When asked to name a city associated with hockey, the mind tends to travel north, but Cleveland’s presence as a long-time hockey city can’t be disregarded. 

Northeast Ohio has served as a launchpad for several great professional athletes across a multitude of sports. Among these standout competitors? Laila Edwards. 

A Cleveland Heights native, Edwards became the first Black woman to be named to USA Hockey’s Women’s National Team, where she played a major role in the Americans’ Gold-Medal effort during this year’s Winter Olympic Games. During Team USA’s round-robin matchup against Canada, Edwards sailed in a goal, becoming the first Black woman to do so on that stage and in that sport.  

But Laila wasn’t the only hockey Olympian with ties to Cleveland. The Monsters were represented by ten former players in the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina, which included dual goal medals for Team USA’s Men’s and Women’s teams.  

Among the former Monsters turned Olympians were American Gold Medalist Zach Werenski, Czechia’s Lukas Sedlak, Denmark’s Oliver Bjorkstrand and Finland’s Joonas Korpisalo, all of whom were part of the 2016 Calder Cup Champion Lake Erie Monsters. 

With the culmination of this year’s Olympics, Cleveland’s hockey credentials have been refreshed, but the story goes back much farther than that. 

“Cleveland has been a hockey town for a long time,” said Jock Callander, Senior Vice President, Hockey Affairs & Team Services. “There were great crowds here in the early years but each year the Monsters bring it to the next level.” 

Once the winningest team in AHL history, the Cleveland Barons, founded in 1937, laid the foundation for Cleveland’s present status as one of America’s top hockey hotbeds. 

In honor of the AHL’s 90th anniversary, the Monsters hit the ice once again as the Barons, celebrating the legacy of this historical hockey giant and the impact that organization had on hockey’s evolution in Northeast Ohio with specialty uniforms during several regular-season games in 2025-26. 

Part of this evolution would come in the form of the Lake Erie Monsters, who began play in October of 2007 as the AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche, officially bringing professional hockey back to Cleveland. 

Lake Erie would later become the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, just in time for the 2015-16 season, the year in which the Monsters brought a championship back to Cleveland with the franchise’s first and only Calder Cup.  

Shortly after this historic win, the Lake Erie Monsters would rebrand as the Cleveland Monsters, further strengthening the organization’s ties and commitment to the city. 

While the Monsters have a clear history of developing outstanding talent among their players, several of whom now play for a variety of NHL or international teams, the efforts of the organization are not single-minded. 

“Cleveland hockey fans are very fortunate to watch AHL players and see so many future NHL players,” said Callander. “Watching these players live when they are young and developing into top players is definitely a great thing for current fans and newer fans alike.” 

“Grow the Game”, a community initiative aimed at bringing hockey to every community across Northeast Ohio, is a cornerstone of the Cleveland Monsters’ front office.  

With a variety of programming designed to offer introductory, low-cost access to the sport across younger demographics in Cleveland, the Monsters honor its hockey history while driving the city towards an even brighter future. 

“Youth hockey has taken another step since the Monsters have been in town,” said Callander.  “We hope to keep building on it by bringing hockey to all parts of the city and continuing to build the sport’s popularity.” 

While it may not be the first city that comes to mind when discussing hockey, it is important to recognize that Cleveland IS a hockey town, has been for quite some time, and will continue to be for years to come.