Hi everyone! Recently I started reading George Grimm’s excellent book, We Did Everything But Win, about the history of the Emile Francis New York Rangers, and I started thinking about an article I had about an unusual moment in Seals history.  This week, in the articles section, I’ve added a great piece about the famous night in which two games were played in one day at Madison Square Garden, one of which featured the Seals, who were in the midst of their very first NHL season.  I’ll let Golden Seals Hockey subscriber Reg Lansberry explain this one, since this is really his area of expertise. Here’s an abridged version of what Reg wrote to me about the article he sent me a few months back:

“It was on Sunday, March 3, 1968 at the brand spanking new Madison Square Garden. The Rangers had defeated the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday afternoon, March 2, and were slated to meet Chicago on Sunday in another matinee contest. (The Garden, which will celebrate its Golden Anniversary during the upcoming 2017-18 campaign, had opened just two weeks earlier on Sunday, February 18, 1968.  The Rangers posted a 3-1 victory over the Flyers.  After Wayne Hicks scored for the Flyers, Rangers’ captain Bob Nevin tied the game —against Doug Favell— as the Rangers went on to post a 3-1 victory.)

Hi everyone! Well, I’ve managed to stave off the stomach flu this time around, which means I’ve been able to get to updating this site once again for all of you out there.

This week, I’ve added an interesting new article that confirms Gary “The Axe” Smith was once the world’s most well-travelled netminder. By “well-travelled”, I mean, someone who scooted out of his crease so much to handle the puck he should have been awarded frequent flyer miles. This little adventure is at least the third time Smith attempted, or seemed to have some small desire, to score a goal. He tried it at least once when his Toronto Maple Leafs were playing Montreal, and he tried one more time in 1969-70 as the Seals were playing those same Leafs, but both times he was unsuccessful. This third attempt, in January 1971, was more of a Ron Hextall impression, as Smith tried to shoot the puck into an empty net, but was unsuccessful.

I’ve also added a brand new card to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, this time featuring someone’s ass (and I mean that seriously, not to mention the fact that WHA star Andre Lacroix also makes an appearance on his own card). I honestly have no idea who the card’s usurper is, but maybe you can find out by checking out the card for yourself. It is definitely a worthy addition to the hallowed Hall!

There have been a number of new subscribers to the site the last few weeks, so I’d just like to remind everyone that they are invited to cast their votes for the (up to) three people they believe deserve to be enshrined in the Seals Hall of Fame. If you want, you can even write in your own vote by choosing the option at the bottom of the survey.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! A lot has happened in the last few days, so let me get you all caught up. First, my son has started daycare this week, so that means lots of coughing, runny noses, and oh yes, PUKING! Lots and lots of puking! Two eruptions on Wednesday, in fact, including one right at the supper table, which luckily meant he had his high chair tray in front of him at the time to catch all of the damage. It’s been a rough few days for Emmett who is starting to learn how to manage a full day without Mom or Dad there to comfort him, but he’s eating meat (finally!) and he’s also napping during the day at daycare, so there has been some positives as well. Things will surely get better as he gets used to heading off to daycare every morning, and the clinging he has been doing around Mom and Dad’s necks is probably going to disappear, although I can’t complain about the extra cuddling like that. Vomiting aside, the rest of the week has been pretty good, and we’ve got lots of new and old business to get to, so let’s get started…

If you like radio shows and podcasts featuring the Seals, you are in luck today! I had the opportunity to do a short interview with Todd Lewis of Hockey Unfiltered, which was a lot of fun.  Even more fun was finding out that my book, The California Golden Seals, is going to be featured as the radio show’s Book of the Month. I was also fortunate enough to do an interview with Pat Williams of Inside the Game just before Christmas, where we mostly discussed the chapter titles, which means the interview came out pleasantly different than the others I’ve done.  I’ve added the mp3 files of the interviews in the Video and Audio section of the site.

Speaking of my book, if you haven’t done so already, I’d really appreciate you posting your comments on Amazon so potential readers can get a better idea of what the book is about. You don’t have to write an essay or anything, just a 1-5 star review, but if you want to write a few sentences, it’s always appreciated.

Also new this week is a brand new Overexposed featuring one-time St. Louis Blue Jean-Guy Talbot.

In case anyone is wondering about the final bracket of the Seals/Barons Uniform Playoff, the jersey which was overwhelmingly chosen (in fact, EVERY VOTE went to this one) as the Barons’ best, is the 1976-77 home duds. Coming soon, we will add a new survey to determine which is the best jersey in franchise history, so stay tuned for that announcement in the next few weeks.

Don’t forget to vote for who you think deserves induction into the Seals Hall of Fame. The survey is on the right side of this page so get clicking! The winners will be announced in July at the time of Golden Seals Hockey’s two-year anniversary.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday. Hopefully, your 2018 will be even better than 2017, which, I know, is not setting the bar terribly high ’cause 2017 was one freakin’ roller-coaster ride, and I don’t mean it in that fun Disney World kind of way. So Happy New Year everyone!

I finally got sick and tired of trying to get my bloody printer to work so I went out on Boxing Day and picked up a brand new one, which means I’ll finally be able to scan and post all of the cool new stuff I’ve wanted to add to the site for months now, so come back in the coming weeks for all that.

This week, I thought I would share with you an article that made feel particularly proud many years ago because it led to my own personal Seals discovery. It is an article proving that the NHL has erroneously believed all along that Bert Olmstead’s coaching record with the Seals was 11-37-16 and Gordon Fashoway’s was 4-5-1. Fleming had his penicillin. Bell had his telephone. Newton had his gravity.  And Steve Currier discovered that Olmstead’s coaching record was actually 10-32-11 and Fashoway’s was 5-10-6. That’s right, folks! Respect! OK, so it’s not exactly the electric car or the Internet, but… oh, just read the damn article to make me happy!

Also, a brand new card in the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, this time featuring one-time Minnesota North Star Dave Gagner looking like he’s having real issues with the fans watching him play.

Don’t forget to keep casting your votes for the next inductees into the Seals Hall of Fame.  The survey is on the right side of this web page. All you have to do is click on the names of the players you feel are most worthy of the honour and in your votes goes into the ballot box. It’s that easy!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It has been one cold week up here in the Nation’s capital! Minus 21 Celsius on Thursday morning.  I think that’s something like -1 Fahrenheit or something, I don’t know, I never had to learn Fahrenheit in school, but trust me when I say it was freakin’ cold this week.  As I write this watching the Montreal-Ottawa Winter Classic it’s a balmy -12 Celsius and I feel like I could run to the mailbox in a Hawaiian shirt.

This will be a pretty short update this week due to the upcoming Christmas holidays and everything that involves.  Be sure to check out the latest induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, the most unnecessary card in hockey history.  I have literally no idea who is on this card, but maybe you’ll be able to figure it out for yourself.

In closing this week, don’t forget to vote for the newest inductees into the Seals Hall of Fame, which you can do by checking the boxes in the survey on the right side of the screen.  You can also vote for which Cleveland Barons jersey you think is best by visiting the surveys section.

One last thing… now that many of you have gone out of your way to purchase my Seals book, and have had the time to read it, I ask that if you enjoyed it, to please rate it and/or leave some comments on various sites on the Interweb.  Amazon is, of course, a great place to do so because it gets a lot of traffic, but there is also LibraryThing and Goodreads.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!

This week, I’ve added a few cool new photos courtesy of Elliot Lowe, a San Francisco photographer who generously allowed me to include some of his work in my book.  Back in the mid-70s, during the Seals last season, I believe, he took several shots of the Seals.  About a week ago, he sent me a few pictures of an old Seals puck he had found in an antique store.  Judging by the fact it says “Oakland Seals” on it, it likely comes from the 1968-70 era.  The other new photo this week comes from Greg Lamont.  It is of an old Booster Club pin that he received back in 1974.  You can read all about how he received it in my book.  Greg is looking to sell his pin, so if anyone is interested in buying it, let me know and I’ll send you his e-mail address.

I’m also adding the final segment of the Seals/Barons Uniform Playoff, which, this week, features only Cleveland Barons duds.  In group C, the winner was the 1971-74 Seals home jersey with 60% of the vote, while in group D, the winner was the 1974-76 away jersey with 67% of the vote. Back in September it was announced that the winner from group A, representing the WHL years, was the Seals’ 1966-67 away jersey, while the group B winner was the 1969-70 Oakland Seals away jersey.  Just one group left to decide, and then the five winners will fight to the death to determine which uniform was the best!  Or maybe they’ll just lay there somewhere and do nothing at all since they’re just jerseys and have no will power, muscle mass, or ability to inflict harm on anything, but who knows.

I’m also adding a link to an interview I did this past Sunday for Overtime Hockey Talk.  Host Mark Paul and I talk about the Seals’ history, from the team’s origins in the Western Hockey League, to the team’s difficult first season and successful second season, Charlie Finley and the white skates (of course!), and some of my favourite Seals stories.  It’s 52 minutes, so just perfect for that morning or afternoon commute.  You can access the interview here.

One last new addition this week is a brand new Overexposed entry featuring Larry King (?).  Yeah, I know that sounds weird, but considering the other crazy crap I’ve featured in the Hockey Hall of Shame these last eighteen months, are you really surprised?

As usual, I like to finish my weekly entries by reminding everyone to cast their votes for the 2018 Seals Hall of Fame inductees.  You can vote on the right side of the page by simply clicking on the players (up to 3) you feel deserve to be inducted.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Yes, it’s true, after a long hiatus, there finally is a brand new induction to the Hockey Hall of Shame this week.  I have been collecting ideas for future inductions for a while, but haven’t had the time to actually write anything because of my busy home, work, and book promotion schedule, but I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel, which means I should be able to get back to doing what I love most: mocking stupid, stupid things that have flown under the radar for lo so many years.  This week, Golden Seals Hockey presents the 1990 Team Canada World Women’s Hockey Championship uniforms, quite possibly the most insultingly awful uniforms in sports history.  I always remembered seeing the odd clip of this tournament on sports shows featuring great goals, and thinking how putrid these uniforms looked.  They just didn’t say ANYTHING about Canada, and you’ll see why this week.

Also new this week is another Overexposed beauty, this time featuring Minnesota North Star Claude Larose, and a little connection to a notorious California Golden Seals owner.  Hint: it’s the dude who came up with the “Golden Seals” moniker.

Don’t forget to cast your votes for the 2018 Seals Hall of Fame.  The survey is on the right side of the screen, and you can vote up to three times per device.

Thanks again to everyone who has gone out and bought a copy of my book.  If you haven’t done so already, please leave some feedback somewhere on the Interweb, whether it is on Amazon, Library Thing, Goodreads, or some other site.  Feedback will only drive up sales, and will get me one step closer to getting that Porsche or maybe a speedboat if I have some change leftover.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It’s that time of year again, folks! Time to vote for the next three inductees to the Seals Hall of Fame.  I’m opening the poll today, so make sure to cast your vote now.  Or should I say “votes”?  That’s right! This year you can vote for up to THREE people you feel should be inducted into the Seals Hall of Fame.  Like last year, however, you can only vote once per device, but since almost everyone and their dog now has an iPhone, iPad, laptop, PC, and 67 other fancy computer doodads, that’s a pretty sweet deal!  The results of the survey will be announced in July 2018, when Golden Seals Hockey celebrates its second anniversary.  You can find the survey on the right side of the webpage, so head on over there right now!

There is also a brand new addition to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, a strange card from the 1988-89 AHL Maine Mariners team set.  If you’ve got a thing for dude’s wearing wool sweaters and dreaming of hitting it off with a middle-aged Bob Eubanks, THIS is the card for you!  Enjoy!

Thanks again for all your support and for going out to find my book on the Interweb.  If you happen to like it, or even if you don’t and you just want to make me happy, please go to Amazon, or Library Thing, or Goodreads, or some other book review site, and leave some positive feedback.  Steve wants to buy himself that Porsche someday, so let’s all make that happen, shall we?  Awesome.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Thanks to everyone who has gone out and purchased a copy of my book!  So far, reader reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, so thank you to everyone who has written positive feedback on various websites.  As I continue my (virtual) publicity tour, I’d like to draw your attention to a few things that may be of interest to you. First, is a great piece about me and how I came up with the idea of writing a book about the California Golden Seals from Society for International Hockey Research member and author Greg Oliver (Gratoony the Loony: The Wild, Unpredictable Life of Gilles Gratton, Father Bauer and the Great Experiment: The Genesis of Canadian Olympic Hockey, and Don’t Call Me Goon: Hockey’s Greatest Enforcers, Gunslingers, and Bad Boys). You can read Greg’s story on the SIHR website: http://www.sihrhockey.org/__a/public/column.cfm?cid=4&aid=488.  And while you’re at it, think about signing up to the organization so you can have access to tons of great hockey material, including blog entries, statistics databases, and the SIHR yearly research journal.

I will also be doing a Reddit AMA on Monday, November 20, from 9-10pm EST, if any of you are interested in asking me questions about the Seals, Barons, or my book.

I will also be getting the podcast treatment this Monday morning as well from Tim Hanlon of Good Seats Still Available, so be sure to check it out here.

As for new material on this site, there is a new Overexposed for you, and it features Hall-of-Famer Jean Ratelle in a classic 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee catastrophe. Enjoy!

I’ve also added a new section to the website where I will review review all sorts of hockey books, many of which will have some sort of connection to the Seals.  This week, I review Dennis Maruk: The Unforgettable Story of Hockey’s Forgotten 60-Goal Man.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  As you can read by the title above, it’s now promotion time for my book, The California Golden Seals, so this week’s update will be small, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t cool new things for you to look into.  First, I will be doing a Reddit AMA on Friday, November 10 (that means tomorrow, if you’re reading this Thursday), from 9-10pm, so if you’re interested in participating, make sure you sign up for a Reddit account here.  I will be answering questions involving the Seals, my book, the state of hockey, what toppings I like on my pizza, and why the Alphabet Song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star are the EXACT SAME THING…

Ok, I have to digress just a minute here.  My son was watching the Wiggles the other day, and as I’m washing the dishes, I hear the Alphabet Song come on, and I’m thinking, “Holy crap, this is Twinkle, Twinkle!” It just totally blew my mind!  I never noticed that in 38 years; these two songs, which I’ve heard hundreds of times each, are the exact same thing. Seriously, sing the alphabet while replacing the words to Twinkle, Twinkle…

See what I mean? Weird, isn’t it?

Anyway, back to the task at hand… Reddit tomorrow night, 9-10pm.  Come one, come all!  Got that? Ok good.

As you may remember, I was interviewed by Tim Hanlon of Good Seats Still Available last weekend, and he is going to be posting the hour-long (!) interview on his site very soon, likely around November 13, but he will let me know for sure.  In the meantime, check out the other interviews he’s done with other writers promoting some very cool books about very obscure sports teams and personalities.  There is a gold mine of killer stories here, so check out the site here.

I also plan on writing a review of Dennis Maruk and Ken Reid’s new book on the career of the Fu Manchu-wearing 3-M Line star.  I thought I had pre-ordered it in September, but Amazon informed me that that was not the case, so I re-ordered it and just received it yesterday.  From the first twenty pages I read yesterday, it looks like an interesting read.

Finally, a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame.  This week, we feature one Randy Wood making his second appearance on this site.  Unfortunately, his second appearance isn’t any better than his first.  You can see what I mean right here.

Until next time, stay gold!