Book Feature The NHL's Mistake By the Lake: A History of the Cleveland Barons (by Gary Webster)

[Gary Webster]

Thanks for your interest in my book "The NHL's Mistake By the Lake: A History of the Cleveland Barons." In 201 pages with pictures, I tell the story of the two-year existence of the Cleveland Barons, who came into being when the California Golden Seals were hastily transferred to northeastern Ohio in July of 1976. The Barons were such a disaster, they were merged with the Minnesota North Stars less than two years later, after winning just 47 of their 160 games and finishing last in the league in attendance both years. The Barons came close to being liquidated before the 1976-77 season ended, only to be saved from extinction by an infusion of cash from the NHL and the league's player's union. The team was purchased by George Gund III and his brother Gordon, two wealthy native Clevelanders in the summer of 1977, who vowed to give their hometown three years to warm up to, and support,

the team. They pulled the plug after just one year, during which they lost a reported three million dollars operating the Barons. Few Clevelanders attended the games, and few cared when the Gund brothers merged the team with the North Stars in June of 1978. The story of the Barons is a case study in how NOT to re-locate a sports franchise in an effort to save it. The book is available from the publisher, McFarland and Company, and from Amazon.

Click to read more...

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Cannot wait to pick this one up !

 

[reckoning]

Is the book more about the business/financial aspects of the team, or is it more about the players and stories about what happened on the ice?

Also, does it cover that bizarre week where they had to play 3 games in 3 straight nights against 3 good teams, and unbelievably won them all?

 

[kaiser matias]

Cannot wait to pick this one up !

Likewise.

And a question to @Gary Webster :

I'm sure you are familiar with The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL's Most Outlandish Teams by Steve Currier (who also wrote about his book here about a year ago). He concludes his book with a look at the Barons. This was done in 40-50 pages (I believe), while your book is 200+.

I'm interested in how you filled out the book, and how it will be different to what Currier covered. I'm definitely interested in seeing a more in-depth look at a team largely forgotten, and do look forward to getting a copy for myself.

 

[HisIceness]

I've been by the location where the Richfield Coliseum once stood, you wouldn't know it if you were not looking for it. I applaud the Cavaliers for being as competitive as they were during their time playing in that barn, because location of that place was something most definitely not in the franchises favor when it came to signing free agents and keeping their talent in tact.

As for the Barons, could have been a success if they had stuck it out a little longer but we'll never know. The times I've been there the city seems to have a good relationship w/ the Monsters of the AHL.

 

[Mach2]

Your mentioning of the Golden Seals team brought back a nice memory moment for me, since I went to a couple of Seals games in Oakland way back then.
Also, when I first glimpsed the "...Mistake by the Lake" title of your book, I honestly thought it was going to be about last season's NHL games at Lake Tahoe! Congrats Gary, and good luck with the book.

 

[vikash1987]

I look forward to getting this book! I recall that there was a book written about the Cleveland Barons many years ago, though this one seems to be exclusively about the NHL’s Barons, which is great!

There are so many historical “what ifs” associated with the players on that team. Guys like Gilles Meloche and Al MacAdam would go onto have great playoff success after the merger with the North Stars. Guys like Dennis Maruk and Charlie Simmer would go on establish goal-scoring records in Washington and Los Angeles.

 

[Fenway]

I think the most startling fact from the Barons 2 years in Richfield, Ohio was their largest crowd came in year 2 - 13,110

The Barons disaster and merger with the North Stars started the process of the NHL ending the war with the WHA and taking on 4 teams in 1979.

Peter Gammons ( yes that Peter Gammons ) wrote about the Barons plight.

Cleveland's not barren

 

[Clinton Comets EHL]

Can't wait to read this.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

I look forward to getting this book.

One of the enduring lessons of this franchise was to not place your team in the middle-of-nowhere under the assumption that you would attract multiple markets (Cleveland and Akron in this case). The Ottawa Senators obviously paid no heed to this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richfield,_Ohio


There were many reason beyond this that the team failed, but I always try to have time to get off the highway and visit the site of the long gone Richfield Coliseum when I'm in Northern Ohio. I've made a lot of lousy decisions in my life, but none of them hold a candle to the idea that the location they picked for that arena would work.

 

[Fenway]

I look forward to getting this book.

One of the enduring lessons of this franchise was to not place your team in the middle-of-nowhere under the assumption that you would attract multiple markets (Cleveland and Akron in this case). The Ottawa Senators obviously paid no heed to this.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richfield,_Ohio


There were many reason beyond this that the team failed, but I always try to have time to get off the highway and visit the site of the long gone Richfield Coliseum when I'm in Northern Ohio. I've made a lot of lousy decisions in my life, but none of them hold a candle to the idea that the location they picked for that arena would work.

Teams were of the mindset back then that the suburbs were the place to be.

40 years ago the Bruins came dangerously close to moving to New Hampshire. Harry Sinden was very uncomfortable explaining the move to Canadian TV.

18:04 - Brian McFarlane interviews former Bruin Johnny Peirson
20:45 - Dave Hodge interviews Bruin GM Harry Sinden

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Teams were of the mindset back then that the suburbs were the place to be.

40 years ago the Bruins came dangerously close to moving to New Hampshire. Harry Sinden was very uncomfortable explaining the move to Canadian TV.

18:04 - Brian McFarlane interviews former Bruin Johnny Peirson
20:45 - Dave Hodge interviews Bruin GM Harry Sinden

Interesting interviews. Thanks. A young Harry Sinden was a trip to look at! What a travesty a move to NH would have been.

I would note that Richfield couldn't be considered a suburb. The Richfield Coliseum was literally located on farm land in a completely undeveloped area for miles and miles around and could not be considered a suburb of Cleveland (or anywhere). So while the suburban model may have been in vogue during the 70s, this was outside that model. Mileti placed his facility squarely between two metropolitan areas in the hope that he would draw well from both.

 

[Fenway]

Interesting interviews. Thanks. A young Harry Sinden was a trip to look at! What a travesty a move to NH would have been.

I would note that Richfield couldn't be considered a suburb. The Richfield Coliseum was literally located on farm land in a completely undeveloped area for miles and miles around and could not be considered a suburb of Cleveland (or anywhere). So while the suburban model may have been in vogue during the 70s, this was outside that model. Mileti placed his facility squarely between two metropolitan areas in the hope that he would draw well from both.

Mike Milbury once told me a story about playing in Cleveland. It was a week before Christmas and the Bruins were staying at the Marriott by the Cleveland Airport. The 30-minute bus trip became 3 hours as they were caught in a lake effect blizzard and at one point the players had to push the bus.

 

[Monstershockey]

I remember going to Barons games. The place would get crowds when the Canadiens would come in, then pretty much be empty all the other games. I miss the Coliseum though. The best memory I have was seeing them win against the Canadiens 2-1. The only time they beat them.

 

[Theokritos]

I would note that Richfield couldn't be considered a suburb. The Richfield Coliseum was literally located on farm land in a completely undeveloped area for miles and miles around and could not be considered a suburb of Cleveland (or anywhere). So while the suburban model may have been in vogue during the 70s, this was outside that model. Mileti placed his facility squarely between two metropolitan areas in the hope that he would draw well from both.

Right. I've just received a review copy of "The NHL's Mistaker By the Lake" and the book touches upon this very early on: Mileti (who also owned the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers) hoped both his clubs would become regional franchises and draw fans from Cleveland, Akron and Youngtstown to the Coliseum and he expected the Coliseum would soon be surrounded by hotels, restaurants, malls and office buildings. He basically thought his arena would become the center of the Cleveland-Akron metropolitan area.

 

[hacksaw7]

I think the most startling fact from the Barons 2 years in Richfield, Ohio was their largest crowd came in year 2 - 13,110

The Barons disaster and merger with the North Stars started the process of the NHL ending the war with the WHA and taking on 4 teams in 1979.

Peter Gammons ( yes that Peter Gammons ) wrote about the Barons plight.

Cleveland's not barren

It was (for its era) a massive arena too. Believe it sat over 18,000. Way too big

 

[Theokritos]

Is the book more about the business/financial aspects of the team, or is it more about the players and stories about what happened on the ice?

Having read a little more than half of the book now, I can say that it gives a chronological account of both angles, but the business aspect gets a lot of room – which makes sense when you consider how pressing and tedious those financial issues were and how underwhelming the on-ice resume of the NHL Barons was.

Basically, what the author gives you is something like a quick but still meticulous tour through the Cleveland newspaper coverage of the time: A short account of a game, followed by relevant quotes from coaches and players on what happened on the ice, followed by a look at the business talks and negotiations reported at the same time, also with added quotes. Then the next game and the next piece of business talk. And so on.

 

[Timl2009]

The "Suburbs" of Cleveland are places like Parma, Lakewood, Solon, Broadview Heights, Brecksville and the like..Not Richfield. If they would have built something on the near West Side where the Hockey Fandom was concentrated, they might have made it.

 

[Davenport]

Folks like to point to the failure of the Cleveland Barons as an indication of a lack of interest in hockey in Ohio, or at least that part of the state. As they say in Russia, Bolshoi! That failure is egg on the face of the NHL and the owners of the Barons. Every misstep which could be taken was taken.

Just took a look at the NHL Barons' home attendance in 1976-77. In March, 1977, they returned home from an eight-game road trip, and had 11,189 against the Buffalo Sabres on March 16; 9,165 against the Minnesota North Stars on March 18; and 10,829 against the Atlanta Flames on March 20. After two games on the road, they were back home for two games: March 25, against the Vancouver Canucks, attendance 11,816; and March 27 against the New York Islanders, attendance 10, 794. Their final home game was March 30, against the Philadelphia Flyers, attendance 10, 216.

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Also, does it cover that bizarre week where they had to play 3 games in 3 straight nights against 3 good teams, and unbelievably won them all?

Out of curiosity, what year is that?

 

[vikash1987]

I'm listening to a recording of the Black Hawks-Barons game during the "Great Blizzard of '78"--in which only 527 fans made it to the game---and I was reminded of this reference from Gary's book: "The wire service writer who covered the game noted that the tiny gathering of 527 in Chicago Stadium should have made the Barons feel right at home." (Barons lost 5-0)

 

[Bear of Bad News]

Out of curiosity, what year is that?

Looks to be January 11 (Islanders), January 12 (Buffalo) and January 13 (Toronto), 1978.

 

[Fenway]

I'm listening to a recording of the Black Hawks-Barons game during the "Great Blizzard of '78"--in which only 527 fans made it to the game---and I was reminded of this reference from Gary's book: "The wire service writer who covered the game noted that the tiny gathering of 527 in Chicago Stadium should have made the Barons feel right at home." (Barons lost 5-0)

 

[SealsFan]

Looks to be January 11 (Islanders), January 12 (Buffalo) and January 13 (Toronto), 1978.

Yes, that was a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (the Tuesday game against Buffalo was a re-schedule of a game that was snowed out, can't recall if the snow-out was a game in Buffalo or Cleveland though)... and incredibly, they played in Pittsburgh (and lost) on Thursday for 4 games in 4 nights, but won the first 3 against good teams!

 

[SealsFan]

I think the most startling fact from the Barons 2 years in Richfield, Ohio was their largest crowd came in year 2 - 13,110

I can't find attendance figures but that might possibly be the horrific Feb. 25, 1978 game, home on a Saturday night against Buffalo and losing by an unfathomable score of 13-3!!! I remember there was a fairly good crowd for that game but not sure if it was the 13,110 game....