When the National Hockey League (NHL) decided to expand in March 1965, hockey-crazed Minnesota seemed like the perfect market for one of the six new teams. For 25 seasons it was, for the most part. The team, facing many challenges over the years, moved in 1993.
National Hockey League (1976-1978) Born: July 14, 1976 – The California Golden Seals relocate to Cleveland, OH. Died: June 14, 1978 – Merger with Minnesota
The Cleveland Rockers were one of the eight original franchises of the Women’s National Basketball Association when the league began play in the summer of 1997. Gund Arena Company, the owners of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, operated the Rockers franchise. On the court, the Rockers see-sawed between winning seasons and truly terrible campaigns, but still managed to make the playoffs in five of their seven years of play. Gund withdrew its support of the WNBA in September 2003. The timing seemed particularly unfortunate, just one month before 18-year LeBron James made his NBA debut for the Gund-owned Cavaliers, generating enormous attention for Cleveland pro basketball. With no other buyers stepping forward, the Rockers disbanded in December 2003.
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