The NHL's Mistake by the Lake: A History of the Cleveland Barons

by Gary Webster

The Cleveland Barons should never have existed. Born when the National Hockey League's California Golden Seals--another team that should never have existed--were transplanted to Cleveland in 1976 and greeted with apathy by the dwindling number of hockey fans in northeastern Ohio, the Barons were an embarrassment to the city and to the NHL. The only thing the team had going for them was the state-of-the-art arena they played in, which was all but empty for nearly every game they played. This book chronicles the Barons' two regrettable seasons--a case study in what happens when an ill-conceived professional sports team created in an expansion splurge is moved, in an effort to save it, to a city that doesn't really want it.

Genres: Hockey

223 pages, Paperback

Published September 23, 2021

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have family member on the team referenced so I am somewhat familiar with the story. It is important to tell the story and learn lessons from it however there are many ways to tell a story, even a bad one. The players and team were knocking themselves out to make the best out of a lousy situation. They had families to support and careers to manage. They were delighted to move to Jacksonville to do just what they were hired to do, in a better environment. The story is conveyed in an awful tone and poorly written. A lack of linear timeline and excessive side details interjected in every paragraph make it very convoluted and confusing. I would suggest a good editing.

[Calvin Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very specific look into a brief period of the NHL.

[Kelly White · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Interesting but too long and a bit clunky to read.