It's been a good year, financially, for the National Hockey League.
Thanks to strong revenues and bottom lines, the NHL's 31 teams saw their value spike by an average of 15 per cent over the last year, the biggest jump in three years, according to Forbes magazine, which publishes an annual list of the most valuable NHL teams. The average team is now worth US$594 million (C$754 million).
This year's most valuable team, once again, is the New York Rangers, valued at US$1.5 billion (C$1.9 billion), Forbes estimates.
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"Last season, the Rangers had more revenue ($246 million) and operating income ($94 million) than any other hockey team," Forbes reported.
The Rangers have been the most valuable team in the league for three straight years, having unseated the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015. Prior to that, the Leafs had been the NHL's most valuable team for a decade.
Earlier on HuffPost Canada:
A lower Canadian dollar was partly to blame for Toronto's fall from first place. But Forbes notes that the loonie was back on the rise this year, helping the NHL's seven Canadian teams to a stronger showing in the rankings than they would have otherwise seen. The Leafs' estimated market value jumped by 27 per cent over the past year, to US$1.4 billion, though that wasn't quite enough to leapfrog the Rangers.
Four NHL teams — the Rangers, the Leafs, the Montreal Canadiens and the Chicago Blackhawks — are now estimated to be worth more than US$1 billion. The least valuable team? That would be the Phoenix Coyotes, valued at US$300 million.
Here are the top 10 most valuable NHL teams (all figures in U.S. dollars).
1. New York Rangers
Value: $1.5 billion (up 20 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $246 million
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
Value: $1.4 billion (up 27 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $211 million
3. Montreal Canadiens
Value: $1.25 billion (up 12 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $236 million
4. Chicago Blackhawks
Value: $1 billion (up 8 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $183 million
5. Boston Bruins
Value: $890 million (up 11 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $176 million
6. Los Angeles Kings
Value: $750 million (up 25 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $175 million
7. Philadelphia Flyers
Value: $740 million (up 3 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $170 million
8. Vancouver Canucks
Value: $730 million (up 4 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $156 million
9. Detroit Red Wings
Value: $700 million (up 12 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $141 million
10. Pittsburgh Penguins
Value: $650 million (up 14 per cent in the past year)
Revenue: $196 million
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