- 1976
- 1978
-
Move to Cleveland
After new arena plans in San Francisco were canceled, the NHL dropped its objection to a relocation of the troubled California Golden Seals franchise from Oakland. Minority owner George Gund III persuaded majority owner Melvin Swig to move the team to his hometown of Cleveland for the 1976 – 1977 season. The team was named “Barons” after the successful team, ... -
Merge with Minnesota North Stars
By 1978 the North Stars had missed the playoffs in five of the previous six seasons. Attendance had tailed off so rapidly that the league feared that the franchise was on the verge of folding. At this point, Gordon and George Gund III, owners of the equally strapped Cleveland Barons, stepped in with an unprecedented solution—merging the North Stars with ...
History of the Barons
The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1976 to 1978. They were a relocation of the California Golden Seals franchise, which had played in Oakland since 1967. After only two seasons, the team merged with the Minnesota North Stars (now the Dallas Stars). As a result the NHL fielded only 17 teams during the 1978 – 1979 season.
Established
1967
City
San Francisco – Cleveland – Bloomington – Dallas
League History
1967 – Present / National Hockey League
Team History
1993 – Present / Dallas Stars
1967 – 1993 / Minnesota North Stars
1976 – 1978 / Cleveland Barons
1970 – 1976 / California Golden Seals
1967 – 1970 / Oakland Seals
1967 / California Seals
Nickname
Barons – Named after Cleveland’s AHL team, which played from 1937 to 1972, until the city got a WHA franchise.
Championship
Stanley Cup 0
1999
Arena
2001 – Present / American Airlines Center
1993 – 2001 / Reunion Arena
*Bloomington*
1967 – 1993 / Met Center
*Richfield*
1976 – 1978 / Richfield Coliseum
*Oakland*
1967 – 1976 / Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
Owner
2011 – Present / Tom Gaglardi
1995 – 2011 / Tom Hicks
1991 – 1995 / Norman Green
1989 – 1991 / Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg
1967 – 1989 / Walter Bush, Jr. and John Driscoll
1976 – 1978 / Melvin Swig and George Gund III
1970 – 1975 / Melvin Swig (California Golden Seals)
1967 – 1970 / Barry Van Gerbig (California Seals)
To qualify as the greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.
* verifies that player has played for this team as an added player by a fan.
Retired Number
7 / Neal Broten
8 / Bill Goldsworthy
9 / Mike Modano
19 / Bill Masterton
26 / Jere Lehtinen
99 / Wayne Gretzky
*Blue is this team’s history