The NHL is a story of the haves and the have nots. A handful of teams are thriving and posting big revenues while others are struggling to draw 10,000+ fans on a consistent basis. A new study from Forbes has revealed that just six teams were responsible for 76% of the NHL’s total operating income from 2013-14.
Via Forbes, here are the teams responsible for bringing in the most money:
Toronto Maple Leafs: $1.3 billion
New York Rangers: $1.1 billion
Montreal Canadiens: $1 billion
Chicago Blackhawks: $825 million
Vancouver Canucks: $800 million
Boston Bruins: $750 million
As crazy as it is that just six teams were responsible for 76% of the operating income, there are a few other noteworthy facts from the Forbes piece worth mentioning. For instance, all 30 teams saw their values rise over the past year. The article actually mentions that the Florida Panthers did not see their value increase, but that was due to an error made by the author when calculating his evaluations last year.
In summary, the NHL is growing. While Forbes can certainly be criticized for their rankings and their data may be far from the actual truth, the picture is a positive one. Most teams are seeing big returns and the clubs at the top are seeing some incredible returns.
What does all of this mean? Aside from the NHL gaining solid footing, it means that expansion is probably not far behind.
