The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

 team from Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

. The Crusaders were founded by Nick Mileti

Nick Mileti

Nick James Mileti was, during the 1970s, the owner of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Crusaders hockey team, the Coliseum at Richfield and radio station "3WE" WWWE AM/1100 ....

, and played in the World Hockey Association

World Hockey Association

The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...

 from 1972 to 1976. Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena

Cleveland Arena

Cleveland Arena was an arena in Cleveland, Ohio. It was built and privately financed by local businessman Albert C. Sutphin during the height of the Great Depression in 1937 as a playing site for Sutphin's AHL team, the Cleveland Barons. Later it hosted Sutphin's BAA's Cleveland Rebels and Nick...

 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 league

Minor league

Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...

r with the AHL

American Hockey League

The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

'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

Johnny Wilson (ice hockey)

John Edward Wilson was a professional ice hockey forward and head coach. He played with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers, in the National Hockey League, scoring 332 points in 668 games...

 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

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

's California Golden Seals

California Golden Seals

The California Golden Seals were a team in the National Hockey League from 1967–76. Initially named California Seals, the team was renamed Oakland Seals part-way through the 1967–68 season, and then to California Golden Seals in 1970. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of...

 moved to Cleveland and became the Cleveland Barons

Cleveland Barons (NHL)

The Cleveland Barons were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League from 1976–78. They were a relocation of the California Golden Seals franchise, which had played in Oakland since 1967...

. After a proposed move to Florida fell through, the Crusaders relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota, becoming the second incarnation of the Minnesota Fighting Saints

Minnesota Fighting Saints

The Minnesota Fighting Saints was the name of two professional ice hockey teams based in Saint Paul, Minnesota that played in the World Hockey Association. The first team was one of the WHA's original twelve franchises, playing from 1972–76. The second team was relocated from Cleveland, Ohio, and...

.

Players

Gary Jarrett

Gary Jarrett

Gary Walter Jarrett is a retired Canadian ice hockey forward.Jarrett began his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings in 1966. He also played for the Oakland Seals. He left the NHL after the 1972 season. He played 4 seasons in the WHA with the Cleveland Crusaders before retiring...

 was the Crusaders top scorer in their four seasons, playing in 298 games, scoring 104 goals, 119 assists, totalling 223 points. Gerry Pinder

Gerry Pinder

Allan Gerald "Mouse" Pinder is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 353 games in the World Hockey Association and 223 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Chicago Black Hawks, California Golden Seals, San Diego Mariners, Cleveland Crusaders, and Edmonton Oilers...

 played the most games in a Crusader uniform, 304 in total. Other notable Crusaders players included Paul Shmyr

Paul Shmyr

Paul Shmyr was a World Hockey Association and National Hockey League defenceman.-Playing career:...

 (538 penalty minutes in four season), netminder Gerry Cheevers

Gerry Cheevers

Gerald Michael "Cheesey" Cheevers is a former goaltender in the National Hockey League and World Hockey Association between 1961 and 1980, most famous for his two stints with the Boston Bruins, where he backstopped the team to Stanley Cup wins in 1970 and 1972...

, and defenseman Wayne Hillman

Wayne Hillman

Wayne James Hillman was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks, New York Rangers, Minnesota North Stars and Philadelphia Flyers. He also played in the World Hockey Association for the Cleveland Crusaders...

.

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 1972–73 Cleveland Crusaders season The 1972–73 Cleveland Crusaders season was the first season of operation of the new Cleveland Crusaders in the new World Hockey Association. The team qualified for the playoffs and won its first series, before losing in the Division semi-final.-Game log:...	78	43	32	3	89	287	239	1095	2nd, Eastern	Won Quarter-final (Philadelphia Blazers/Cowboys (WHA) The Blazers/Cowboys were an ice hockey franchise in the World Hockey Association from 1972–1977. Originally in 1972, the franchise was to be based out of Miami, Florida, called the Miami Screaming Eagles. But due to money problems and a lack of a suitable arena, they never played a game in Miami... ) Lost Semi-final (New England Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97... )	5,287
1973–74 1973–74 Cleveland Crusaders season The 1973–74 Cleveland Crusaders season was the Cleveland Crusaders' second season of operation in the World Hockey Association. The Crusaders placed second in the Eastern Division, qualifying for the playoffs...	78	37	32	9	83	266	264	1007	3rd, Eastern	Lost Quarter-final (Toronto Toronto Toros The Toronto Toros were an ice hockey team based in Toronto that played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1976.The franchise was awarded to Doug Michel in 1971 to play in the WHA's inaugural 1972–73 season... )	6,212
1974–75 1974–75 Cleveland Crusaders season The 1974–75 Cleveland Crusaders season was the Cleveland Crusaders third season of operation in the World Hockey Association. It was the Crusaders' first season in the new Coliseum at Richfield...	78	35	40	3	73	236	258	1273	2nd, Eastern	Lost Quarter-final (Houston Houston Aeros (WHA) The Houston Aeros were a professional ice hockey team in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1978.-Franchise history:The Aeros became one of the original franchises in the World Hockey Association when the Dayton Arrows franchise was moved to Houston in 1972... )	6,931
1975–76 1975–76 Cleveland Crusaders season The 1975–76 Cleveland Crusaders season was the Cleveland Crusaders' fourth season of operation in the World Hockey Association. It was the last season of the franchise in Cleveland, Ohio...	80	35	40	5	75	273	279	1356	2nd, Eastern	Lost Preliminary round (New England Hartford Whalers The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.A.. The club played in the World Hockey Association from 1972–79 and in the National Hockey League from 1979–97... )	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