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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.
Season   Value
(US$)
In today's
US$
Hockey Franchise
Valuation Rank
1910-11 $7,500 $222,191
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 $162,338
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
1935-36 $175,000 $3,733,418
Value in Canadian currency: $175,000. 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 $165,000 according to McLean's and The Sporting News.)
Source(s): Book: La glorieuse histoire des Canadiens
1957-58 $1,043,000 $10,868,142
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 $110,212,502
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.
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 $78,705,473
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
1996-97 $86,000,000 $160,485,814 3
Source(s): Financial World
1997-98 $95,000,000 $173,227,635 3
Source(s): Financial World
1998-99 $167,000,000 $299,864,425 6
Source(s): Forbes
1999-00 $175,000,000 $307,494,897 7
Source(s): Forbes
2000-01 $191,000,000 $324,655,633 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 $300,849,382 10
Source(s): Forbes
2002-03 $187,000,000 $304,285,635 10
Source(s): Forbes
2003-04 $170,000,000 $270,488,150 10
Source(s): Forbes
2004-05 $195,000,000 $302,183,926 9
Source(s): Forbes
2006-07 $230,000,000 $333,950,097 7
Source(s): Forbes
2007-08 $283,000,000 $399,508,537 4
Source(s): Forbes
2008-09 $334,000,000 $454,072,457 3
The Molson brothers (Geoffrey, Andrew and Justin) buy 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 $462,502,564 3
Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics
2010-11 $408,000,000 $547,654,774 3
Source(s): Forbes / Book: Sports Economics
2011-12 $445,000,000 $579,049,969 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 $733,056,753 3
Source(s): Forbes
2013-14 $775,000,000 $973,740,127 3
Source(s): Forbes
2014-15 $1,000,000,000 $1,236,377,461 3
Source(s): Forbes
2015-16 $1,180,000,000 $1,457,201,924 2
Source(s): Forbes
2016-17 $1,120,000,000 $1,365,876,422 2
Source(s): Forbes
2017-18 $1,250,000,000 $1,492,636,260 3
Source(s): Forbes
2018-19 $1,300,000,000 $1,515,312,015 3
Source(s): Forbes
2019-20 $1,340,000,000 $1,534,139,091 3
Source(s): Forbes
2020-21 $1,340,000,000 $1,515,525,502 3
Source(s): Forbes
2021-22 $1,600,000,000 $1,728,118,081 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 $1,850,000,000 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