Cleveland Barons ( NHL ) < hr > " For other teams named Cleveland Barons , please see Cleveland Barons . " < hr > The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) from 1976 – 78 . History . After new arena plans in San Francisco were cancelled , minority owner George Gund persuaded owner Mel Swig to move the California Golden Seals franchise from Oakland to his hometown of Cleveland for the 1976 – 77 season . The team was named Cleveland Barons after the popular American Hockey League team that played in the city from 1937 to 1973 . Although a successful minor league city , Cleveland had been turned down for an NHL expansion team on three previous occasions . The Barons played in the suburban Richfield Coliseum in Richfield , Ohio , an arena originally built for the WHA ' s Cleveland Crusaders and the NBA ' s Cleveland Cavaliers , with the then largest seating capacity in the NHL of 18 , 544 . However , the Barons would never come close to filling the arena in their two years in Cleveland . The team ' s home opener on October 7 , 1976 , only drew 8 , 900 fans . They only drew 10 , 000 or more fans in seven out of 40 home games . The Barons were also troubled by an unfavorable lease with the Coliseum , and in January 1977 Swig hinted the team might not finish the season because of payroll difficulties . The Barons actually missed payroll twice in a row in February , and only a $ 1 . 3 million loan allowed the Barons to finish the season . After finishing last in the Adams Division yet again , Swig sold his interest in the team to Gund and his brother Gordon . For 1977 – 78 , the Gunds poured money into the team , and it seemed to make a difference at first . The Barons stunned the defending Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens on November 23 before a boisterous crowd of 12 , 859 . After a brief slump , general manager Harry Howell pulled off several trades in an attempt to make the team tougher . It initially paid off , and the Barons knocked off three of the NHL ' s top teams , the Toronto Maple Leafs , New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres in consecutive games in January 1978 . A few weeks later , a record crowd of 13 , 110 saw the Barons tie the Philadelphia Flyers 2 – 2 . The bottom fell out in February , however , as a 15 - game losing skid knocked the Barons out of playoff contention . Merger and aftermath . After the season , the Gunds tried to buy the Coliseum , but failed . On June 14 , 1978 , the league granted approval for the Barons to merge with another financially troubled team , the Minnesota North Stars , under the Gunds ' ownership . The merged franchise would retain the Minnesota North Stars name , but assume the Barons ' place in the Adams Division . The Barons remain the last franchise in the four major North American sports leagues to cease operations , and as a result the NHL fielded only 17 teams during the 1978 – 79 season . The NHL would not return to Ohio for 22 years , when the Columbus Blue Jackets began operations in the fall of 2000 . Dennis Maruk was the last Baron ( and last California Seals member as well ) to be active in the NHL , retiring from the North Stars after the 1989 season . Season - by - season record . " Note : GP = Games played , W = Wins , L = Losses , T = Ties , Pts = Points , GF = Goals for , GA = Goals against , PIM = Penalties in minutes " " selection made by California Golden Seals as the move to Cleveland had not yet taken place "