It's a shame that a Canadian didn't by the Habs. 

Americans will take the chance to cash in while Canadians are content to watch someone else cash in. 

brooklynhabfan wrote:

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habsforeverfan wrote: It's a shame that a Canadian didn't by the Habs.  Americans will take the chance to cash in while Canadians are content to watch someone else cash in.    Where does Harold Ballard fit into that equation? Or Marcel Aubut?

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True enough brooklynhabfan about Ballard but when Harold owned the leafs, the economic conditions were different when owners ruled with an iron fist and players took what was offered to them. UFA was not a concern to the owners. The fate of the players was up to owners. Money was easier to make then.

When Gillette bought the habs, players salaries were out of control and economic viability was not certain, even for the Habs. So Gillette took the chance to make things work and he deserves to make the buck$.

But I'm happy that Gillette realises the value in the name, "Montreal Canadiens" and did not move the team to the US like so many other owners did to Canadian NHL and NBA teams. Acutally he's a pretty classy guy for respecting the Canadian people by keeping the Habs in Montreal.

As for Aubut, I don't know much about him or what team he owns/owned.

Ando wrote:

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There are 21,273 seats at the Bell Centre.  All 41 home games were sold-out completely last season (not to mention the 3 playoff games).  Assume that the average seat in the house costs roughly $65.  That means that, over the course of the regular season, revenue generated from seating alone totaled approximately $56.7 million.    Next, add to this all revenue from concessions and souvenirs…assume an average of just $40 in revenue from each and every fan in attendance…that would be 872,193 fan visits times $40…or $34.9 million.  Now toss in…say another…ohhhh…maybe $20 million for luxury suites and advertising rights!?!?  Then stir in any media deals that the Habs have mustered.  And…you got yourself one huge freaking boatload of revenue…in excess of $100 million!!!    Even after forking over $32 million to the players…say another $5 million for staffing the place...say another $10 million for the absolutely ridiculous property tax bill that the Habs are constantly whining about…and say that you cut-off one-third of all revenues for income taxes…cripes, pee $20 million off the back wall of your local watering hole if you wish…and you still end-up with a wheelbarrow full of cash!!!     I think that And-o’s favorite quotation from the world of sports came from one guy (can’t recall who) who stated rather emphatically that…”I don’t want to make Shaquille O’Neal type money…I want to make the money of the guy who pays Shaquille O’Neal type money!”

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Nice economics, And-o (Andonomics?).

However, there are expenses you haven't thought of - travel being a big one; also the cost of the concessions (i.e. the actual cost of the hot dogs, pop, etc., not to mention the free booze and pizza (and hostesses) in those corporate boxes), marketing expenses, licenses, utllities, rent, capital costs, etc.  I think you're also very light on the salaries - the front office alone earns more than $5 million.

Having said all that, they likely had a decent profit - just not as big as you might think.

As it happens, I will be seeing my colleague on Tuesday whose brother-in-law is Fred Speer, CFO of the Habs, so I will ask her if she knows anything about this.  (She hates sports, so likely not, but she could ask her sister, Fred's wife.)