Cleveland Barons vs Buffalo Bisons Ad – October 1949

Well, the National Hockey League opened its regular season yesterday, so it’s a good time to post this ad. It’s for the Cleveland Barons vs the Buffalo Bisons and ran in the Lorain Journal on October 28, 1949.

The Cleveland Barons were actually a minor league team in the American Hockey League from 1937 to 1973, but a wildly successful one at that. You can read all about the team's history here.

It’s not easy finding examples of this early Cleveland Baron mascot online.

Apparently he was popular enough to be manufactured as a 1959 bank (which you can purchase here).

And here he is on a pinback button.

I’ve noticed that the Richman Brothers clothing store seemed to be ground zero in Lorain when it came to purchasing tickets to professional sporting events. I’m not sure why. Here are a few other samples, one from the Browns (1946) and one from the Indians (1958).