The Cleveland Barons NHL Team Died Quietly in 1973

On a cold January afternoon in 1973, the Cleveland Barons died quietly – “of loneliness.”

That is how Plain Dealer writer Dan Coughlin framed the end of the story. Coughlin began covering the team nine years earlier, on its way to its ninth and, as it turned out, final Calder Cup.

The team had been known as the Falcons and Indians before debuting as the Barons in 1937 at the new Cleveland Arena, which had been built in an unsuccessful attempt to lure the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens to town.

The Barons were instantly successful, winning the division title in 1937-38 and their first Calder Cup the year after. They became known as the seventh best pro hockey team in North America, trailing only the “Original Six” of the NHL. The team played to packed houses at the arena, featuring stars like Fred Glover and Johnny Bower, who went on to a Hall of Fame career with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL.

In 1968, Nick Mileti bought the Barons and Cleveland Arena — the key component to the deal. Mileti had his eye on bringing an NBA team to Cleveland, which he did in 1970 with the Cavaliers. He also sought an expansion NHL team. Denied, he turned to the World Hockey Association, and the Cleveland Crusaders started play in 1972.

The Crusaders drew attendance away from the Barons, as did the Cavs, and with the addition of the WHA and NHL expansion (the league had gone from six teams in 1967 to 16 in 1973), the talent pool had diminished considerably, as well. Finally, Mileti made the decision to move the team to Jacksonville.

The final Barons game in Cleveland, a 5-0 loss to the Virginia Red Wings, drew 412 fans. It was their ostensible final game, but scheduling conflicts in Florida led to another game being played at the arena a month later. It was a loss, with another small crowd.

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