The Cleveland Barons were a professional American ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Cleveland, Ohio, at Gund Arena between 2001 and 2006.
History
The team was named in honor of the popular Barons team that played in the AHL and its forerunners from 1929 to 1973 and the National Hockey League (NHL) team of the same name. The Barons name was revived in 2001 when the San Jose Sharks purchased their AHL affiliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades, and relocated them to Cleveland, where they would play at the arena which was owned and operated by Sharks owners George and Gordon Gund. The Gunds had also owned the NHL Barons, who played in the NHL in the late 1970s before being merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.
The franchise relocated to Worcester, Massachusetts, for the 2006–07 season and became the Worcester Sharks. Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), purchased the inactive Utah Grizzlies AHL franchise and moved it to Cleveland. Renamed the Lake Erie Monsters, the club resumed play in 2007 and then rebranded as the Cleveland Monsters in 2016.
The team logo, a shark holding a hockey stick, was originally designed as an alternate logo for the San Jose Sharks before being modified with a top hat, a monocle, and formal wear for the Barons.
This market was previously served by: Cleveland Indians/Falcons/Barons (1929–1973) IHL/IAHL/AHL Cleveland Crusaders (1972–1976) WHA Cleveland Barons (NHL) (1976–1978) Cleveland Lumberjacks (1992–2001) IHL
This market is now the home to: Lake Erie/Cleveland Monsters (2007–present)
Affiliates San Jose Sharks (2001-2006)
Season-by-season results
Regular season Season Games WonLostTiedOTLSOLPoints Goalsfor Goalsagainst StandingAvg. attendance2001–02 802940 7 4— 692232684th, Central3,2262002–03 802248 5 5— 542032865th, Central3,5612003–04 803728 8 7— 892352204th, North4,2122004–05 803537 6 2— 782002267th, North4,1782005–06 802748— 2 3 592103027th, North 3,548
Playoffs SeasonPrelim1st round2nd round3rd roundFinals2001–02 Out of Playoffs2002–03 Out of Playoffs2003–04 W, 2–1, Toronto L, 2–4, Hamilton ———2004–05 Out of Playoffs2005–06 Out of Playoffs
Team records
Single Season Goals: 35 Mike Craig (2001–02), Miroslav Zalesak (2003–04) Assists: 48 Jeff Nelson (2002–03) Points: 75 Miroslav Zalesak (2003–04) Points, Defenseman: 46 Garrett Stafford (2003-04) Penalty Minutes: 335 Matt Carkner (2001–02) Wins: 19 Vesa Toskala (2001–02) GAA: 2.34 Nolan Schaefer (2003–04) SV%: .925 Seamus Kotyk (2003–04), Nolan Schaefer (2003–04)
Career Career Goals: 84 Miroslav Zalesak Career Assists: 117 Patrick Rissmiller Career Points: 181 Patrick Rissmiller Career Penalty Minutes: 948 Matt Carkner Career Goaltending Wins: 34 Vesa Toskala Career Shutouts: 7 Nolan Schaefer Career Games: 315 Matt Carkner
American Hockey League Hall of Famers AHL Hall of Fame Honored Members Name Seasons Induction Year Roy Sommer 2001-06 (head coach) 2024
External links The Internet Hockey Database - Cleveland Barons