Hi everyone! After a few weeks away, we’re back and better than ever! One would think that now that the summer is here, free time should be had by all, but that certainly isn’t the case around here. With the kids off, that means a full slate of activities, most of which involve weekend days. There’s also the usual barbecue invitations, last-minute day trips, and afternoons spent swimming and enjoying the company of others. I hope to be able to keep the site up to date fairly frequently, but don’t worry, I don’t plan on being away for too long.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I absolutely love yard sales. It’s probably my favourite summer activity. I love the feeling of handing over a very small sum of cash (sometimes even just coins!) and walking away with something cool, interesting, or practical. I still get excited about the day I picked up my external CD burner for a buck three years ago. What I love even more than making the rounds when my neighbourhood has a community rummage sale is having my very own yard sale where I can get the opportunity to get rid of all the crap I keep tripping over in my house. All of a sudden I become a 235-lb. Marie Kondo. I get a thrill just sitting outside in the shade in my drive way, sipping my coffee, chit-chatting with neighbours and strangers, and making a few bucks at the same time. And my shelves and floors are less cluttered in the process. It’s win-win! I’ve had a family yard sale on the docket for weeks now, and if the weekend weather ever cooperates with us, it will be a go next weekend.

Yard sales remind me of the summer of 1971 when the Seals decided to clean house, get rid of their veterans, and look for great deals that would hopefully yield big dividends. The Seals really had no choice but to burn the whole structure to the ground and rebuild. This week, I’ve posted a nice article from John Porter of the Oakland Tribune. It was published August 20, 1971, a few weeks before training camps were scheduled to open, and the Seals — perhaps more than any other team — had nothing but question marks in front of them. With the exception of a few key players, most players were completely unfamiliar with the guy sitting next to them in the dressing room. To read up on how training camp was shaping up that year, head on over to the articles.

Hope you all enjoyed the NHL’s customary hectic June. Stanley Cup finals, free agent sweepstakes day, the entry draft… I absolutely love ’em all! I’m already looking forward to next season! If you need your hockey fix until then, you know where to go. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Ok, so the Stanley Cup final has been a bit of a dud so far. If you’ve been pulling for the Oilers, it’s been nothing short of a nightmare. It’s been pretty depressing, actually. I had high hopes for at least an entertaining series, so I’m feeling a bit disappointing. Ok, I know the series isn’t over yet, and there is always that one-in-a-million chance the Oilers accomplish the “0-3 comeback” that has eluded every other team in a similar situation for the last hundred years or so, but… it’s just been so hard to watch the Cup inching ever farther from Canadian soil.

I think I just need to be more mindful and appreciate what is going well in the present and not dwell on what has happened, and what could happen. After all, I’ve had lots of good hockey-related things happen to me recently. I was lucky enough to have been gifted with a lot of cool, unexpected things recently. A friend of mine had a bunch of old Seals cards he had received from his now-deceased father in law. My friend came over to the house to watch game one of the Oilers-Panthers series and he gave me over 70 Seals cards in marvellous condition. My Seals’ collection just got a major upgrade, and I couldn’t have been more flabbergasted and touched.

Maybe my good fortune isn’t of much interest to you, but I’ve got something good for all of you as well. I got an interesting email from subscriber Pete Manzolillo, who wanted to share a link of a very cool video featuring the Vancouver Canucks versus the California Golden Seals, circa late 1974. I think you will all agree that this is some great, rare footage! Thanks Pete for sharing this link with us!

Now I feel much better! If you’re an Oilers fan, or even just a Canadian hockey fan who badly wants to see the Cup back where it belongs, hopefully this week’s video footage makes you smile just a bit and puts you in a good mood too! The Oilers aren’t done yet as long as they take things one game at a time. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve been fit by the nostalgia bug lately. I don’t know if it’s because it’s playoff time, or if I’ve just had more time to think lately, but I’ve been really digging going through my old hockey cards, surfing eBay looking for cards to complete my old sets from the mid-seventies, even helping my son make sense of his Pokemon cards. I doubt I’ll ever feel the same as I did back in the early nineties when I would buy a full box of cards and spend an hour or so tearing open pack after pack, but this feels nice too, especially now that I have a pretty sizable budget to indulge in my collecting hobby. The rush you feel when you’ve picked up a card for which you’ve been searching many months, and then you get it, and for a good price, is awesome. It’s not like jumping out of an airplane or something, but hey, I’ll take it.

For this week’s nostalgia trip, I’d like to share an interesting article about the Seals’ Al MacAdam and Dennis Maruk, who both came into their own during the 1975-76 season. The piece comes from the November 13, 1975 San Francisco Examiner, so at this point, fans were just getting a taste of what was to come from the Seals’ dynamic duo. Interestingly, there is no mention of future “3-M” linemate Bob Murdoch, which is not surprising since he hadn’t played much, if at all, with MacAdam and Maruk, but that would soon change, of course. You can read the article, written by Ken Miller, right here.

Thanks for reading my post again this week. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Ah, it’s late May and it finally feels like spring has arrived. The sun is warming things up nicely, the trees and grass are finally looking green, the Leafs are in complete chaos again… yes, we’re back to normal again, or at least as normal as things get these days. If one thing was normal for our Seals, however, it was that they almost always had a hard time finding the back of the net. This was never more true than in their very first NHL season when the scored a pathetic 153 goals in 74 games. It’s not like their competition was much better. Mostly, the Seals played their games against the other expansion teams, but even when these teams were pitted against one another, there usually weren’t a lot of goals. That said, even the division-leading Philadelphia Flyers, who scored the second fewest goals in the league, managed 173. When the Seals acquired Ted Hampson and John Brenneman in mid-season, things improved somewhat, but by that point a playoff spot was out of reach.

This week’s article, from the San Mateo Times, goes back to December 11, 1967. The Seals had just faced the St. Louis Blues, and once again, the Seals found it difficult (impossible, actually) to slip one past the goal line, and you could see depression beginning to set in. To read the article, head on over here.

I hope you all enjoy the NHL’s final four. It’s certainly looking like a couple of good series are coming our way. Personally, I’m rooting for Edmonton to bring the Cup back home to Canada, but all four remaining teams are outstanding and have a great chance of going all the way. Looks like it is going to be another great couple weeks of hockey! Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Thanks to all of you who wrote to me this week with your opinions on the Seals’ chances at contending for the Cup had they not been decimated by the World Hockey Association. The consensus seemed to be that the Seals would have been a very good team, but would have needed a bit more toughness to compete with the Flyers and Bruins. I’d like to think that if the Seals improved enough in 1972-73, they would have added some toughness the following year or the year after that, but it still probably wouldn’t have been enough to push them over the top. Could they have competed for a playoff spot in the West Division (and later in the Adams Division)? I believe so. They might not have overtaken Boston or Buffalo, but the Leafs were not much better than a .500 team, and would have been ripe for the taking. And then in the intense best-of-three preliminary rounds that were taking place back then, maybe the Seals could have surprised someone, especially if their opponent was another .500 team. Anyway, there’s not much point dwelling on what could have been. Let’s focus on what actually happened…

This week, we’re going back to November 12, 1975. The New York Islanders are visiting the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum looking for two points to keep up with the Philadelphia Flyers, who have one more win the standings. This was the year after the Isles made a surprising playoff run, which included a comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the first-round, and narrowly missing a repeat of this feat in the second round. The Isles were a different team, no longer the pushovers they had been in their first few years. Bryan Trottier was just beginning his brilliant Hall-of-Fame career, Glenn “Chico” Resch and Billy Smith were as solid a goaltending tandem as any other in the league, and Denis Potvin was on the verge of a career year (and the first of his three Norris Trophies). The Isles had depth at just about every position too. This was a very good team, just a few years away from its Stanley Cup dynasty. The Seals, on the other hand, were a collection of rookies and second-year players who were not expected to contend for a playoff spot, but something weird happened that November night: the Seals creamed the Islanders. It’s You can read all about this lopsided moment in Seals history right here.

Not sure if anyone was in Toronto to take in the Sport Card Expo, but if not here’s a shot of Gary “Cobra” Simmons signing some autographs. Thanks to Mark Harris for the photos!

If I didn’t know better, I would swear that is one of the famous California Golden Seals rings on Cobra’s right hand, although I’m not sure how he came to acquire one since those were given out during the Charlie Finley years, but some players may have got one after Finley left. If you’re reading this, Cobra, I’m curious.

In case you’re wondering, yes I was fortunate enough to get Cobra’s autograph although not at the Expo. I got it the old fashioned way, through the mail, following the interview I did with him back some ten years ago.

I hope you all have a great weekend, and don’t forget to hug your Mom! Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! This week, I’ve chosen to go back to a happier time in Seals history: the early months of the 1971-72 season. In this week’s article from the November 28th Santa Rosa Press Democrat the Seals’ recipe for success is completely outlined: how they jettisoned the older, less productive players, took chances on rookies and prospects, made a couple of smart trades, and held on to all-star Carol Vadnais. It was a very smart strategy, and had the team not been decimated by the invading World Hockey Association, the strategy may have proved fruitful in the long term. And sure, Vadnais was eventually traded to Boston, but the deal netted the Seals a decent return: Reggie Leach, Bob Stewart, and Rick Smith.

We will never know if Garry Young’s plan would have ultimately been successful. On one hand, we can speculate that the Seals were just a few years away from a Stanley Cup? On the other hand, some would argue that a championship was unlikely, given that they would have had to get through Boston, Philadelphia, and Montreal to do so. Maybe a division championship would have been a more realistic possibility, or maybe just one really good run to the semi-finals or even the Cup finals sometime in the following decade? I’d be curious to know what everyone thought. Feel free to send an email with your thoughts on the matter.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone has had a great week and is enjoying this year’s playoffs. Any predictions on who will capture Lord Stanley’s mug this year? Personally, I find it difficult to make such predictions anymore. Every year it seems like there are eight or nine teams (or more) that have an excellent chance. Who do you pick among the Rangers, Hurricanes, Panthers, Bruins, Golden Knights, Oilers, Stars, and Canucks? Even the Predators, Kings, Lightning, and yes, even the dreadful Leafs have a chance. A few of these teams might be preparing to have that window of opportunity close for this year (I’m looking at you Dallas, Long Island, and Tampa Bay), but you never really know. A 3-0 series lead isn’t as safe as it used to be. If you twist my arm, I guess I would say that New York is my pick in the East, and Vegas in the West, although my heart is going with Edmonton since I’d love to see the Cup come back to Canada. That said, I’d choose to have the drought continue for thirty more years if the only other option I was given was to see the Leafs win it all.

This is definitely the time of year when comebacks seem to occur every night, and many of the historic variety. Like I said earlier, a 3-0 lead, whether in a single game or an entire series, are not as safe as they used to be. While the Seals never had one of those moments in their brief playoff history, there are a few moments when they did stage a memorable comeback in the regular season. One of those moments took place November 27, 1968 against the Minnesota North Stars. Down 3-0, the Seals chipped away at the Stars’ lead and eventually came away with a tie. Not a win, but an impressive showing nonetheless, and you can read about it in the articles section here.

On a sad closing note today, I regretfully announce the passing of Scott Ruffell, a former Seals stick boy during the Charlie Finley era. Those of you who have read my book may remember that I interviewed Scott, and he provided me with some enlightening stories about how the infamous streaker managed to sneak onto the ice on the last day of the 1973-74 season, and how he once used white latex house paint on the Seals’ skates. He was very happy to reminisce about his days with the Seals, and his contributions to my book were very important and much appreciated. Stay gold, Scott.

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend so far. I, for one, have greatly enjoyed my first day off, and took full advantage to get some a few items knocked off my to-do list. One of which was updating this site. This week, we go back to early in the 1974-75 season, and the Seals are in Washington to take on the first-year Capitals, who are struggling mightily with just a single win to their name. Not that the Seals are doing much better, with just three wins in 19 games, but since they still had a better team than Washington, a win seemed assured, but it was not meant to be. The game was significant for several reasons. It was the first-ever match up between the two teams, who would have a few noteworthy games that season. It was also the first time Pete Laframboise played against the team that left him exposed in the expansion draft. In an issue of The Hockey News released soon after, coach Marshall Johnston said that he believed this game was the turning point for rookie Dave Hrechkosy, who would go on to score 29 goals that year. For the Seals, it wasn’t quite rock bottom as they would lose their next three games as well, providing a few other teams with easy points in their own quest for the Stanley Cup. If you would like to read more about this week’s feature game, head on over to the Articles section.

In case, you haven’t been following the NHL recently, tonight is the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. May your team be the recipient of good luck and happy bounces (unless, of course, if your team is the Maple Leafs, then, you know… opposite wishes, and Go Bruins, Go!).

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It’s Friday once again, and as usual, I’m here to take you for a ride down memory lane. This week, we’re going back to December 2, 1969 for the Seals debut of 37-year-old future Hall-of-Fame defenseman Harry Howell. The former Ranger stalwart had undergone back surgery in the off-season, but the Seals knew they could use a defenseman of his pedigree, so they took a chance and acquired him in a cash deal with New York. The struggling L.A. Kings defeated the Seals 4-3, and Howell picked up his first point, an assist, and his first two penalty minutes. It took the Seals a few more weeks to turn things around, but in the end, they qualified for the playoffs, and Howell was a big reason for the team’s second-half surge. He finished the year with four goals and 16 assists in 55 games. You can read about Howell’s debut in the articles section.

I hope all of you had a great week and are gearing up for a nice relaxing weekend. I’m happy to say that the snow is finally completely melted from everyone’s lawn and we can finally start thinking about spending time at the park with the kids, taking leisurely afternoon walks around the neighbourhood (in a t-shirt and sneakers no less!), and working from home in the backyard.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a relaxing Easter weekend and was able to spend some much-needed time with family and friends. I don’t know about any of you out there, but it hasn’t exactly felt like spring lately despite the Easter Bunny’s recent appearance. Ottawa was hit by a major snow storm on Wednesday and we got another five or ten centimetres today, so the kids have been suiting up in thick winter coats and snow pants, but luckily the temperature has been above zero degrees (Celsius, that is) today so the roads and driveways are mostly clear now, and in a day or two the snow should be completely gone.

So, since Mother Nature has decided to do something different this year, we’re going to do something a bit different here too. A few weeks ago, a site visitor by the name of Jessica Hobson contacted me with a few questions concerning the Seals’ famous footwear. Here are some excerpts from the emails she has sent:

I purchased a very cool looking pair of white and green skates years ago, to display in my shop’s window during Christmas, as they were the colours of my hometown Hespeler Shamrocks. I cannot for the life of me remember where they came from, but I can only assume that I would have picked them up at a thrift store or at a garage sale as they would have been only a few dollars at the time.

Fast forward to this winter when I’ve been beginning to part with some items from my storage unit full of treasure that I am no longer really needing…

I received a message from a local memorabilia collector who shone a light on exactly what I was in possession of; a very rare pair of Bauer Supreme 91’s from the California Golden Seals! He mentioned that I should connect with a couple auction houses in the USA.

As they are of no sentimental value to me and appear to be valued at far more than the original $35 I had once listed them at, I wanted to connect with you to see if you may be able to suggest the most appropriate person or organization that may be interested in purchasing this rare piece of hockey history, seeing as there are only 2 photos existing on the internet of these exact skates.

In a second email, she also mentioned that the skates tongues have some unique cuts on them, which may indicate which player these beauties once belonged to.

For all you non-Canucks out there, Hespeler is a town in Southern Ontario (near Waterloo). Perhaps these skates once belonged to a Seals player with a link to Hespeler or Waterloo, either as a hometown or a place where they once played some junior hockey, I’m really not sure. If anyone has any information, please let me know and I can put you in contact with Jessica. She is also looking for a buyer so if you’re looking to own a rare piece of Seals memorabilia, here is your chance.

That’s about it for this week. Hope you all have a great weekend and, if you are in the path of the solar eclipse, I hope you get a nice glimpse of this once in a lifetime occurrence. Until next time, stay gold!