Cleveland Barons
Description
Franchise value and ownership history
Franchise name/location history (most to least recent):- Cleveland Barons
- California Golden Seals
- Oakland Seals
- California Seals
| Franchise Valuation and Ownership History All amounts in US$ unless otherwise noted. |
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| Season | Value (US$) |
In today's US$ |
Hockey Franchise Valuation Rank |
| 1963-64 | $875,000 | $8,984,324 | |
| During the 1964 summer, Coley Hall sold the San Francisco Seals, of the WHL, to a group of investors led by Mel Swig for an amount between $750,000 and $1M. | |||
| Source(s): The Hockey News | |||
| 1967-68 | $2,000,000 | $18,848,921 | |
| Franchise fee to join the NHL as the Oakland Seals: $US 2M. | |||
| Source(s): Book: Power Plays / Book: The Lively World of Hockey / Inside Hockey 1969-70 / Book: The California Golden Seals / Podcast: 50 Years Ago in Hockey / Book: Changing the Game | |||
| 1969-70 | $4,500,000 | $38,571,429 | |
| Trans-National Communications, Inc., headed by William Creasy, bought the franchise for $US 4.5M from Barry Van Gerbig. (It was bought for $3.9M according to Hockey Pictorial Magazine and $4M according to another edition of The Hockey News.) | |||
| Source(s): The Hockey News / The Sporting News | |||
| 1970-71 | $4,500,000 | $36,445,131 | |
| Charles O. Finley purchased the franchise for $4.5M from Trans-National Communications, Inc. and renamed them the California Golden Seals. | |||
| Source(s): Face Off Hockey Yearbook 1971 / Book: Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey / The Sporting News / The Hockey News | |||
| 1973-74 | $6,500,000 | $46,027,027 | |
| In January 1973, the NHL purchased the team from Charles O. Finley for $6.5M to operate it until a new suitable owner was found. | |||
| Source(s): The Sporting News / La Presse | |||
| 1975-76 | $6,500,000 | $37,971,014 | |
| Mel Swig bought the Oakland Golden Seals from the NHL for $6.5M. (It was for $3.5M according to the Sports Illustrated.) | |||
| Source(s): Book: The NHL's Mistake by the Lake | |||
| 1977-78 | $6,000,000 | $31,123,577 | |
| Prior to the season, a group headed by George Gund III bought the Barons from Mel Swig for $6M. After the season, the Cleveland Barons merged with the Minnesota North Stars, keeping the North Stars franchise name. George Gund became a majority owner. ($5.3M according to the book Brian McFarlane's History of Hockey) | |||
| Source(s): The Hockey News 1978 Yearbook | |||