A few months ago, the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League announced that they were leaving Cleveland for Worcester, MA, where they would take the name of their parent club and become the Worcester Sharks. At the time, I was concerned about how the move might affect the Steelhounds, who are technically the Barons' CHL affiliate. In my opinion, at least, having a higher-level affiliate gives the team some stability, as the larger, wealthier parent club has a vested interest in the success of its lower-level affiliate.
The Barons have been and still are listed as the Steelhounds' AHL affiliate. However, clicking on the link to their website no longer brings you to the teams' home page- it no longer exists. All that's left are the remnants of the online store, carrying deeply-discounted surplus Barons t-shirts and jerseys.
A team in Worcester, MA likely has little interest in a fledgling team in a suspect hockey market in the far-distant land of Youngstown, Ohio. The Steelhounds could then find themselves without an AHL parent club, which would be a problem.
Good news, though- according to several sources, including www.clevelandprohockey.com, a group headed by Dan Gilbert (the owner of the Cavs and Quicken Loans Arena) has purchased the AHL's currently inactive Utah Grizzlies, and will move the franchise to Cleveland for the '07-'08 season. I imagine there's a good chance that the Steelhounds will switch their affiliation to the new Cleveland franchise, maintaining their relationship with the American Hockey League and once again having a parent club within a short distance from the Chevy Center.
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If those prices are correct, then yeah, I think there could be some tough times ahead. If, as a Clevelander, you have the option to see minor league hockey or major league basketball or baseball for the same price, you're probably going to go with the major league teams, unless you're a diehard puckhead.
Since I first posted this article, though, the Steelhounds have apparently brokered a relationship with the Blue Jackets of the NHL, giving them more stability than they had with the Barons or would have with this new team (rumored to be named the "Cleveland Fighting Walleye," by the way.)
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