- Cleveland Crusaders
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Cleveland Crusaders 
City Cleveland, Ohio League World Hockey Association Operated 1972–1976 Home arena Cleveland Arena (1972–74)
Richfield Coliseum (1974–76).Franchise history 1972 Calgary Broncos 1972–1976 Cleveland Crusaders 1976–1977 Minnesota Fighting Saints The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland, Ohio. The Crusaders were founded by Nick Mileti, and played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1976.
The first coach for the Crusaders was Bill Needham, a long-time minor leaguer with the AHL's Cleveland Barons. Needham coached the Crusaders to winning records in the first two seasons, but failed to advance past the second playoff round. In the 1974–75 season, John Hanna took over as coach, to be replaced mid-season by Jack Vivian. Cleveland finished second in the east division despite a losing record, but fell in the first round of the playoffs. Johnny Wilson led the team for its final season, also losing in the first round of the post-season.
The Crusaders were displaced from Cleveland in 1976, when the National Hockey League's California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland and became the Cleveland Barons. After a proposed move to Florida fell through, the Crusaders relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming the second incarnation of the Minnesota Fighting Saints.
Players
Gary Jarrett was the Crusaders top scorer in their four seasons, playing in 298 games, scoring 104 goals, 119 assists, totalling 223 points. Gerry Pinder played the most games in a Crusader uniform, 304 in total. Other notable Crusaders players included Paul Shmyr (538 penalty minutes in four season), netminder Gerry Cheevers, and defenseman Wayne Hillman.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Season GP W L T Pts GF GA PIM Finish Playoffs Avg. Attendance 1972–73 78 43 32 3 89 287 239 1095 2nd, Eastern Won Quarter-final (Philadelphia)
Lost Semi-final (New England)5,287 1973–74 78 37 32 9 83 266 264 1007 3rd, Eastern Lost Quarter-final (Toronto) 6,212 1974–75 78 35 40 3 73 236 258 1273 2nd, Eastern Lost Quarter-final (Houston) 6,931 1975–76 80 35 40 5 75 273 279 1356 2nd, Eastern Lost Preliminary round (New England) 6,356 Totals 314 150 144 20 320 1062 1040 4731 6,197 External links
- season statistics www.hockeydb.com
- List of NHL players www.legendsofhockey.net
World Hockey Association Teams Alberta Oilers · Baltimore Blades · Birmingham Bulls · Calgary Broncos · Calgary Cowboys · Chicago Cougars · Cincinnati Stingers · Cleveland Crusaders · Dayton Arrows · Denver Spurs · Edmonton Oilers · Houston Aeros · Indianapolis Racers · Los Angeles Sharks · Miami Screaming Eagles · Michigan Stags · Minnesota Fighting Saints · New England Whalers · New Jersey Knights · New York Golden Blades · New York Raiders · Ottawa Civics · Ottawa Nationals · Philadelphia Blazers · Phoenix Roadrunners · Quebec Nordiques · San Diego Mariners · San Francisco Sharks · Toronto Toros · Vancouver Blazers · Winnipeg JetsTrophies
and awardsRelated articles: List of WHA seasons · WHA Amateur Draft · NHL–WHA merger Categories:- Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States
- Sports clubs established in 1972
- Sports clubs disestablished in 1976
- Sports in Cleveland, Ohio
- World Hockey Association teams
- United States ice hockey team stubs
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