Don Luce’s Jersey is Screwed Up, Colin Chaulk’s is Upside Down… What’s Going On Here?

Hi everyone!  Well, it’s that time of year again where once again we Canadians have no representatives in the Stanley Cup Finals, but at least our Ottawa Senators made a valiant effort to break that unfortunate routine, losing an excruciatingly close series to last year’s Cup champs from Pittsburgh.  Had the Sens pulled it out in game seven, it would have made for an interesting Cinderella vs. Cinderella final series, but alas, it was not meant to be.  There’s always next year, I guess.  And there’s always the upcoming expansion draft to look forward too, which, coincidentally enough, is taking place in this, the 50th anniversary of the NHL’s first expansion endeavor, the one that gave birth (sort of) to the California Seals.  June 6, 2017, will represent, to the day, the 50th anniversary of modern-day NHL expansion, so we’ll be paying extra attention to that here at Golden Seals Hockey.

As for this week, we’ve added a brand new induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame: the sad story of Colin Chaulk’s jersey retirement, which took place just a few months ago.  For the most part, HHOS inductions are things that happened a while back, and have gained some notoriety of the years, but this week’s induction was so bad, I had to induct it right away.

As usual, there is also a brand new addition to the Overexposed wing of the HHOS.  This time, our cardboard crap fest features Don Luce in what appears to be some sort of Toronto Maple Leafs uniform, but I honestly cannot confirm this.  Since Hockey-reference.com claims he played about a half-season with the Leafs, I figure this must be true, but check out the card for yourself, and you’ll see why I have serious doubts.

Anyway, good luck to Pittsburgh and Nashville in the Stanley Cup Finals.  I’m sure they are going to put on a great show, as both have already done thus far in these playoffs.  We’ll have some special Stanley Cup-themed additions to the site very soon, so come on back and check them out.  Until next time, stay gold!

 

This Week, It’s All About Missing Legs and Righting Wrongs

Hi everyone!

Well, the playoffs are heating up, and Canada’s capital city couldn’t be any more excited. Ok, sure Senators fans aren’t terribly enthusiastic about, you know, actually GOING to playoff games and regularly filling up the rink, but hey, at least Canada’s still alive in the Cup hunt.  As for me, I’ll be watching the game on the tube tonight – I’m a Montreal fan with a 17-month old at home; I, unlike Senators fans, am under no obligation to trudge down the Queensway to Kanata to spend $30 for parking at the Canadian Tire Centre…  Ooh, now THAT’S something that needs to be inducted one day.  What a ridiculous-sounding name for a hockey rink.

Anyway, this week, I’ve added a new chapter to the Seals’ team history section, a look back on the six-year history of the Western Hockey League San Francisco/California Seals, something I had completely forgotten to add when this site was created nearly a year ago.  How this slipped under my radar for so long, I have no idea, but I’ve fixed the mistake, and you can read all about the most successful incarnation of the Seals in the Team History section.

If you’re here to check out the latest induction to the Hockey Hall of Shame, look no further than this week’s addition to the Overexposed wing, featuring a one-legged Bill White.  I often hear about players with leg injuries “playing on one leg”, but little did I know someone actually managed to play on one leg for real.  Seriously.  Check out Bill White’s 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee card to see for yourself.

If you need a break from the Stanley Cup playoffs, head on over to the Seals Hall of Fame survey on the right side of the page, and vote for the player(s) you feel should be inducted in 2017.  You can vote as many times as you wish, but only once per device.  So far, there are three definite front-runners, but so as not to influence your choice, I won’t say who’s in the lead right now, so head on over to the survey and make your selection.  The inductees will be announced in July on the one-year anniversary of the site.

Until next time, stay gold!

Want to Clear Out Your Nose But Don’t Have a Kleenex? Rene Corbet Has the Solution For You!

Hi everyone!  It’s been a crazy couple of weeks here in the Nation’s Capital.  The Ottawa Senators shocked the New York Rangers with a couple of comeback wins, and now they are going to face Pittsburgh in the Eastern Conference final.  As a typical Canadian, I have to root for whatever Canadian team is still in the playoffs.  Canada hasn’t seen a Stanley Cup champion in 24 years, so every spring, we take what we can get, and we put our team loyalties aside for a few weeks.  So, I guess that means Go Sens Go!

We’ve added a few new articles to the site this week for your nostalgic reading pleasure.  The first one comes from the December 11, 1972 edition of the Lowell, Massachusetts Sun, and it describes the Seals-Bruins game in which Marshall Johnston scored his first and only career NHL hat-trick.  In the second new article, Reggie Leach also scores a hat-trick.  I’m sure you’re starting to sense a theme to the choice of articles this week.  Well, in typical Seals fashion, even though in both cases, one of their players scored three goals, the Seals still lost, and lost badly.  You can read find both pieces in the Seals/Barons Articles section.

You’re probably wondering what’s the deal with the title to this week’s blog entry.  Well, you’ll soon find out.  We’ve added a wonderful new card from the brutally awful 1991 Ultimate Draft set that is sure to clear up any confusion.  I would say poor Rene Corbet never saw any of this coming, but if you head on over to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, you will see it just ain’t true.

Anyway, since the Sens aren’t playing tonight, I’ve got to get back to watching Starcrash on Mystery Science Theater 3000, so I shall bid you good night, and good playoffs!  Stay gold!

Blindness and Barons’ Beards

Hi everyone!

I’ve made a few modifications to the “Steve’s New Seals Book!” section, including the addition of the book’s cover.  I can’t tell you how excited I am for November 1, when the book is finally released.  I can only hope everyone likes how it turns out.

It being playoff time, and most players around the league are looking hairier than the love child of a gorilla and a Sasquatch, I thought it appropriate to post a new article about the Barons’ one-time beard-growing fad.  I’m not sure if the Barons were trailblazers by growing some extra whiskers, but in 1977, hockey players didn’t collectively grow beards as a form of lucky charm.  Honestly, I don’t think hockey players pre-1977 could actually grow beards.  Mustaches, sure, but beards?  Just try to find a photo of the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, or Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s sporting beards.  I don’t mean “Cowboy” Bill Flett, circa 1974. I mean, multiple members of the same team.  Can’t find one, can you?  I believe it was the New York Islanders who started the trend when they started winning Stanley Cups in the 1980s, and as we all know, everyone loves to copy a winner, so I cute playoff trend was born.  But could the lowly Cleveland Barons have inspired the legendary New York Islanders in some small way?  Who knows.  Anyway, you can find the article on the Barons’ beards in the Articles section.

Also new to the site, as usual, is another installment of Overexposed, this time featuring one-time NHL prospect Mike Dubinsky. I wonder if he never made it to the show because too many general managers saw this card of his, and because seeing it made them go blind, they immediately cursed him to the minors to rot for all eternity.  Don’t believe me, head on over to the Overexposed section to see what I mean.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.  Until next time, stay gold!