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!

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!

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!

 

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone is enjoying this year’s NHL playoffs.  Sadly, my Habs lost to the New York Rangers, ending what was a very up-and-down season, but sometimes first-round losses are a blessing in disguise if it means figuring out what needs to be done to get to the next level.  In the meantime, Go Sens! and Go Oilers!, both of whom are off to great starts in their second-round series.

This week, I’ve added a link to a new podcast from Good Seats Still Available, this time featuring the Seals’ legendary cheerleader Krazy George Henderson.  I honestly had no idea he had a book out, Still Krazy After All These Cheers, which actually came out in 2014!  How that slipped under my radar, I really don’t know.  For some reason, whenever I type in “California Golden Seals” into Amazon’s search bar, it mentions squat about Krazy George, but it tells me I may be interested in… hey, wait a minute, there’s my book!  According to Amazon, my book will be released November 1, 2017, and you can pre-order it now.  You can also catch a glimpse of the cover, which, in my opinion, looks great.  Oh, yeah, and getting back to Krazy George, when I type in “California Golden Seals”, Amazon suggests, of all things, The Shroud of Turin by Summer Lee.  It doesn’t even suggest Brad Kurtzberg’s book, Shorthanded. or Krazy George’s book, both of which feature the Seals prominently  Weird.  Anyway, you can pick up the Krazy One’s book here, and listen to his interview with Tim Hanlon of Good Seats Still Available here.

Also new to the site this week is the latest installment of Overexposed.  This week’s odd addition (edition?) features none other than Hall of Fame goaltender Dominik Hasek looking calmer and more serene than a comatose monk on Prozac.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  After almost three weeks away, we’re back and bringing you a whole whack of cool new stuff both Seals and non-Seals related.  I had to take a break from the website due in part to vacation time with the family, as well as a computer malfunction that forced me to bring my laptop in to the shop for a week or so.  But now that everything is back to normal, I can finally get back down to business.

New to the site this week, we have a brand new original article detailing the California Golden Seals-Philadelphia Flyers rivalry that existed from 1973 to 1978.  When I interviewed many players for my upcoming book, I was surprised that most of them said their biggest rivals were St. Louis, Boston, and Los Angeles.  St. Louis, I could never quite understand, except maybe for the fact they were the West Division’s top dogs for the first three years of expansion, and the Seals used to have a heck of a time beating them.  Boston usually annihilated the Seals when they met, so the Seals probably didn’t think too fondly of the Bruins, but nothing really dirty happened between the two teams to call it a “rivalry”.  Los Angeles doesn’t surprise me so much, I guess, since the Kings were a state rival, and the Bay Area is always looking to beat their neighbours to the south, but other than the 1968-69 seven-game playoff series between the Seals and Kings, very little animosity seemed to exist between the teams according to the newspaper articles I read.  What surprised me in the interviews I conducted was that no one mentioned Philadelphia as being the Seals’ biggest rival, because these two teams had some pretty nasty moments.  I mean, really nasty!  So nasty, in fact, that several players were suspended, penalty records were set, dozens of stitches were required to sew up wounds, and four-letter expletives were thrown around in subsequent newspaper interviews.  I present you with what I’ve learned about the Seals-Flyers rivalry, and you can find it in the articles section.

The other new addition to the site this week is a new Overexposed card featuring the Winnipeg Jets’ Pat Elynuik, who you may not know was the world’s biggest fan of Topps hockey cards.  In fact, he may be the owner of more 1991-92 and 1992-93 Topps hockey cards than anyone on the planet.  At least, that’s the impression I got from his 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club card.  Check out the Overexposed section to find out for yourself.

I hope everyone is enjoying the playoffs and that their teams are playing to their expectations.  If you’re on your laptop reading this while watching the game, check out the survey section to the right of your screen and vote for the Seals player you feel should be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.  If you like reading these pieces every week, and you enjoy the content on the site, sign up for my e-mail updates letting you know when I add anything to the site.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to Golden Seals Hockey!  We’ve got some great new stuff for all of you today.  First off, a brand new Hockey Hall of Shame induction, this time involving the Cleveland Barons.  The transplanted Seals certainly had their fair share of problems in Oakland and in Cleveland as well, but they probably had no to idea that a simple October luncheon would be the catalyst of one of their most embarrassing moments.  Check out the latest article on Cleveland’s bad bussie to find out more.

Also new this week is the latest installment of Overexposed.  Check out Ron Asselstine, yes REFEREE Ron Asselstine’s rookie card from Pro Set 1990-91.  This card may be the reason why Pro Set never produced another referee card again.

That’s about it for this week.  If you have time, head on over to the right side of the screen and vote for the player you feel should be inducted into the Seals Hall of Fame, and you can also subscribe to Golden Seals Hockey to receive my latest blog entry in your mailbox every week.

I also appreciate your feedback concerning this site, so keep those comments coming, not to mention your stories and memories involving the Seals. I’m thinking of adding these memories to the site so everyone can read them, so let me know if you think this is a good idea.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  We’ve got a whole whack of cool stuff for you all today!  The only question is where to begin with this cornucopia of white skates, sticks and pucks?

First of all, if you love records and numbers, you need to check out the stats section, like, right now.  Go ahead, I’ll wait… There, you will find the long-awaited complete Seals/Barons team record book.  In it, there is just about every other piece of Seals numerology that hasn’t already been posted to this site.  Need to know who scored the first goal in franchise history?  Check.  Got a hankering for knowledge concerning the number of games played under the “Oakland Seals” moniker?  Check.  Curious as to how many players scored hat-tricks for the Seals and Barons?  Check mate!  You’re gonna love it!

Second, I received a message from one Tim Hanlon last week letting me know about his excellent new website, Good Seats Still Available, which dives deep into the history of defunct franchises from every sport.  Well, wouldn’t you know it, his maiden podcast features none other than Mark Greczmiel, director and creator of The California Golden Seals Story, now available for download on iTunes.  What’s weird is that the podcast was posted on March 10, my birthday.  Crazy, huh?  The entertaining, crystal-clear, high-quality podcast lasts about 80 minutes, and it covers all aspects of the Seals’ history, so if you’re in a rush, be sure to download it and listen to it at your leisure.  Head on over to the links section to find your way over to Tim’s site.

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a link to a short six-minute video Mark Greczmiel took on Seals Throwback night back in January.  It was too late to include it in his documentary, but he made it available for everyone on YouTube, so check it out in the Video and Audio section.

Finally, as always, a brand new Overexposed hockey card disaster has been added to the Hockey Hall of Shame.  This week, the Cleveland Barons’ Dave Gardner is the featured player, and O-Pee-Chee has broken out the old Crayolas again, so you know what that means: colouring time with preschoolers!

You think this is a lot?  Ha! Wait until you see what other neat stuff is coming!  I wrote a few weeks back that 2017 was going to be the year of the Seal, and I wasn’t kidding!  There’s a new book coming out, new inductions to the Seals Hall of Fame, new never-before-seen articles from yours truly, the list is (almost) endless, so keep coming back to see what new surprises await.  Until next time, stay gold.

Hi everyone!  Welcome back to Golden Seals Hockey, your one-stop shop for everything Seals-related.  There are a few new things that are waiting in the wings to be published on the site, so hold on to your hats for the next few weeks.  There is a massive new stats section that is coming soon, so if you’ve ever wanted to know how many hat-tricks Bobby Murdoch scored as a member of the team, or who is the WHL franchise leader in goals by a right wing, boy are you going to be one happy camper!  Stay tuned for this next week.

Also, I’ve recently been shown the cover for my Seals book, The California Golden Seals: a Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL’s Most Outlandish Teams.  It looks great and features an excellent black-and-white shot of Gilles Meloche, Stan Weir, and Terry Murray in the Seals’ classic yellow home uniforms and white skates.  Unfortunately, I can’t show it to you, as there are still some legal aspects that need to be taken care of, but once that is settled, I’ll be sure to post it in the photos section.

Not much else to say about this week, except that there is a wonderful new addition, featuring a certain “magnificent” NHL legend, to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame.

Other than that, I hope you all enjoy the final stretch drive of the NHL season, which is featuring some pretty tight races right now.  If you’re on the site right now as the game blares in the background, don’t forget to vote for the Seal you believe deserves to be inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame, and you can also sign up for my weekly e-mail blast by typing in your e-mail address in the bar near the top of the page.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi Seals fans! This week, Golden Seals Hockey takes a look at the formative days of the California Golden Seals and the Charlie Finley era with a couple of new articles from October, 1970.  The first article is all about the first less-than-legendary Finley promotion: Barber Night! What was Barber Night, you ask?  Well, greenhorn, when Charlie Finley bought the Seals in the summer of 1970, he believed the team needed to make their presence felt in the community.  And who better than barbers to spread the word?  The answer?  No one… at least, according to Finley, who was forever out-of-touch with the local sports fan.  Anyway, Finley believed that since barbers are always chatting it up with their clients, they could be persuaded to talk about what a great time fans had watching the Seals at the Coliseum.  Finley invited a bunch of local barbers to opening night, and he wined and dined them too.  The barbers had a great evening, and players were there to talk to their potential new fans, and for one night at least, Barber Night was a success.  In fact, the Coliseum was sold out for the 1970-71 home opener, but that was about as good as it got for Finley’s newest plaything.  Attendance bottomed out at about 5,300 per game by the end of the season, almost 1,000 fans per game less than what the Seals had drawn the year before.

But Barber Night was not Finley’s last move to improve the Seals, oh no!  If you’re a regular visitor to this site, you probably already know that he also changed the team’s name from Oakland Seals to California Golden Seals two games into the season.  He also gave the Seals new California gold and Kelly green uniforms, the same uniforms the team is now most associated with, which would probably please old Charlie immensely. Oh, and he also gave the Seals green-and-gold skates, which went over about as well as a dude breaking wind in a crowded elevator.  Well, October 16, 1970 is when that little bit of insanity began, and you can read all about it, as well as Barber Night right here.

There’s also a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame.  For the first time ever, we dive deep into the history of American Hockey League cards for a piece of cardboard the likes of which I had never seen until this popped up on my screen.

If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to vote for the player you believe should be inducted into the Seals Hall of Fame.  You will find the survey on the right-hand side of your screen.  Just above that you’ll also find an option to sign up for regular updates to this site.  An update in this site’s case is about one e-mail a week letting you know which new Seals articles and goofy cards I’ve added to this site.  And check out the details I’ve posted about my new book too.  I’m really proud of this thing, and I can’t wait for it to see the light of day.  If you’re a Seals fan, I guarantee you this will be right up your alley!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  Well, Trade Deadline Day has officially come and gone, and as usual it was pretty boring, not that that stopped me from refreshing my laptop browser every 38 seconds to see what gem of a trade my beloved Canadiens would pull off.  Unfortunately, no real gems today, but I feel not much damage was done either, i.e., no first-round picks for washed up 36-year-old veterans on the last year of their contract, so yay Habs!

Not a huge update this week, but a few interesting additions for all you regulars to the site.  In the articles section, I’ve added a new piece that will be of interest to all WHL Seals fans, a write-up of woeful goaltender Tommy Green’s one career game as a Seal.  The poor guy was a parimutuel clerk who stepped in for Jack McCartan, who was being rested up for the playoffs.  The lowly San Diego Gulls took no pity on the 30-year-old rookie, and you can read all about the game here.  There is also a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, and this one involves a legendary California-based goaltender, the L.A. Kings’ and San Jose Sharks’ Kelly Hrudey, being photographed in a not-so-legendary position.  You might even say this position stinks.  Head on over to the Overexposed wing to see what I mean.

As usual, I would like to remind everyone to head over to the right-hand side of the page and vote for the player they feel is most deserving of entry into the Seals Hall of Fame.  Vote as many times as you like, but only once per device.  Why only once per device?  I honestly have no idea.  I still haven’t figured out how to set the parameters differently in the survey section, so them’s the rules for the time being.  If you’d like to get regular updates concerning the latest comings and goings at Golden Seals Hockey, don’t be shy, and sign up for my weekly e-mail.

Until next time, stay gold!