Nov. 25--DENVER -- The Chicago Blackhawks are winners off the ice.
According to Forbes, the Hawks are the NHL's fourth most valuable franchise worth $825 million, an increase of 32 percent from a year ago.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are No. 1 at $1.3 billion, the New York Rangers second at $1.1 billion and the Montreal Canadiens rank third at $1 billion.
According to Forbes, the average NHL team value rose 18.6 percent during the past year to an all-time high of $490 million. The increase is fueled by the league's new Canadian media deal with Rogers Communications.
Forbes also ranked the NHL's Best Fans, and Hawks fans finished second to those of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
