Montreal Canadiens
Description
Franchise value and ownership history
Franchise name/location history (most to least recent):- Montreal Canadiens
| Franchise Valuation and Ownership History All amounts in US$ unless otherwise noted. |
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| Season | Value (US$) |
In today's US$ |
Hockey Franchise Valuation Rank |
| 1910-11 | $7,500 | $238,664 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $7,500. Ambrose O'Brien sold the team to George Kendall (aka George Kennedy) and 115 shareholders for $C 7,500. | |||
| Source(s): Maclean's / Book: The Lively World of Hockey / Book: Deceptions and Doublecross / Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey / Book: Georges Vezina, l'habitant silencieux | |||
| 1921-22 | $9,900 | $174,373 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $11,000. After the death of George Kendall (aka George Kennedy), the team was auctionned off. On November 4, 1921, Leo Dandurand, Louis Letourneau, and Joe Cattarinich bought it for $C 11,000. (Sold by Kennedy's widow for $11,500, according to the book Deceptions and Deblecross) | |||
| Source(s): Book: La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens / Maclean's / Book: The Lively World of Hockey / Book: 99 Stories of the Game / Book: The Lives of Conn Smythe / Book: Georges Vezina, l'habitant silencieux / The Sporting News / The Hockey Research Journal / The Hockey News | |||
| 1935-36 | $165,000 | $3,781,050 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $165,000. Leo Dandurand and Joe Cattarinich, who purchased the shares of Louis Letourneau for $150,000 fours years before, sold the team to the Canadian Arena Company, headed by Senator Raymond, for $C 175,000. (It was for $175,000 according to the book La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens.) | |||
| Source(s): McLean's / The Sporting News / The Hockey News | |||
| 1957-58 | $1,043,000 | $11,673,877 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $1,000,000. The Canadian Arena Company sold the team to Senator Hartland Molson for $C 1M. | |||
| Source(s): Maclean's / The Sporting News | |||
| 1971-72 | $15,246,000 | $118,383,364 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $15,400,000. During the season, the Canadian Arena Company sold the Canadiens and the Montreal Forum to Edward and Peter Bronfman, the Bank of Nova Scotia and Baton Broadcasting, Inc. for a reported $15.4M plus assorted fringe benefits including $2.5M savings because the sale took place just before the implementation of a new capital gains tax. (It was for $13M according to the book Pierre Gervais : Au coeur du vestiaire.) | |||
| Source(s): Book: La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens / La Presse / Book: Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey / Book: American Sports Empire: How the Leagues Breed Success. | |||
| 1978-79 | $17,540,000 | $84,540,488 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $20,000,000. In August 1978, the Canadian Arena Banking Corporation (owned by the Bronfman family) sold the team to the Molson Brewery for $C 20M. (It was sold for $C23M according to The Sporting news and $C 40M according to Book: Guy Lafleur - L'ombre et la lumiere) | |||
| Source(s): Book: La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens / Book: Serge Savard - Canadien jusqu'au bout / Book: Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey / Forbes / Book: Pierre Gervais : Au coeur du vestiaire | |||
| 1986-87 | $32,400,000 | $92,934,586 | |
| Value in Canadian currency: $45,000,000. | |||
| Source(s): Fortune | |||
| 1991-92 | $62,000,000 | $143,129,452 | 3 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1992-93 | $73,000,000 | $163,563,284 | 4 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1993-94 | $82,000,000 | $178,463,242 | 4 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1994-95 | $86,000,000 | $182,420,726 | 8 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1995-96 | $86,000,000 | $177,440,609 | 10 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1996-97 | $95,000,000 | $190,423,972 | 11 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1997-98 | $95,000,000 | $186,070,272 | 3 |
| Source(s): Financial World | |||
| 1998-99 | $167,000,000 | $322,095,577 | 6 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 1999-00 | $175,000,000 | $330,291,752 | 7 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2000-01 | $191,000,000 | $348,724,739 | 8 |
| According to the book Back to Beer...and Hockey: The Story of Eric Molson, in late January 2001, George Gillet purchased 80.1% of the Montreal Canadien and 100% of the Molson Center, from the Molson brewery, for $275M. | |||
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2001-02 | $182,000,000 | $323,153,555 | 10 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2002-03 | $187,000,000 | $326,844,563 | 10 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2003-04 | $170,000,000 | $290,541,422 | 10 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2004-05 | $195,000,000 | $324,587,039 | 9 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2006-07 | $230,000,000 | $358,708,269 | 7 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2007-08 | $283,000,000 | $429,127,038 | 4 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2008-09 | $334,000,000 | $487,736,182 | 3 |
| The Molson brothers (Geoffrey, Andrew and Justin) bought the Montreal Canadiens, Bell Center and Groupe Spectacles Gillett from George Gillett for $575M. | |||
| Source(s): Forbes / Book: La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens / Book: Beyond the Scoreboard | |||
| 2009-10 | $339,000,000 | $496,791,274 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics | |||
| 2010-11 | $408,000,000 | $588,256,443 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics | |||
| 2011-12 | $445,000,000 | $621,979,194 | 3 |
| (The franchise was worth $575M according to the book Sports and Labor in the United States.) | |||
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2012-13 | $575,000,000 | $787,403,633 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2013-14 | $775,000,000 | $1,045,930,632 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2014-15 | $1,000,000,000 | $1,328,039,199 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2015-16 | $1,180,000,000 | $1,565,235,001 | 2 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2016-17 | $1,120,000,000 | $1,467,138,869 | 2 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2017-18 | $1,250,000,000 | $1,603,296,345 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2018-19 | $1,300,000,000 | $1,627,653,220 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2019-20 | $1,340,000,000 | $1,647,876,085 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2020-21 | $1,340,000,000 | $1,627,882,535 | 3 |
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2021-22 | $1,600,000,000 | $1,856,236,162 | 3 |
| According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was between $1.5B and $2B. | |||
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2022-23 | $1,850,000,000 | $1,987,154,083 | 3 |
| According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $1.8B. It was $1.7B according to Sportico. | |||
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2023-24 | $2,300,000,000 | $2,373,219,560 | 3 |
| According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $2.25B. It was $2.27B according to Sportico. | |||
| Source(s): Forbes | |||
| 2024-25 | $3,100,000,000 | $3,100,000,000 | 3 |
| Source(s): CNBC | |||