Six Ways to Invest in the Game of Hockey

What better time to think about hockey than during the hot days of summer? There are several companies that are connected to hockey teams and equipment, but unfortunately no pure plays. For most of these companies, hockey is a small part of their business.

Here are some interesting facts about hockey:

1. It is considered the four major sports in North America.
2. There are four times as many Canadians as there are Americans in the National Hockey League.
3. 30% of NHL players are from outside North America.
4. It’s the most watched major sport in Canada.
5. It’s the least watched major sport in the U.S..
6. The first reference to 'hockie stickes' was in 1527.
7. The first known occurrence of hockey on ice was in Holland in the 1600’s.
8. The first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink in 1875.
9. The first ice hockey world championship was at Montreal's annual Winter Carnival in 188

Here are some hockey stocks that might be worth taking a swing at:

The Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, and the Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League are owned by a company called Comcast-Spectacor, of which 63% is owned by Comcast (CMCSA). It also owns the Wachovia Center, and the Wachovia Spectrum sports arena where hockey is played. Comcast has a price earnings ratio of 28.34, and a price earnings to growth ratio of 1.89.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the ‘Original Six’ members of the NHL, is owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd., 14 percent of which is owned by Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD). Maple Leaf Sports also owns the Air Canada Center sports arena, where hockey is played. Toronto-Dominion has a P/E of 14.87, a PEG of 1.14, and a yield of 3%. Its latest quarterly earnings were up 19.1%.

The New York Rangers are owned by the Madison Square Garden Limited Partnership, which is owned by Cablevision (CVC). They also own the Madison Square Garden sports and entertainment arena and the Hartford Wolf Pack, a minor-league professional hockey team. It has a forward P/E of 45.9, and a PEG of 32.4.

The Hockey Company, also known as CCM, is the ice hockey equipment licensee, and supplier to the NHL until the year 2014. CCM is owned by Reebok which is owned by Adidas AG (ADDYY.PK), the German-based sportswear, and sporting goods company. It has an operating margin of 8.12%, and a return of average equity of 17.83%.

Bauer is the leading manufacturer of hockey equipment and skates, It is owned by Canstar which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nike, Inc. (NKE), and now uses the Nike Bauer brand. It has a P/E of 19.43, and a PEG of 1.26. The stock has a yield of 1.3%.

Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. (DKS) sells hockey equipment along with numerous types of other sporting goods, so hockey is obviously a very small part of their business. It has a P/E of 25.44, and a PEG of 1.18.

Sport Chalet Inc. (SPCHB) also sells hockey equipment along with other types of sporting goods including snowboarding, mountaineering, and SCUBA equipment. It has a P/E of 21.8, and a P/S ratio of 0.39.

Disclosure: The author does not own any of the above.