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Description

Franchise value and ownership history

Franchise name/location history (most to least recent):
  • Chicago Blackhawks

Franchise Valuation and Ownership History
All amounts in US$ unless otherwise noted.
Season   Value
(US$)
In today's
US$
Hockey Franchise
Valuation Rank
1925-26 $12,000 $220,502
In May 1926, Huntington Hardwick paid an expansion fee of $12,000 to join the NHL.
Source(s): Chicago Tribune / La Presse
1926-27 $120,000 $2,185,085
Less than a month after buying an expansion team, on June 1, 1926, XYZ sold the franchise to a group of 100 locals, led by Frederic McLaughlin, for $US 120,000.
Source(s): Book: Net Worth
1954-55 $1,027,000 $12,327,825
Arthur Wirtz purchased the franchise for $1M.
Source(s): Forbes / CNBC
1986-87 $16,000,000 $47,046,802
The franchise was worth near the bottom end of the US $16M and $20M bracket.
Source(s): Fortune
1991-92 $61,000,000 $144,359,351 5
Source(s): Financial World
1992-93 $67,000,000 $153,891,819 6
Source(s): Financial World
1993-94 $80,000,000 $178,485,394 6
Source(s): Financial World
1994-95 $102,000,000 $221,795,979 5
Source(s): Financial World
1995-96 $122,000,000 $258,043,050 3
Source(s): Financial World
1996-97 $151,000,000 $310,279,248 2
Source(s): Financial World
1998-99 $170,000,000 $336,120,483 5
Source(s): Forbes
1999-00 $185,000,000 $357,939,128 6
Source(s): Forbes
2000-01 $197,000,000 $368,717,189 7
Source(s): Forbes
2001-02 $200,000,000 $364,036,822 8
Source(s): Forbes
2002-03 $218,000,000 $390,601,512 8
Source(s): Forbes
2003-04 $192,000,000 $336,386,171 8
Source(s): Forbes
2004-05 $178,000,000 $303,734,646 10
Source(s): Forbes
2006-07 $168,000,000 $268,596,657 12
Source(s): Forbes
2007-08 $180,000,000 $279,801,293 17
Source(s): Forbes
2008-09 $205,000,000 $306,881,096 14
Source(s): Forbes
2009-10 $258,000,000 $387,589,261 7
Source(s): Forbes
2010-11 $300,000,000 $443,410,071 7
Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics
2011-12 $306,000,000 $438,444,919 6
(The franchise was worth $350M according to the book Sports and Labor in the United States.)
Source(s): Forbes
2012-13 $350,000,000 $491,332,375 4
Source(s): Forbes
2013-14 $625,000,000 $864,687,071 5
Source(s): Forbes
2014-15 $825,000,000 $1,123,162,541 4
Source(s): Forbes
2015-16 $925,000,000 $1,257,815,796 4
Source(s): Forbes
2016-17 $925,000,000 $1,242,146,161 4
Source(s): Forbes
2017-18 $1,000,000,000 $1,314,866,188 4
Source(s): Forbes
2018-19 $1,050,000,000 $1,347,676,317 4
Source(s): Forbes
2019-20 $1,085,000,000 $1,367,814,676 4
Source(s): Forbes
2020-21 $1,085,000,000 $1,351,219,088 4
Source(s): Forbes
2021-22 $1,400,000,000 $1,665,018,450 4
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 $1,500,000,000 $1,651,691,151 4
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was 1.8B. It was 1.44B according to Sportico.
Source(s): Forbes
2023-24 $1,875,000,000 $1,983,303,249 6
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was 2.25B. It was 1.84B according to Sportico.
Source(s): Forbes
2024-25 $2,450,000,000 $2,517,166,082 7
According to Graeme Roustan, in The Hockey News, the value of the franchise without the arena was $2.75B. It was $2.39B according to Sportico and $2.6B according to CNBC.
Source(s): Forbes
2025-26 $2,740,000,000 $2,740,000,000 7
Source(s): Sportico