Hockey Teams You've Never Heard Of: Cleveland Barons

It’s only fitting to follow up my last article (HTYNHO: California Golden Seals) because the Golden Seals moved to Cleveland and became the Barons in August of 1976. The Barons were previously an AHL team and had been established in 1937. Prior to that, they were known as the Cleveland Falcons, and Indians in the IHL. They had no relation to the NHL Barons. Great history lesson, right? Don’t worry, there’s a lot more!

Dennis Maruk, 1976

Up until that point, the Cleveland Barons had arguably the most successful hockey team in North America outside of the NHL. The AHL Barons had won 9 Calder Cups from 1936 - 1973. They consistently had a strong fan-base and following. The AHL Barons left after the ‘73 season and hockey was gone from the city, until 1976. You would think that the city would be hungry for a new team, especially an NHL team. We all know that Cleveland is a crazy sports town. What else is there to do there, right? It seemed like a no-brainer to move a struggling franchise to a proven hockey city.

So, what went wrong? Why wasn’t Cleveland able to support an NHL franchise? It’s still very unclear after some research, but it seems that there was a serious lack of interest in the team from the city itself. Maybe there was a lack of promotion for the team before they hit the ice on October 6, 1976, but the Barons struggled to draw in crowds from the very beginning. The Barons’ inaugural game against the LA Kings drew in a crowd of only 8,889 fans. The Barons played in the Richfield Coliseum, which at the time, seated 18,544, the largest in the entire NHL. A stadium that was less than half-full on opening night was a very bad sign, and it only got worse. The Barons’ first ever victory came in their second game at home vs the Washington Capitals. It was witnessed by just 5,209 fans. Ownership was losing millions. Yes, millions, even in 1976. Things never really improved and it was only a matter of time before the NHL stepped in and tried to find a solution. The end result was a merger with the Minnesota North Stars (a team who was also struggling to draw in fans at the time).

The Cleveland Barons’ time in the NHL came and went in a snap. In two short years they moved from Oakland and then again to Minnesota. It seems like disinterest from the city was the ultimate downfall of this train-wreck of a team. Cleveland is now home to the Cleveland Monsters, AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Maybe one day the NHL will return to the “Rock and Roll Capital of the World,” but for now, the AHL will do just fine.

Other random Cleveland hockey facts:

• In 1973 the AHL Barons moved to Jacksonville Florida and became the Jacksonville Barons.

• a Baron is defined as an important or powerful person in a specified business or industry. (Not necessarily a Cleveland hockey fact, I just found it interesting)

• On June 11, 2016, the Cleveland Monsters won the Calder Cup after setting a franchise record with 97 points in the regular season.

• The NHL Barons still hold the record as the last “Big Four” team to cease operations entirely. (NHL, MLB, NBA, and NFL)

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