NHL Franchise Boys

For the first time the league has three teams worth at least ten digits: the Toronto Maple Leafs ($1.3 billion), New York Rangers ($1.1 billion) and Montreal Canadiens ($1 billion). This is the ninth consecutive year the Maple Leafs are the top team.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs

Current Value: $1.3 Billion
Revenue 2013-14: $190 million
Operating Income 2013-14: $70.6 million

2. New York Rangers

Current Value: $1.1 Billion
Revenue 2013-14: $217 million
Operating Income 2013-14: $84.4 million

3. Montreal Canadiens

Current Value: $1.0 Billion
Revenue 2013-14: $187 million
Operating Income 2013-14: $59.8 million

4. Chicago Blackhawks

Current Value: $825 Million
Revenue 2013-14: $172 million
Operating Income 2013-14: $50.2 million

5. Vancouver Canucks

Current Value: $800 Million
Revenue 2013-14: $154 million
Operating Income 2013-14: $46.7 million

The Least Valuable Franchise in the NHL: The Florida Panthers

Current Value: $190 Million
Revenue 2013-14: $83 million
Operating Income 2013-14: -$15.6 million

For the entire 2014 Forbes most valuable teams in the NHL list, you can check it out here.

Our Montreal Canadiens strongest brand among professional sports teams in the country, concludes an opinion survey with Canadian sports fans released by Insightrix Research Inc. Toronto Maple Leafs ranked second, Saskatchewan Roughriders was third and Toronto Blue Jays, Canada’s lone team in Major League Baseball was fourth.

A total of 2,676 randomly-selected sports fans were polled online in nine Canadian metro areas that are home to professional sports franchises. Results were weighted to accurately represent the population in each metro area as a percentage of the national population and by the proportion of followers of each sports league in those areas. Metro areas surveyed were: Calgary, Edmonton, Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg.  Five key brand metrics were measured including first brand that comes to mind, their level of respect for team brands as well as their perception of the most loyal fans, team popularity and stadium atmosphere.

The most respected team is the Canadiens, followed by the Roughriders, Blue Jays and Alouettes. When it comes to popularity, fans perceive the Montreal Canadiens to be the most popular, followed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Alouettes. The Canadiens edge out the Roughriders as the team perceived to have the most loyal fans. Across all leagues the Montreal Canadiens have the strongest brand nationally followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Blue Jays.

Following is a snap shot of the survey results:

Most Respected
1)Montreal Canadiens – 22.6%
2)Saskatchewan Roughriders – 12.2%
3)Toronto Blue Jays – 9.1%
4)Montreal Alouettes – 7.5%

Perception of Popularity
1)Montreal Canadiens – 20.8%
2)Saskatchewan Roughriders – 16.5%
3)Toronto Maple Leafs – 15.0%
4)Montreal Alouettes – 7.2%

Perception Most Loyal Fans
1)Montreal Canadiens – 22.5%
2)Saskatchewan Roughriders – 22.1%
3)Toronto Maple Leafs – 19.9%
4)Toronto Raptors – 6.7%

Perception of Best Stadium/Arena Atmosphere
1)Montreal Canadiens – 24.4%
2)Saskatchewan Roughriders – 16.2%
3)Toronto Maple Leafs – 10.5%
4)Toronto Raptors (Tie) – 6.9%
4)Montreal Alouettes (Tie) – 6.9%

First Brand that Comes to Mind
1)Toronto Blue Jays – 19.2%
2)Montreal Canadiens – 18.5%
3)Toronto Maple Leafs – 14.8%
4)Toronto Raptors – 12.3%

Canadian Professional Sports Brand Ranking (Based on combined weighted results)
First: Montreal Canadiens
Second: Toronto Maple Leafs
Third: Saskatchewan Roughriders
Fourth: Toronto Blue Jays

Congratulations to the Montreal Canadiens!