The Cleveland Crusaders were a professional ice hockey team from Cleveland . They played in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976 . Their home ice was the Cleveland Arena from 1972 to 1974, and the Richfield Coliseum from 1974 to 1976.
49-577: The team was owned by Nick Mileti , who had been the founder of the NBA 's Cleveland Cavaliers , and also owned Major League Baseball 's Cleveland Indians . He had also owned the nine-time American Hockey League champion Cleveland Barons , but moved them to Jacksonville, Florida to make room for the Crusaders. The first coach for the Crusaders was Bill Needham , a mainstay of the Barons. Needham coached
98-532: A Crusader uniform, 304 in total. Other notable Crusaders players included Paul Shmyr (538 penalty minutes in four seasons), netminder Gerry Cheevers (99 wins in four seasons), and defenseman Wayne Hillman . The last active Crusaders player in major professional hockey was Paul Baxter , who last played the 1986-87 NHL season . Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes This American ice hockey team-related article
147-492: A family medical center. The new medical center which included outpatient programs, an emergency department and wellness services opened across the street from the old hospital site in 2018. None of the 845 employees of Lakewood lost their jobs, as they were offered other positions in the Cleveland Clinic system. There was opposition to the closing from a citizens' group called "Save Lakewood Hospital" who contended that
196-574: A group that purchased the ownership rights to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1970 to enter the league as an expansion team , paying a fee of $ 3.7 million; he eventually sold his twenty percent interest in the team in 1980 for $ 1.4 million. Another syndicate he headed purchased the Indians in 1972 for $ 10 million from Vernon Stouffer . His partnership that purchased the Indians included Howard Metzenbaum and Ted Bonda . Soon after winning
245-459: A language other than English at home, including Arabic , Spanish , Albanian , Russian , Serbo-Croatian , and Hungarian . The community is a hotspot for immigrants, arriving primarily from Southeast Europe (especially Albania , Romania , Greece , and the former Yugoslavia ), the Middle East ( Lebanon , Syria , and Iran ), South Asia ( India , Nepal , and Myanmar ), and
294-701: A law practice in Lakewood, Ohio and became prosecutor there after befriending the mayor. He became involved in sports after serving as chairman of the Bowling Green alumni association and organizing a BGSU game at the Cleveland Arena . Shortly thereafter he purchased the Arena and its prime tenant, the original Cleveland Barons hockey team. Recognizing that the Arena needed another tenant, he sought an expansion NBA team for Cleveland. Mileti spearheaded
343-404: A replacement, in part, for Lakewood Hospital. The hospital's emergency department remains open through the construction, which is scheduled to be completed in 2018. Lakewood Public Library has won numerous awards and has two branches: the main branch on Detroit Avenue and a smaller branch on Madison Avenue. The Lakewood Library's 2008 expansion increased the main library to 93,000 square feet;
392-535: A syndicate of six men headed by Judson Canfield on April 4, 1807, for $ 26,084. In 1818, permanent settlement began with the arrival from Connecticut of James Nicholson. Other early pioneers included Jared Kirtland and Mars Wagar. Settlements were mostly along Detroit Avenue, a toll road operated by the Rockport Plank Company from 1848 to 1901, with large farms and properties extending north to Lake Erie. Making bricks and planting orchards were among
441-555: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a sports team in Ohio is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Nick Mileti Nick James Mileti (April 22, 1931 – August 21, 2024) was an American author, lawyer, businessman, sports entrepreneur and sports franchise owner who was, during the 1970s, the owner of the Cleveland Indians , Cleveland Cavaliers , Cleveland Crusaders ,
490-520: Is managed by a directly elected school board. The Lakewood City Schools was rated as having "Continuous Improvement" by the Ohio Department of Education in 2013. Lakewood rebuilt or renovated the city's high school, two middle schools and seven elementary schools in a process completed in 2017. The investment was the first major school building program in Lakewood since 1920. The school system
539-480: Is one of the largest employers in the city of Lakewood. Current schools in the public system include Emerson, Grant, Harrison, Hayes, Horace Mann, Lincoln and Roosevelt elementary schools (grades PK–5); Garfield and Harding middle schools (grades 6–8) and Lakewood High School (grades 9–12). Lakewood Catholic Academy (grades K–8) was founded in 2005 through a consolidation of four parochial elementary schools, St. James, St. Luke and St. Clements and Transfiguration on
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#1732773315550588-601: Is open for the 2023 outdoor swimming season. The Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks System forms part of the city's western border. The Lakewood Dog Park, built in 2004, is located next to the Metroparks, in the Rocky River valley. Lakewood is governed by an elected mayor and elected council. The council has seven members, with four members representing wards in the city and
637-444: The 2020 United States census , Lakewood had a population of 50,942. Of which, 82.7% were non-Hispanic White, 5.2% were non-Hispanic Black, 4.8% were Hispanic/Latino, 2.4% were Asian, 5.9% were mixed or other. Lakewood's ethnic mosaic includes Albanian , Arab , Chinese , German , Hungarian , Irish , Italian , Mexican , Nepalese , Puerto Rican , Polish , Russian , Slovak , and Ukrainian ancestries. As of 2019, 12.2% spoke
686-695: The Cleveland Arena , the Coliseum at Richfield , and radio station "3WE" WWWE AM/1100 (now WTAM ). Born in southeast Cleveland, Mileti put himself through college, graduating from Bowling Green State University (BGSU) in 1953. The BGSU Alumni Center is now named in his honor. He was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity at BGSU. Following his time at BGSU, he earned a J.D. degree from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1956. After military service he opened
735-655: The Cleveland metropolitan area . The population was 50,942 at the 2020 census , making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma . The area now called Lakewood was populated by the Ottawa, Potawatomi, Chippewa, Wyandot, Munsee, Delaware and Shawnee tribes until the Treaty of Ft. Industry pushed them west in 1805. Prior to the treaty, American settlers were prohibited from moving west of
784-760: The Cuyahoga River . The treaty ceded 500,000 acres of some of the tribes' land to the United States for about $ 18,000 or 3.5 cents/acre. The Shawnee and Seneca, living with the Wyandot, were to get $ 1000 "...every year forever hereafter." In 1806, the area was formally surveyed as Rockport Township , Township 7, Range 14, of the Connecticut Western Reserve . It was purchased from the Connecticut Land Company by
833-551: The Florida Breakers , going far enough to have a logo designed. After the proposed move fell through, the Crusaders relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota , becoming the second incarnation of the Minnesota Fighting Saints . Gary Jarrett was the Crusaders top scorer in their four seasons, playing in 298 games, scoring 104 goals, 119 assists, totalling 223 points. Gerry Pinder played the most games in
882-687: The Red Line east to Windermere via Downtown Cleveland and west to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport . RTA's Route 804, the Lakewood Community Circulator, was discontinued by RTA in late 2009. Lakewood residents and city officials were campaigning for it to return. I-90 borders the south side of Lakewood and has on/off-ramps at W. 117th St., Bunts Road, Warren Road, and McKinley Road. The Cleveland Memorial Shoreway begins approximately 1-mile (1.6 km) east of Lakewood via Lake Avenue and Clifton Boulevard and serves as
931-403: The former USSR ( Russia , Uzbekistan , and Ukraine ). The foreign-born population was approximately 8.6% in 2019. Lakewood Hospital first opened its doors in 1907. The city of Lakewood purchased the hospital in 1931. The Cleveland Clinic added the hospital to its health system in 2006. In January 2015, the Cleveland Clinic announced it would close the hospital in 2016 and replace it with
980-548: The Arts is the largest cultural arts center on Cleveland's west shore. Geiger's , a retailer of clothing and ski equipment and accessories, was founded in downtown Lakewood in 1932. The company, now run by the third generation of the Geiger family, moved to its present location in 1936. The home of Malley's Chocolates is in Lakewood. Aladdin's Eatery , a national restaurant brand, is also based in Lakewood. Their first restaurant
1029-703: The Cavaliers Wall of Honor in 2019. Mileti died on August 21, 2024, at the age of 93 in Rocky River, Ohio . In 2019, Mileti was inducted into the Cavaliers " Wall of Honor ", which recognizes prominent figures in team history. Lakewood, Ohio Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio , United States, on the southern shore of Lake Erie . Established in 1889, it is one of Cleveland 's historical streetcar suburbs and part of
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#17327733155501078-656: The Cavaliers franchise, Mileti realized that Cleveland Arena was nearing the end of its useful life. However, when politicians balked at building a new arena downtown, he bought land in Richfield , halfway between Cleveland and Akron , and built the Richfield Coliseum , at the time the largest arena in the country. In late 1972, Mileti formed Ohio Communications with veteran radio executive Tom Embrescia, which acquired WKYC AM/1100 and FM/105.7 from NBC, renaming them "3WE" WWWE-AM and "M105" WWWM-FM. Mileti then moved
1127-415: The Crusaders to winning records in the first two seasons, but failed to advance past the second playoff round. In the 1974–75 season , John Hanna took over as coach, to be replaced mid-season by Jack Vivian . Cleveland finished second in the east division despite a losing record, but fell in the first round of the playoffs. Johnny Wilson led the team for its final season, also losing in the first round of
1176-587: The Diocese. Lakewood Lutheran School offers a K–8 integrated elementary education. Post secondary education in Lakewood includes The North Coast College, focusing on graphic and fashion design. A handful of print and online media chronicle Lakewood, including The Sun Post-Herald , and The Lakewood Observer . The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority 's Cleveland State Line (routes 55,55B,55C), run east and west along Clifton Boulevard, terminating at Cleveland State University in downtown Cleveland to
1225-576: The Indians. He only paid for controlling interest with $ 500,000 of his own money, with the rest secured through loans. The lenders first grew concerned when the construction of the Richfield Coliseum was bogged down by lawsuits and cost overruns . Despite this, Mileti had ambitious plans for reviving a team that had spent the better part of the last two decades in the bottom half of the American League. One of his first acts as owner
1274-553: The Ohio Common School Act of April 9, 1867, three schools were allotted to East Rockport, called 6, 8, and 10; they were later designated East, Middle, and West. Each school had one teacher. As the community began to grow and more schools were required, the school board adopted the policy of honoring Ohio's presidents by assigning their names to the school buildings. The Rocky River Railroad was organized in 1869 by speculators as an excursion line to bring Clevelanders to
1323-557: The U.S. House of Representatives by Shontel Brown ( OH-11 , D). In the Ohio General Assembly it is represented by Nickie Antonio (D) in the State Senate and by Michael Skindell in the (D) State House. Notable former mayors include Anthony Sinagra (1978 – 1990), Madeline Cain (1996 – 2003), and Ed FitzGerald (2008 – 2010). The Lakewood City School District
1372-703: The building trades. A toll road was established from Cleveland to Lakewood by the Rockport Plank Road Company, operating from 1848 to 1901. Lakewood was incorporated as a village in 1889, and named for its lakefront location. In 1893, streetcars came from Cleveland to Lakewood with the construction of the Detroit Avenue line, followed by the Clifton Boulevard line in 1903 and the Madison Avenue line in 1916. Under
1421-492: The campus of Lakewood High School , opened in 1955. The auditorium hosted the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival from 1962 to 1981. The facade of the auditorium features the world's largest free-standing ceramic sculpture, Early Settler , created by Viktor Schreckengost . The sculpture is commonly known as " Johnny Appleseed " who was the subject of Schreckengost's design. The Beck Center for
1470-410: The city could find another entity to manage the hospital and keep it open. Cleveland Clinic completed construction of a new one-story facility on Detroit Avenue in 2005, adjacent to Rockport Square. Cleveland Clinic began demolition in 2016 of a professional office building and garage in preparation for the construction of a new $ 34 million, 62,000 square foot family health building, which will serve as
1519-443: The city was $ 42,602, and the median income for a family was $ 59,201. Males had a median income of $ 42,599 versus $ 35,497 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 26,939. About 10.9% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over. Of the city's population over the age of 25, 39.0% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. According to
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1568-532: The collection then grew to over 474,000 items by 2015. The Lakewood Library celebrated its centennial in 2016. The Madison branch of the Library, designed by architectural firm Walter and Weeks, opened in 1929 in the southeastern part of the city. It underwent a $ 2.1 million renovation and expansion, and reopened to the public in March 2022. The Lakewood Civic Auditorium, a 2,000-seat performing arts venue located on
1617-619: The east and in North Olmsted (55) or Bay Village (55B) and Westlake (55C) to the west. RTA Routes 26 and 26A serve Detroit Avenue, Route 83 serves Warren Road, Route 78 serves as the border line on West 117th Street, and Route 25 serves Madison Avenue. Two RTA rapid transit stations exist just across the Lakewood/Cleveland border, at W. 117th St. and Madison Avenue and the other between Lakewood Heights and Triskett near West 140. Both stations provide access to
1666-418: The highest recycling rates in all of Ohio at 79% in 2009. Lakewood operates a CERT program. This all-citizen emergency response program was created in 2005. Lakewood is located about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Downtown Cleveland . The city borders Lake Erie to the north, the Cleveland neighborhoods of Edgewater and Cudell to the east, and the neighborhoods of Jefferson and Kamm's Corners to
1715-879: The latter became the largest electric vehicle maker in the world at the time. Rockport Square was developed on the eastern end of the city in 2004 and incorporated residential townhouses all along Detroit Avenue. Lakewood was accepted into the nationally renowned Ohio Main Street Program in 2005. In 2009, the American Institute of Architects and the Cleveland Restoration Society honored the City of Lakewood Department of Planning & Development and LakewoodAlive with an award for Creative & Effective Preservation Advocacy. Lakewood first introduced curbside recycling in 1989 and has one of
1764-567: The most famous homes in the spring, summer, and fall. As of the census of 2010, there were 52,131 people, 25,274 households, and 11,207 families residing in the city. The population density was 9,426.9 inhabitants per square mile (3,639.7/km ). There were 28,498 housing units at an average density of 5,153.3 per square mile (1,989.7/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 87.5% White , 6.4% African American , 0.3% Native American , 1.9% Asian , 1.3% from other races , and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.1% of
1813-480: The most prolific occupations until natural gas and oil wells were developed in the early 1880s. By 1819, 18 families lived in Rockport Township. Early settlers sustained their lives through farming. The land was ideal for fruit farming and many vineyards began to emerge. Current street names reflect this history such as Orchard Grove and Blossom Park.The most common occupations in Lakewood were farming and
1862-469: The other three are at-large council members. Once politically dominated by New England Republicans , Lakewood has become a center for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party in Ohio. It was a stronghold of support for former Congressman Dennis Kucinich , and in the 2016 Democratic presidential primary , its voters strongly backed Bernie Sanders . The city is currently represented in
1911-442: The population. There were 25,274 households, of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.7% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 55.7% were non-families. 44.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size
1960-588: The post-season. Mileti sold the team to Jay White in 1975, but White sold it back to Mileti in 1976. However, not long after Mileti closed on his repurchase, the National Hockey League 's California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland and became the Cleveland Barons . Mileti knew he could not hope to compete with an NHL team and decided to move the Crusaders elsewhere. Initially, the team was going to relocate to South Florida and become
2009-482: The presence of viewing telescopes enhances the viewing experience of Downtown Cleveland. An all-purpose trail that circles the park was built in 2006. On October 30, 2015, Lakewood opened its "Solstice Steps" in the northwest corner of the park. The steps are aligned in the direction of sunset on the summer solstice . They are constructed of white concrete blocks in five tiers; each tier has four steps separated by green grass strips. A renovated Charles A. Foster Pool
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2058-556: The radio play-by-play rights for the Indians and Cavaliers, as well as pioneering sports talk host Pete Franklin 's Sportsline , to WWWE. Already the most powerful AM station in Cleveland, with a 50,000 watt clear channel signal, WWWE quickly turned into a sports radio powerhouse. In his sports ownership heyday, Mileti was a master of leverage of sorts, owning 51 percent of his enterprises with little of his own money at risk. This practice came back to haunt him not long after he bought
2107-512: The resort area they developed at the mouth of the Rocky River. Financially unsuccessful as a pleasure and amusement venture, the line was sold to the Nickel Plate Railroad in 1881. The railroad line still exists today, running in an east–west direction north of Detroit Avenue. Notably, Lakewood was home to two pioneering automobile manufacturers: Winton Motor Carriage Company (est. 1897) and Baker Motor Vehicle (1899). By 1906,
2156-489: The site of the former St. Augustine Academy. Since its founding, over $ 1.5 million has been invested in capital improvements, making LCA a "significant institution for parochial education in Lakewood. St. Edward High School serves boys in grades 9–12 throughout the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland . Padre Pio Academy is a K–12 elementary/high school founded by lay Catholics that operates independently of
2205-724: The south. It borders the suburb of Rocky River to the west at the Rocky River valley. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 6.69 square miles (17.33 km ), of which 5.53 square miles (14.32 km ) is land and 1.16 square miles (3.00 km ) is water. Historical housing throughout the city and an active historical society are the norm in Lakewood. The "Make Lakewood Beautiful" program involves contests in which residents compete to make their homes look and resemble their original design and architecture, and awards are given to several homeowners each year. The city offers tours of
2254-412: Was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.99. The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 19.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 34.3% were from 25 to 44; 25.7% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female. As of the 2007 American Community Survey, the median income for a household in
2303-472: Was forced to name Bonda as the team's executive vice president and chairman. For all intents and purposes, his tenure as owner was over, though Mileti didn't formally sell out his stake to Bonda until 1975. Mileti also founded and was the principal owner of the short-lived CFL team, the Las Vegas Posse in 1994. Mileti became a writer in retirement; he published three books. He was inducted into
2352-550: Was founded in Lakewood by Fady and Sally Chamoun in 1994. Aladdin's Lakewood Headquarters was expanded in 2007. Lakewood Park is one of the largest lakefront parks in Ohio and features a live concert stage, outdoor swimming pool, picnic pavilions, 4-season public pavilion, kids' playground, baseball, volleyball, and a skate park, which opened in 2004. Lakewood has more than 150 acres (0.61 km ) of greenspace citywide. The park's million dollar lakefront promenade opened in 2006 and offers an excellent panorama of Downtown Cleveland and
2401-471: Was to hire new scouts; Stouffer had made drastic cuts to player development. However, his plans were undone when two major partners in his Indians syndicate, Steve O'Neill and Gabe Paul , joined George Steinbrenner 's bid to buy the New York Yankees . While Mileti was able to find new investors, it wasn't enough to restore the confidence of his lenders, who believed he was spread too thin. Mileti
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