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Description

Franchise value and ownership history

Franchise name/location history (most to least recent):
  • Carolina Hurricanes
  • Hartford Whalers
  • New England Whalers

Franchise Valuation and Ownership History
All amounts in US$ unless otherwise noted.
Season   Value
(US$)
In today's
US$
Hockey Franchise
Valuation Rank
1972-73 $25,000 $192,671
Howard Baldwin, W. Godfrey Wood, John Coburn and William Edward Barnes bought the original WHA franchise for $25,000 to play in Boston as the New England Whalers.
Source(s): Book: Slim and None / The Hockey News
1974-75 $0 $0
In January 1975, the WHA team moved to Hartford, retaining the name of New England Whalers.
Source(s): HockeyZonePlus
1979-80 $0 $0
Prior to the season, as the WHA folded, paid $US 6M as entry rights to the NHL to join the league. The team was renamed, from the New England Whalers, the Hartford Whalers.
Source(s): Book: Les Nordiques / Book: Slim and None
1988-89 $31,000,000 $84,485,879
On June 28, 1988, Donald Conrad and Richard Gordon bought the NHL's Hartford Whalers for $31M. (It was sold for $33M according to the Book Slim and None)
Source(s): Book: The Whalers / The Hockey News 1989 Yearbook / NY Times / Book: Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey / Book: American Sports Empire: How the Leagues Breed Success / La Presse (According to the Hockey News, the $31M might have been for 75% of the franchise, which would put the total value of the team at $41.33M.)
1991-92 $49,000,000 $115,960,790 12
Source(s): Financial World
1992-93 $48,000,000 $110,250,855 16
Source(s): Financial World
1993-94 $47,500,000 $105,975,703 19
In June 1994, Peter Karmanos and Thomas Thewes purchased the NHL's Hartford Whalers from Lowell Weicker for $47.5M.
Source(s): Hartford Courant / Book: The Whalers / Forbes
1994-95 $31,476,000 $68,443,630 26
Source(s): Financial World
1995-96 $40,000,000 $84,604,279 26
Source(s): Financial World
1996-97 $48,000,000 $98,631,814 25
Source(s): Financial World
1998-99 $80,000,000 $158,174,345 24
Source(s): Forbes
1999-00 $70,000,000 $135,436,427 28
Source(s): Forbes
2000-01 $79,000,000 $147,861,208 29
Source(s): Forbes
2001-02 $103,000,000 $187,478,963 26
Source(s): Forbes
2002-03 $128,000,000 $229,344,007 21
Source(s): Forbes
2003-04 $109,000,000 $190,969,232 26
Source(s): Forbes
2004-05 $100,000,000 $170,637,442 29
Source(s): Forbes
2006-07 $144,000,000 $230,225,706 21
Source(s): Forbes
2007-08 $155,000,000 $240,940,002 22
Source(s): Forbes
2008-09 $168,000,000 $251,492,801 22
Source(s): Forbes
2009-10 $177,000,000 $265,904,260 20
Source(s): Forbes
2010-11 $162,000,000 $239,441,438 24
Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics
2011-12 $169,000,000 $242,147,684 23
(The franchise was worth $162M according to the book Sports and Labor in the United States.)
Source(s): Forbes
2012-13 $162,000,000 $227,416,699 26
Source(s): Forbes
2013-14 $186,000,000 $257,330,872 27
Source(s): Forbes
2014-15 $220,000,000 $299,510,011 28
Source(s): Forbes
2015-16 $225,000,000 $305,955,194 28
Source(s): Forbes
2016-17 $230,000,000 $308,857,964 30
Source(s): Forbes
2017-18 $370,000,000 $486,500,490 27
Source(s): Forbes
2018-19 $420,000,000 $539,070,527 26
Source(s): Forbes
2019-20 $450,000,000 $567,296,409 26
Source(s): Forbes
2020-21 $440,000,000 $547,959,815 24
Source(s): Forbes
2021-22 $550,000,000 $654,114,391 27
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was between $650M and $699M.
Source(s): Forbes
2022-23 $640,000,000 $704,721,558 28
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $800M. It was $615M according to Sportico.
Source(s): Forbes
2023-24 $825,000,000 $872,653,430 28
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $1.1B. It was $980M according to Sportico.
Source(s): Forbes
2024-25 $1,250,000,000 $1,284,268,409 27
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $1.4B. It was $1.29B according to Sportico and $1.3B according to CNBC.
Source(s): Forbes
2025-26 $1,920,000,000 $1,920,000,000 15
Source(s): Sportico