Cleveland Doesn’t Need an NHL Team

Game 4 of the Calder Cup Finals was electric. Fans packed the house to support the Lake Erie Monsters in hopes that they’d deliver a championship. No, it’s not a major championship, but it is a pro-sports title. The first for Cleveland since 1999. And not only did the Monsters deliver, they did so in dramatic fashion. A tense duel with no scoring until Oliver Bjorkstrand knocked in the game-winner with 1.9 seconds left in overtime.

The record setting crowd of 19,665 — the first sellout in franchise history — explodes and euphoria erupts for the next hour. Fans simply didn’t leave the stadium, even for a minor league title. Throw in the fact that the Monsters were third in average attendance (8,675) for 2016 and it’s pretty clear that Cleveland loves hockey. If this is the kind of support an AHL team gets, the NHL would certainly feel the love too.

The thing is, I don’t believe Cleveland needs a hockey team. Because it already has one. Now that the Monsters and Blue Jackets are affiliates, it’s time for our city to send some love south.

All of these key players — namely Bjorkstrand (21-years-old), Lukas Sedlak (23) and goalkeeper Anton Forsberg (23) — were outstanding throughout the tournament and seem to be on the fast track upward to Columbus. By all accounts it seems like there is a bright future for this young core. Their talent is obvious, even to the most casual hockey fans (like myself). 

The Monsters offense was at its best when Bjorkstrand and Sedlak were wreaking havoc in transition. The two combined for four fast breaks, each producing a situation where it was just them and the goalie. Hershey goalie Justin Peters was simply a wall, it took a bit of good fortune to clinch the cup. Bjorkstrand’s heave as clock expired in overtime actually deflected off of Peters’ glove and into the net.

The downside to cheering for a minor league team is that it’s hard to get attached to the best players. If they show enough talent, eventually the pro club will give them a shot.

I hear it all the time from Clevelanders, why doesn’t the city have a hockey team. Simple: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Buffalo and Columbus all do. In this era of maximizing television footprint, Cleveland just doesn’t make economic sense. The city is stuck in the middle, just like Columbus is surrounded by the Reds and the Indians in baseball or the Browns and the Bengals in football. Those leagues simply don’t need Columbus and will look elsewhere when expansion opportunities arise.

But most people from Columbus have embraced Cleveland, throwing their support for the Browns, Cavs and Indians. The Tribe was wise to re-locate its Triple-A affiliate from Buffalo to Columbus, putting a flag and strengthening ties between the two cities.

And in return Columbus remains more loyal than ever. The Clippers tied for fourth on Forbes list of most valuable minor league franchise in 2013 (the most recent list I could find). More importantly, they were third in the International League in total attendance (622,096) last season, just one of three franchises to average more than 9,000 fans per game (9,016). 

Since becoming Cleveland’s affiliate in 2009, the team has ranked third in total attendance every season and averaged more than 8,500 fans in all seven years. The Clippers are off to another strong year, currently ranking third in total attendance with an average draw of 7,806. For the record Huntington Park’s listed capacity is 10,100. 

On a personal note I attended my first Clippers game last year, the park is excellent and the fans are very supportive of both the Clippers and Indians.

This year, the Blue Jackets saw a chance to extend an olive branch to Cleveland and wisely linked up with the Monsters as their minor league affiliate. Cleveland feeding Colorado made no sense, fans of the Monsters could too easily lose track of the players that grew up in their system. But now that guys like Bjorkstrand, Sedlak and Forsberg are only going two and a half hours south. More importantly, they’re remaining in the regional television wheelhouse, Fox Sports Ohio routinely televises Blue Jackets games. Lake Erie fans will be able to watch their prospects (hopefully) continue to develop into NHL stars.

Columbus has supported Cleveland and Cleveland has long since been a die-hard outpost for Ohio State. It’s time for Cleveland to do its part and throw its support southward. Let’s not split a great paring, Cleveland fans should adopt Columbus as their NHL team.

Just like so many in Columbus adopt the trio up in Cleveland as theirs.