For the first time ever, a National Hockey League is valued at $2 billion in the annual valuation rankings from Forbes. Here’s what the valuation estimate and recent acquisition activity in the space could mean for the owner of the Rangers, which is publicly traded. What Happened The average National Hockey League team saw a 32 percent rise in its value assigned in the annual Forbes rankings. The average NHL team is worth $865 million in the new rankings. This marked the biggest one-year average gain to the average NHL valuation by Forbes since a 50 percent gain in 2012 when a new Canadian market television deal was signed. Leading the NHL team rankings is the New York Rangers, valued at $2 billion. The valuation of the Rangers was up 21 percent from the previous year and marked the first time a team was valued at $2 billion. Credited with …