American professional sports leagues are known for their high wages, and the National Hockey League is no different. In the 2019/20 season, the Minnesota Wild topped the table for average annual player salaries, giving each of its players an average of 3.32 million U.S. dollars. On the other end of the scale, players for the Toronto Maple Leafs took home an average of 1.54 million U.S. dollars during the season.

NHL minimum salary A minimum salary is in place in the National Hockey League to ensure that the players are fairly compensated for their endeavors. This minimum wage stood at 650 thousand U.S. dollars in 2019, a steady increase from the 500 thousand U.S. dollars minimum salary in place in 2011. Even though the LA Kings had the highest average salary in 2019, it was the Washington Capitals who topped the league for player expenses. The Capitals spent 85 million U.S. dollars on player expenses in 2018, whilst the Carolina Hurricanes spent the lowest in the league at 62 million U.S. dollars. The league-wide average payroll for the 2017/18 season stood at 75.35 million U.S. dollars, an increase of 25 million U.S. dollars on the figure from ten years before.

Highest paid players in the NHL The highest paid player in the NHL is the captain of the Edmonton Oilers and Canadian national team player, Connor McDavid. The 22-year old pocketed 19 million U.S. dollars in 2019, of which 15 million U.S. dollars came from his salary and a further four million was generated through endorsements. However, the honor of being the player who commands the highest salary in the league belongs to John Tavares - the Toronto Maple Leafs player had a yearly salary of 15.9 million U.S. dollars.

The minimum salary for players in the NHL amounted to 750 thousand U.S. dollars in the 2023/24 season. The minimum salary for the league is agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which is a basic contract between the NHL and the NHL Players' Association.

The player with the highest annual salary in the National Hockey League in 2024 was Auston Matthews. The center for the Toronto Maple Leafs had a salary of 16.7 million U.S. dollars that season.

The average team payroll of National Hockey League teams increased by over 14 percent in the 2022/23 season over the previous one. In the 2022/23 season, NHL teams spent an average of 81.19 million U.S. dollars on player salaries.

A January 2024 survey in the United States revealed that almost 26 percent of NHL fans who attended or watched games had a household income of 150 thousand U.S. dollars or more. Meanwhile, just under 10 percent of fans had less than 25 thousand U.S. dollars in household income.

The average operating income of teams in the National Hockey League increased slightly in 2022/23 when compared to the previous season. The figure for the 2022/23 season exceeded 50 million U.S. dollars for the first time.

With each player taking home a handsome 8.32 million U.S. dollars every year, the NBA is the professional sports league with the highest player wages worldwide. In second place is the Indian Premier League, an annual cricket competition contested each year between eight franchises representing eight different Indian cities.

Big money in the NBA Although the wages that players in the NBA take home are astronomical, the average annual salaries vary from one team to another. Whilst the New York Knicks pay their players an average of 7.08 million U.S. dollars a year, Portland Trail Blazers spent around 10.04 million U.S. dollars annually on each of their stars in 2019/20. NBA salaries have tremendously increased throughout the years reaching 8.32 million U.S. dollars in 2019/20 compared to 4.6 million U.S. dollars in 2015/16.

On average, a family in the United States spent 693 U.S. dollars annually per child in one sport. For those children playing ice hockey, families had to hand over an estimated 2,583 U.S. dollars annually, including approximately 389 U.S. dollars for equipment.

In the 2022/23 season, the National Hockey League franchise Toronto Maple Leafs had the highest operating income in the league. The Maple Leafs, who play their home games at the Scotiabank Arena, reported an operating income of 127 million U.S. dollars in 2023. At the other end of the scale, the Ottawa Senators reported an operating income of 5.1 million U.S. dollars in the same season.

The National Hockey League (NHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America made up of 30 franchises, with 23 located in the United States and seven in Canada. In the 2022/23 season, the total league revenue of the NHL was 6.43 billion U.S. dollars.

What is the total revenue of the NFL?

The National Football League (NFL) is the most profitable professional sports league in the United States. Over the past fifteen years, the total revenue of all NFL teams consistently increased, rising from about four billion U.S. dollars in 2001 to over 18 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, which was the highest figure to date

What is the total revenue of the NBA?

The National Basketball Association (NBA) comprises 30 teams, 29 of which are located in the U.S. and one of which is located in Canada. Similar to the NHL, the NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada. In the 2022/23 season, the total revenue of all NBA teams amounted to over 10 billion U.S. dollars. This figure marks a significant increase on the figure from the 2020/21 season, which stood at 6.41 billion U.S. dollars

The Fan Cost Index strives to calculate the cost of taking a family to a NHL game, including tickets, concessions and parking. In the 2023/24 season, the most expensive day out in the league was at the Toronto Maple Leafs, where a family of four could expect to pay over 700 U.S. dollars at the Scotiabank Arena.

In 2023, Scottish Hockey generated approximately 1.70 million British pounds of income. This represented a slight fall on the income generated a year prior.