Professional hockey, like football, basketball, and baseball, is big business. The NHL is seeing record profits and value for their teams – in fact, team values are up 46% from just last year – and that's despite the lockout cancelling 42% of last season's games. In fact, the shortened season contributed to the big gain in value as operating budgets were down. Canadian teams dominate the top five, which is only right, seeing as hockey was born in Canada. But for the first time since 1998, three of the NHL's top five most valuable teams are Canadian. All of the Canadian teams rank in the top 16 of the 30 team league. Hockey is Canada's religion and this surge in value for their teams boosts ticket prices north of the border that are already the highest in the NHL.
Most Valuable Hockey Teams / Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
In the 2012-2013 season, six of the seven Canadian teams set their average ticket price at $70. The NHL average is $64. The five most expensive ticket prices in the league are all Canadian teams –Toronto ($120), Montreal ($99), Winnipeg Jets ($95), Vancouver ($90), and Edmonton Oilers ($79). In the NHL ticket revenues are incredibly important as the home team keeps 100% of the gate money. The top teams in gate revenue last year were Toronto ($2.2 million), Montreal ($2.1 million), Vancouver ($1.8 million), New York Rangers ($1.8 million), with the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers tied at ($1.6 million).
Small market Canadian teams do much better financially than small market American teams. The Edmonton Oilers, for example, are one of the financially strongest teams in the NHL, whereas the Florida Panthers almost have to give their tickets away for free and post an operating loss.
Canada's six-year, $600 million TV deal with CBC expires at the end of the 2013-2014 season. Renewal of that deal was sold to Rogers Communications for $5.3 billion over 12 years, starting next season. whether with CBC exclusively or in conjunction with TSN and Rogers Sportsnet—could go for $200 million per season. For comparison, the NHL's American TV deal is a 10-year, $187 million a season deal with NBC Sports that started in the 2011-2012 season. Obviously, richer television contracts mean a bigger increase in revenue. Let's take a look at the most valuable NHL teams:
1. Toronto Maple Leafs
Team value: $1.1 billion
Revenue 2012-13: $142 million
Operating income 2012-13: $48.7 million
Stanley Cup Titles: 13 – 1918, 1922, 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967
