One jersey 7 on your Side spotted had the Rangers' roster wrong, and another shirt had "January" spelled incorrectly on a Stadium Series shirt.