They might suck but the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to bee the richest NHL team in the league which, I’m sure, can be attributed to the fact that they’ve got some of the most loyal fans ever.
They are way at the bottom of the standings but for the fourth year in a row, they’ve topped the Forbes list for most valuable franchise in the league. Even though the world has been in a recession, the Leafs’ value actually “increased by five per cent to $470 million USD last season.”
The top 5 richest teams are as follows:
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- New York Rangers
- Montreal Canadiens
- Detroit Red Wings
- Philadelphia Flyers
It’s disappointing to see that the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are the reigning Stanley Cup champions, are only the 11th most valuable team. I would have thought they would have been the team to see the most increase but the Chicago Blackhawks gained the most with a 26% increase.
This was the most profitable season for the NHL since Forbes began compiling the list 12 years ago.
This despite the fact some teams lost money. The Phoenix Coyotes lost $18.5 million and the Colorado Avalanche dropped the most by 11% – the worst performance since they moved from Quebec City back in 1995.
image: TSN
Post from: Hockey Beat