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 Cups, 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:
* Cleveland Crusaders of the WHA (1972–1976)
* A second team called the Cleveland Barons, this time in the NHL (1976–78) 
* Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL (1992–2001)
* A third Cleveland Barons AHL team (2001–2006)
* Lake Erie Monsters (2007 – present) of the AHL
==Team records==
;Single season
:Goals: Lou Trudel, 45, 1945
:Assists: Fred Glover, 69, 1960
:Points: Glover, 107, 1960
;Career
:Career goals: Glover, 410
:Career assists: Glover, 695
:Career points: Glover, 1105 
:Career penalty minutes: Glover, 2164 
:Career goaltending Wins: Johnny Bower, 284
:Career shutouts: Bower, 38
:Career games: Bill Needham, 981
==Season-by-season results==
* Cleveland Indians 1929–1934 (International Hockey League)
* Cleveland Falcons 1934–1936 (International Hockey League)
* Cleveland Falcons 1936–1937 (International-American Hockey League)
* Cleveland Barons 1937–1940 (International-American Hockey League)
* Cleveland Barons 1940–1972
* Cleveland / Jacksonville Barons 1972–1973
* Jacksonville Barons 1973–1974
===Regular season===
Season 	Games	Won	Lost	Tied	Points	Goalsfor	Goalsagainst	Standing
1929–30	42 	24 	9 	9 	57 	125 	78 	1st, IHL
1930–31	48 	24 	18 	6 	54 	131 	112 	3rd, IHL
1931–32	48 	15 	25 	8 	38 	110 	142 	7th, IHL
1932–33	42 	10 	27 	5 	25 	100 	147 	6th, IHL
1933–34	44 	16 	24 	4 	36 	104 	121 	6th, IHL
1934–35	44 	20 	23 	1 	40 	115 	132 	4th, IHL
1935–36	48 	25 	19 	4 	54 	149 	146 	2nd, West
1936–37	48 	13 	27 	8 	34 	113 	152 	3rd, West
1937–38	48 	25 	12 	11 	61 	126 	114 	1st, West
1938–39	54 	23 	22 	9 	55 	145 	138 	3rd, West
1939–40	56 	24 	24 	8 	56 	127 	130 	4th, West
1940–41	56 	26 	21 	9 	61 	177 	162 	1st, West
1941–42	56 	33 	19 	4 	70 	174 	152 	3rd, West
1942–43	56 	21 	29 	6 	48 	190 	196 	4th, West
1943–44	54 	33 	14 	7 	73 	224 	176 	1st, West
1944–45	60 	34 	10 	16 	78 	256 	199 	1st, West
1945–46	62 	28 	26 	8 	64 	269 	254 	3rd, West
1946–47	64 	38 	18 	8 	84 	272 	215 	1st, West
1947–48	68 	43 	13 	12 	98 	332 	197 	1st, West
1948–49	68 	41 	21 	6 	88 	286 	251 	3rd, West
1949–50	70 	45 	15 	10 	100 	357 	230 	1st, West
1950–51	71 	44 	22 	5 	93 	281 	221 	1st, West
1951–52	68 	44 	19 	5 	93 	265 	166 	2nd, West
1952–53	64 	42 	20 	2 	86 	248 	164 	1st, AHL
1953–54	70 	38 	32 	0 	76 	269 	227 	3rd, AHL
1954–55	64 	32 	29 	3 	67 	254 	222 	2nd, AHL
1955–56	64 	26 	31 	7 	59 	225 	231 	4th, AHL
1956–57	64 	35 	26 	3 	73 	249 	210 	2nd, AHL
1957–58	70 	39 	28 	3 	81 	232 	163 	2nd, AHL
1958–59	70 	37 	30 	3 	77 	261 	252 	2nd, AHL
1959–60	72 	34 	30 	8 	76 	267 	229 	4th, AHL
1960–61	72 	36 	35 	1 	73 	231 	234 	3rd, AHL
1961–62	70 	39 	28 	3 	81 	255 	203 	1st, West
1962–63	72 	31 	34 	7 	69 	270 	253 	2nd, West
1963–64	72 	37 	30 	5 	79 	239 	207 	3rd, West
1964–65	72 	24 	43 	5 	53 	228 	285 	4th, West
1965–66	72 	38 	32 	2 	78 	243 	217 	2nd, West
1966–67	72 	36 	27 	9 	81 	284 	230 	3rd, West
1967–68	72 	28 	30 	14 	70 	236 	255 	4th, West
1968–69	74 	30 	32 	12 	72 	213 	245 	2nd, West
1969–70	72 	23 	33 	16 	62 	222 	255 	4th, West
1970–71	72 	39 	26 	7 	85 	272 	208 	2nd, West
1971–72	76 	32 	34 	10 	74 	269 	263 	4th, West
1972–73	76 	23 	44 	9 	55 	251 	329 	5th, West
1973–74	76 	24 	44 	8 	56 	244 	334 	5th, South
===Playoffs===
Season 	1st round 	2nd round 	Finals
1929–30	W, 2–0, London 	— 	W, 3–1, Buffalo
1930–31	3rd place in double round robin.	3rd place in double round robin.	3rd place in double round robin.
1931–32	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1932–33	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1933–34	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1934–35	L, 0–2, London 	— 	—
1935–36	L, 1–3, Buffalo 	— 	—
1936–37	Data unavailable 	Data unavailable 	Data unavailable
1937–38	Data unavailable 	Data unavailable 	Data unavailable
1938–39	?? 	?? 	W, 3–1, Philadelphia
1939–40	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1940–41	W, 3–1, Providence 	bye 	W, 3–2, Hershey
1941–42	W, 2–0, Washington 	L, 1–2, Hershey 	—
1942–43	W, 2–0, Providence 	L, 0–2, Indianapolis 	—
1943–44	W, 4–3, Hershey 	— 	L, 0–4, Buffalo
1944–45	W, 4–2, Buffalo 	— 	W, 4–2, Hershey
1945–46	W, 2–0, Providence 	W, 2–1, Pittsburgh 	L, 3–4, Buffalo
1946–47	L, 0–4, Hershey 	— 	—
1947–48	W, 4–1, Providence 	bye 	W, 4–0, Buffalo
1948–49	W, 2–1, Springfield 	L, 0–2, Hershey 	—
1949–50	W, 4–1, Buffalo 	bye 	L, 0–4, Indianapolis
1950–51	W, 4–0, Buffalo 	bye 	W, 4–3, Pittsburgh
1951–52	L, 2–3, Providence 	— 	—
1952–53	W, 3–1, Syracuse 	— 	W, 4–3, Pittsburgh
1953–54	W, 3–0, Buffalo 	— 	W, 4–2, Hershey
1954–55	L, 1–3, Buffalo 	— 	—
1955–56	W, 3–1, Pittsburgh 	— 	L, 0–4, Providence
1956–57	W, 4–3, Hershey 	— 	W, 4–1, Rochester
1957–58	L, 3–4, Springfield 	— 	—
1958–59	L, 3–4, Hershey 	— 	—
1959–60	L, 3–4, Rochester 	— 	—
1960–61	L, 0–4, Springfield 	— 	—
1961–62	L, 2–4, Springfield 	— 	—
1962–63	W, 2–0, Rochester 	L, 2–3, Hershey 	—
1963–64	W, 2–0, Rochester 	W, 3–0, Hershey 	W, 4–0, Quebec
1964–65	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1965–66	W, 3–0, Pittsburgh 	W, 3–0, Springfield 	L, 2–4, Rochester
1966–67	L, 2–3 Rochester 	— 	—
1967–68	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1968–69	L, 2–3, Quebec 	— 	—
1969–70	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1970–71	W, 3–1, Hershey 	L, 1–3, Springfield 	—
1971–72	L, 2–4, Baltimore 	— 	—
1972–73	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
1973–74	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs 	Out of playoffs
==External links==
*The Internet Hockey Database - Cleveland Barons (AHL)
*The Internet Hockey Database - Cleveland Barons (IAHL)
Category:American ice hockey teams
Category:American Hockey League team
Category:Established in 1937
Category:Disestablished in 1973