Jack Gordon

You can't talk about the history of hockey in Cleveland, Ohio without talking about American Hockey League Hall of Famer Jack Gordon.

Gordon, a Winnipeg native, played 14 AHL seasons, including 11 with the Barons starting in 1951. His best year as a player came in 1953-54 when he set career highs with 31 goals, 71 assists and 102 points, good enough to finish second in the AHL scoring race. He then tied the AHL record with 18 playoff points as Cleveland won the Calder Cup championship.

By 1956 he succeeded the legendary coach Bun Cook as the Barons' bench boss, even though he continued to play part time until the 1960-61 season.

In his very first season as coach he led the Barons to another Calder Cup championship while being named as AHL coach of the year.

Gordon remained as coach through to 1962 when he became general manager. As an executive he helped the Barons win yet another Calder Cup in 1964.

After a brief tenure as assistant general manager of the NHL's New York Rangers, Gordon returned as the Barons coach in 1968 for two more seasons. He would then move back up to the NHL, taking coaching and managing jobs with the Minnesota North Stars and Vancouver Canucks.

In 602 games played in the AHL, Gordon totaled 181 goals and 434 assists for 615 points. His career coaching record stands at 267-234-48.

Gordon also played a total of 36 NHL games, all with the Rangers between 1948 and 1950. He also got into nine Stanley Cup playoff games in 1950, helping the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup final only to lose to the Detroit Red Wings.