Cleveland Barons ( 1937 - 1973 ) The Cleveland Barons were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They played in Cleveland , Ohio , USA at the Cleveland Arena . The most successful team in AHL history , the original incarnation of the Barons played in the AHL from 1937 to 1973 . In that time they won ten division titles and nine Calder Cup s , which although the team has been defunct for over three decades both remain unsurpassed AHL records . History . The team traces its roots back to the 1929 – 30 season of the International Hockey League , as the " Cleveland Indians . " The Indians played for five seasons , until being renamed the Cleveland Falcons for the 1934 – 35 season . The Falcons played for three more years , when they became the Barons in 1937 – 38 . For many years , the team was owned by Al Sutphin , who was also an owner of the Braden - Sutphin Ink Company in Cleveland . Sutphin , a true sportsman , was known to often pay better salaries than NHL teams at the time ( ' 30s and ' 40s ) , and some players preferred to remain in " minor league " Cleveland instead of playing in the " major " NHL . Sutphin built the Cleveland Arena , at the time one of the largest and most beautiful hockey facilities in North America . It was rumored that the dormant Montreal Maroons franchise would be transferred to Cleveland but nothing came of it . Sutphin sold the team and arena in 1949 . The Barons sought acceptance into the National Hockey League during the early 1950s , but purported financing irregularities caused the NHL to turn down the bid . The Barons then challenged the NHL for the right to play for the Stanley Cup , which was also rejected . During the ' 40s and ' 50s , the Barons played to standing - room - only audiences . The preeminent star of the franchise was Fred Glover , the team ' s career leader in goals , assists , points , penalty minutes and seasons , ( and second in league history in all those categories ) . Also notable was Hall of Famer goaltender Johnny Bower , who before he starred in the NHL played brilliantly for the Barons for nine seasons and is the AHL ' s career shutout leader . The longtime general manager for the franchise was James C . Hendy , a Hall of Fame Builder and the first prominent statistician in the history of the sport . Other notable players included Les Cunningham , a five - time league All - Star for whom the AHL ' s MVP award is named , Jack Gordon , Norm Beaudin , Bill Needham ( the team ' s career leader in games played ) , Cal Stearns , Fred Thurier , John Ferguson , Sr . and Les Binkley . When the World Hockey Association ' s Cleveland Crusaders began play in 1972 , the market for the minor - league product vanished almost overnight . The Barons could not compete with the WHA practice of hiring ex - NHL players whose contracts had expired , and consequently lost many fans . In addition , creation of the new " major league " drew much of the established talent away from the AHL . Owner Nick Mileti , who also owned the Crusaders , decided the teams could not co - exist , and moved the Barons mid - season in February , 1973 to Jacksonville , Florida . The Jacksonville Barons played to poor audiences and folded for good the next season , ending the franchise ' s long and illustrious history . The team was replaced in this market by :