Forbes' 2012 team values: Blackhawks No. 4

November 28, 2012, 1:32 pm

NINA FALCONE


Since the NHL lockout began, revenue sharing has been a hot topic. We knew the financial differences between organizations was rather hefty, but Forbes' release of each team's worth on Wednesday further illustrated the differences.

The "Original Six" teams lead the way in terms of the organizations' value, and the Blackhawks are listed as the fourth-highest, totaling $350 million. But the Maple Leafs are the ones that really turned heads, becoming the first NHL franchise to be valued at $1 billion.

Let's do the math.

While the Rangers sit at the No. 2 spot at $750 million, there's still a $250 million gap between New York and Toronto, and there are still another 27 teams in between before you reach the last-place Blues who are currently worth $130 million.

Forbes pointed out the tremendous differences in value between the league's most profitable and weaker markets:

The five most valuable teams–the Maple Leafs ($1 billion), New York Rangers  ($750 million), Montreal Canadiens ($575 million), Chicago Blackhawks ($350 million) and Boston Bruins ($348 million)–are worth $605 million, on average. The five least valuable–the Carolina Hurricanes ($162 million), New York Islanders ($155 million), Columbus Blue Jackets ($145 million), Phoenix Coyotes ($134 million) and St. Louis Blues ($130 million)–are worth just $145 million, on average.

To top it all off, Forbes' report states that the Maple Leafs, Rangers and Canadiens currently make up 83 percent of the NHL's operating revenue.

On that note, here's a full look at Forbes' list of each NHL team's value:

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, toronto maple leafs, forbes, nhl lockout