from Mike Ozanian and Justin Teitelbaum of Forbes,
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the most valuable team in the National Hockey League for the first time since 2014. Even though they have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, Forbes values the Maple Leafs at $2.8 billion, $150 million more than the New York Rangers ($2.65 billion), who held the top spot for eight straight years. The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL’s third-most-valuable team, worth $2.3 billion....
To be sure, despite concerns over the future of regional sports networks, NHL teams remain hot properties. The average value of an NHL team has risen 29% from a year ago, to $1.33 billion. Last season, revenue (including arena proceeds from non-NHL events) hit an average of $201 million, 8.6% more than the previous season.
The Los Angeles Kings, meanwhile, usurped the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks to claim the fourth spot in the ranking with a value of $2 billion. The Kings—owned by billionaire Philip Anschutz, who also owns Crypto.com Arena through his company, AEG Worldwide—recently completed a two-phase renovation of the arena that has focused on premium spaces for the well-heeled L.A. faithful....
The league also remains especially robust in Canada, where hockey is a religion. For example, in November, logistics billionaire Michael Andlauer sold his 10% stake in the Montreal Canadiens at a $2.3 billion valuation because a month earlier he had bought the Ottawa Senators for $950 million—the second-most ever paid for a hockey team.
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