Detroit Still Top 5 in Value

How about some financial news?  That sounds exciting, right?  Here's a little ditty from Reuters this morning...

The teams dubbed the "Original Six" ranked among the top seven most valuable of the league's 30 teams, with the Philadelphia Flyers at No. 5 the only interloper, according to the list, which was released late on Wednesday.

The most valuable team was the Toronto Maple Leafs, which saw its estimated value rise 5 percent to $470 million, Forbes said. It was followed by the New York Rangers (up 1 percent to $416 million), Montreal Canadiens (up 2 percent to $339 million) and the Detroit Red Wings (up 11 percent to $337 million).

Not too shabby, I'd say...especially for a team residing in a state that was hit arguably the hardest by the recession.

Notables:

Chicago Blackhawks ranked 7th (up 26 percent at $258 million)
Pittsburgh Penguins ranked 11th (up 14 percent at $222 million)
Washington Capitals, ranked 20th (up 15 percent to No. 20 at $183 million)

Washington in the bottom ten?  I would have thought Ovie-wan-kenobi jersey sales would be huge.  Maybe if all the Redskins fans start jumping ship...I noticed TE Chris Cooley was helping the broadcast team during the Washington/Islanders game last night.