Cleveland Crusaders T-Shirt

Product Info

• 100% Cotton (52% Cotton 48% Polyester for heather colors)
• Extra Soft
• Lightweight
• Classic Fit
• Ships in 3-5 business days

Team: Cleveland Crusaders
Years Active: 1972-1976
Home: Richfield Coliseum (Richfield Township, OH)

Originally awarded to Calgary, this franchise was a charter member of the World Hockey Association (WHA). They were going to be called the Calgary Broncos, but the lack of a suitable arena led to the team being sold to Cleveland sports magnate Nick Mileti. At the time, MIletti also owned the very popular Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League (AHL). He figured both teams could co-exist in Cleveland Arena. He was wrong. The area’s fans took to major league hockey, at least the WHA’s brand, and drove the Barons out of town after 40 years in the market. Mileti tried getting a new arena built downtown but was thwarted in that attempt. Instead he constructed a state-of-the-art facility between Cleveland and Akron. Thought competitive, the team had trouble drawing fans to the far-flung Coliseum. In 1976, the club was sold and moved to St. Paul to become the new Minnesota Fighting Saints.  That cleared the way for the California Golden Seals of the National Hockey League to move to the North Coast and become the Cleveland Barons.

Notable Players

• Gerry Cheevers
• Gary Jarrett
• Paul Shmyr
• Gerry Pinder

This product is a historical representation of the defunct team in the description. The product is in no way affiliated with any existing team, league or other organization.