We are the Official Booster Club of the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters. Please visit the Monsters’ official website at www.lakeeriemonsters.com
The American Hockey League’s website can be found at www.theahl.com
A Brief History
The Cleveland Hockey Booster Club, Inc. was founded in 1948 as the Cleveland Barons Booster Club and was the original fan club for the AHL Cleveland Barons. The club continued through the Baron years, then became the Cleveland Crusaders Booster Club in 1972, when Cleveland entered the WHA. Although the Barons started the season and played some doubleheaders with the Crusaders, they moved to Jacksonville, Florida mid-season and folded in 1973. When the Crusaders merged with the Minnesota Fighting Saints and left town in 1976, the NHL then came to Cleveland. The club again became the Barons Boosters until the NHL left in 1978.
Over the 14 years without a team in Cleveland, the club changed its name to the Cleveland Hockey Booster Club (CHBC). This was done not only because there was no team to support, but also to show that the club intended to stay intact by having social functions and meetings and enjoying and supporting hockey by traveling to see hockey games in other cities. Over the years without a team the CHBC also continued to support local charities and stay active in the AHLBCC and NHLBCC.
When the Lumberjacks of the IHL came to town in 1992, the CHBC became the official booster club of the Lumberjacks and decided to keep its generic name to reflect the fact that they support all local hockey. When the ‘Jacks folded in 2001, and the Kentucky Thoroughblades of the AHL were moved to Cleveland and re-named the Barons, the CHBC became the Barons official Booster Club. Following the relocation of the Barons to Worcester, Massachusetts in 2005 and another year without hockey, the formation of the Lake Erie Monsters AHL club brought hockey back to Cleveland once again. The CHBC continues to be the official booster club of the Monsters to date.
The Cleveland Hockey Booster Club works closely with the Monsters organization on events and promotions, and they also continue to raise money for charity and remain active in the AHLBCC, the NHLBCC and the HBCA (formerly IHLBCC). The club now also supports local youth hockey by sending players to hockey camp each year and donating to various youth hockey causes with money raised for the club’s Charitable Fund as well as its Jock Callander Scholarship Fund.
The CHBC continues to follow its objectives as set forth in the club’s By-Laws:
- To promote and support charitable causes and organizations:
- Scholarships for senior high school hockey players who will attend college;
- Provide hockey tickets and hockey equipment to school children; and
- Provide monies directly to individual charities in which (CHBC) members participate in the charity and/or activity.
- To promote interest in hockey throughout the community.
- To promote sportsmanship and morale among hockey players and their fans.
- To disseminate information regarding the sport of hockey to the community.