Hi everyone!  I hope you all enjoyed yourselves a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  I wish you all the very best in 2017, which promises to be a big year at Golden Seals Hockey.  There are plenty of rare Seals articles coming your way, not to mention the 2017 Seals Hall of Fame inductions, new additions to the Hockey Hall of Shame, and of course, Overexposed Fridays.

Mark Greczmiel was able to raise over $7,700 for his documentary, The California Golden Seals Story, which is going to be available very soon, so stay tuned for that. He has decided to extend his fund-raising campaign until January 1st, so there is still time to donate money and pick up a few perks.  Check out documentary trailers and other info about the project at https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/california-golden-seals-story-final-fundraiser#/.

New to the site this week, we have some new Fun Facts, an article from the day Charlie Finley announced the Oakland Seals became “Golden”, two new articles that have nothing to do with the Seals or Barons at all, but I thought someone might enjoy, as well as a new Overexposed induction.  This week, feast your eyes upon the chicken that was once Link Gaetz’s bodyguard.  Don’t believe me?  Head on over to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame to see for yourself.

On a sadder note, former Golden Seal Ken Baird passed away on December 18 at the age of 65.  He played 10 games for the Seals in 1971-72 before moving on to the WHA, where he would remain until 1978.  Afterwards, he played four seasons in Germany before hanging up his skates.  Rest in peace…

Hi everyone!  It’s been a tumultuous 2016 to say the least.  Normally quiet and staid England went bonkers and opted out of the EU, the National League’s perennial also-rans, the Chicago Cubs, won the freakin’ World Series over the American League’s perennial also-rans, the Cleveland Indians, and Donald Trump made The Simpsons‘ insane season 10 (episode: “Bart to the Future”)  prediction come true as he defied all logic and was democratically elected President of the United States.  Merry Christmas everyone!  Well, at least try to have a Merry Christmas…

On that note, we’ve got a huge update for you today!  Correct that… I mean HUGE!  I’ve added a ton of stuff to the website, namely a link to the Bay Area Radio Museum, to whom Seals Booster Club member Len Shapiro has graciously donated some rare audio clips of three WHL Seals games.  Check the clips out at http://bayarearadio.org/site/sports/.

There’s also a brand spanking new Seals survey on the right side of the page.  I’d like to open up the vote to select the 2017 inductees to the Seals Hall of Fame, and I’ve given you the choice between ten of the all-time greatest players in franchise history.  You can vote for just one player at a time, and you can vote only once per device.  You can also write in your own candidate, player or otherwise, if you don’t like the choices I’ve included in the survey.  The three players who receive the most votes will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the one-year anniversary of the website.

I’ve also added a new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, the slightly odd 1987-88 O-Pee-Chee Tony McKegney “St. Louis Rangers” card.  Yes, you read that correctly.

The Golden Ones have been creating a lot of buzz lately, and you can head on over to the brand new “Seals News” section to keep abreast of any events involving the Seals.  To commemorate the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights to the NHL family, the latest issue of The Hockey News is all about expansion.  There’s a feature on the 1967 expansion, and a guide on what to do and what not to do to build a successful expansion team.  The Seals feature prominently in both articles, but the highlight of the magazine has to be Jason Kay’s wonderful two-page retrospective of the Seals and Barons.  It also talks about Mark Greczmiel’s documentary, The California Golden Seals Story.

Speaking of which… Mark is closing in on his goal of $11,000 to finish his documentary.  I can’t tell you how much I’m geeking out over this documentary.  The deadline to raise funds is Friday the 23rd, i.e. TODAY so get on over to Indiegogo and throw Mark a few bucks to bring his awesome-looking project to fruition: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/california-golden-seals-story-final-fundraiser#/. With a donation you can pick up some cool perks too, such as replica Seals jerseys, cards, copies of the finished film, tuques, programs, media guides, pennants, and lots more.  I, for one, am looking forward to my game program from October 25, 1974, which, if you’ve paid any attention to this site, you will recognize the date as the moment when the Seals’ Mike Christie was pummeled in the penalty box by members of the Broad Street Bullies.  While you’re on the Indiegogo site, be sure to check out the trailers for the documentary.  I’m telling you, there is some great old stuff in the film: photos, interviews, rare game footage; you won’t be disappointed.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi folks!  If you are a regular visitor to this site, you’ve probably noticed the spiffy new background that now borders the left and right sides of your screen.  I feel the old, plain yellow border was lacking a little something, so I hope you enjoy the new look.  But that’s not the big news today.  There is a brand new wing to the Hockey Hall of Shame: Hockeywood Disasterpieces.  Here, you can find all of the worst hockey movies ever made and torn apart for your reading pleasure.  The wing’s initial induction is MVP: Most Valuable Primate, a movie so bad it made me want to reach over and grab my DVD of Slap Shot 3 because seeing Mark Messier and Doug Gilmour cardboard acting skills would have convinced my brain it was watching something akin to Citizen Kane compared to this garbage.  No new Overexposed this week, however, as I’ve been quite busy creating the new background and writing up the article on MVP, and now it’s getting rather late, and the kitties need treats and a clean litter box, so duty calls.

Also, if you’re even a casual Seals fan, be sure to head on over to Mark Greczmiel’s Indiegogo page.  He’s been putting together a documentary on the Seals, and it looks like it is going to be one fantastic film with tons of rare footage and photos.  I can hardly wait!  Hell, even Wayne Gretzky himself took the time to sit down with Mark for an interview.  Yes, the Great One’s first live NHL game was between Oakland and Toronto.

Mark is raising some funds right now to put the finishing touches on his film, so if you have a few bucks to spare, check out his page: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/california-golden-seals-story-final-fundraiser#/.  You’ll find here a treasure trove of interview clips from several players who once wore the green-and-gold, never-before-seen photos of your favourite hockey stars, and a whole bunch of other goodies.  There’s only about 8 days left for Mark to raise the $5,100 or so he needs to finish his film, so open your wallets for a good cause, and even get yourself some cool perks as well, like replica jerseys, vintage media guides, cards, stickers, tuques, and even film credits!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hey everyone!  Another small update today, unfortunately.  It’s been crazy busy at work and at home this week, so I haven’t had the chance to upload or create any new articles, but there is a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, a classic card featuring the legendary Terry Sawchuk.

Don’t forget that “Seals Throwback T-shirt Night” will be taking place January 7 at the San Jose Sharks-Detroit Red Wings game.  According to Terry O’Connell of the Seals Booster Club, “18,000 Seals T-shirts will be given away that night.  Former players will be on hand to sign autographs and talk about their days with the Seals… Len Shapiro oversees the Seals page on Facebook.  It is titled “California Golden Seals.”  More specific information concerning activities on January 7th commemorating the Seals should be available there.”  Unfortunately, because I live in Ottawa, I’ll have to settle with watching highlights of the game on Sportscentre the next morning before heading off to work.  Should be interesting seeing so much Seals yellow and green in the stands.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!  Just a small update this week as I’ve been under the weather the last few days.  Today, in the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame we have the classic 1985-86 Warren Young rookie card.  For poor Warren, it was a long time in the making, since he was originally drafted by the Seals in back in 1976, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his card is honky dory.  On the contrary, it is quite the disasterpiece. There is also a new newspaper clipping about the Seals’ huge road win versus Montreal near the end of the 1973-74 season, which you can find in the Articles section.

Don’t forget that Jeff Searls is organizing a dinner for die-hard Seals fans on January 6, 2017, and he needs 100 people to attend to make it happen, so if you’re in the Bay Area around that time, sign up for this special event.  The following night, on Saturday, January 7, the San Jose Sharks will be playing the Detroit Red Wings, and there is going to be a special salute to the Seals: a throwback t-shirt night!  Special guests in attendance include Seals legends Gilles Meloche, Gary Simmons, and Dennis Maruk.  For more info, please contact Jeff at jsearls@sbcglobal.net.

Finally, be sure to visit the site soon as we will soon be unveiling the Hockey Hall of Shame’s first film induction.  What film are we talking about?  Well, telling you would just ruin the surprise, but let’s just say it involves a chimp, a moose, a Forrest Gump impersonator, and former Seal Mike Laughton’s hometown.  Sound like a barrel of laughs?  Trust me, watching this movie was no laughing matter for yours truly.  Until next time, stay gold!

Good day everyone, and Happy Black Friday to you all!  What a big week it has been in hockey.  I feel as though with the unveiling of the “Vegas Golden Knights”, the NHL has officially arrived in the desert.  Not sure how I feel about the name though… it doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like California Golden Seals.  I’m also not a big fan of teams using shortened versions of their cities or team names in any capacity.  I don’t like the fact the Tampa Bay Lightning has “Bolts” written across their fronts, or the fact that the Golden State Warriors sometimes have “The City” written on their jerseys, or that sometimes you’ll see teams with “ATL,” “SAC,” or “PHX” right there for all to see.  Those are not abbreviations!  Never were!  Stop trying to make these things catch on; they never will.  NY? Fine.  LA? Cool.  Other than that, nuh uh!  Just had to get that off my chest once and for all.

Anyway, huge update today!  Three new articles have been posted, and they are a mix of nostalgia and embarrassment.  First, the nostalgia… a brand new article written by yours truly on the old Wrecking Crew Line of Dave Hrechkosy, Butch Williams, and Ron Huston.  For a very brief time, the Wrecking Crew took the Bay Area by storm and seemed to signal the Seals were heading in the right direction, but then everything took a turn for the worst, and a little over a year later, none of the three were playing professional hockey at its highest level.  Seals fans still remember that line fondly though, so I thought it was time to write a short piece on this, one of the few line combinations that actually worked for the Seals.

Another bit of nostalgia for all you old school Oakland Seals fans is the heated rivalry that once existed between Chicago’s Keith Magnuson and the Seals’ Carol Vadnais.  I found this article online a few years ago, and kept it in my archives, but I forgot to write down where I found it.  If anyone has any information on its origin, please let me know, and I’ll be sure to post it.

Finally, the embarrassment… I had to post this article on one of the lowest moments in franchise history: March 28, 1975, a date that will live on in infamy.  This was the night the first-year Washington Crapitals (not a typo) visited Oakland with a 0-37 record on the road, and defeated the Seals, who were in the midst of an 8-game winless streak to finish off the season.  The Caps justifiably treated this victory like it was the Stanley Cup.  Considering they won all of 8 games that season, they didn’t enjoy many greater moments than this.

I’ve also added a new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame: a review of the 1995-96 Upper Deck Be a Player set, which, somehow, is actually worse than last week’s induction.  Venture into the Hockey Hall of Shame to see what I mean, if you dare!  Until next week, stay gold!

I must declare that this week’s Overexposed induction is my personal favourite.  Sure, Doug Gilmour sitting in a toxic waste zone was fun.  Carol Vadnais as a cartoon character was a delight.  Glen Hanlon scratching his crotch was a little weird, but this week’s induction has them all beat.  It is so bad that I actually could not decide on which card to feature.  If I had to go though them one at a time, I would have enough cards to last the entire Trump presidency, even if he miraculously manages to not get himself impeached before January.  This week, feast your eyes on the 1994-95 Upper Deck Be a Player set.  That’s right, an entire set gets inducted today!

Also some big news on the Seals front.  Seals fan Jeff Searls is organizing a dinner for die hard Seals fans on January 6, 2017, and he needs 100 people to attend to make it happen, so if you’re in the Bay Area around that time, sign up for this rare event.  The following night, on Saturday, January 7, the San Jose Sharks will be playing the Detroit Red Wings, and there is going to be a special salute to the Seals: a throwback t-shirt night!  Special guests in attendance include Seals legends Gilles Meloche, Gary Simmons, and Dennis Maruk.  For more info, please contact Jeff at jsearls@sbcglobal.net.

For all you Seals fans, there is a new article on the short-lived but beloved Wrecking Crew Line coming soon, so come back soon.  Until next time, stay gold!

It’s only been three days since Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, and it feels as though the world will never be the same.  There is a certain malaise wafting through the air, even way up here in Ottawa.  Hopefully, Mr. Trump proves himself to be a more competent President than Presidential candidate, but only time will tell.  If you’re feeling a tad depressed these days, don’t despair, for there is lots of new stuff on the site this week.  Check out a brand new induction to the Hockey Hall of Shame, an induction that was much overdue.  I’m talking about the infamous FoxTrax Puck.  For all you young whippersnappers out there who don’t remember an NHL before salary caps and that God-awful trapezoid behind the net, the FoxTrax Puck was one television network’s attempt at being ahead-of-their-time.  That television network failed… badly.  Also be sure to check out the latest induction to the Overexposed wing of the HHOS, where we get to see what Olaf Kolzig’s favourite in-game snack is!  Enjoy, and stay gold!

Well, in case this is my final post before President Trump declares war on North Korea and makes the entire Western hemisphere nothing more than a memory (much like the California Golden Seals), I’d just like to declare that since my beloved Habs are still undefeated in regulation, and sitting in first place overall, I believe they should be given the world’s final Stanley Cup championship.  That’s what we call taking the lemons life gives you (in this case President Trump… uh, I can’t believe I’m typing that and NOT quoting The Simpsons) and turning it into lemonade, which is something that I believe is (surprisingly) missing in this week’s new Overexposed induction.  Today, we delve deep into the archives of Upper Deck and dissect the legendary Mike Grier “pizza couch” card.

For all you Seals and Barons fans out there, go check out this site’s new section: Seals Literature.  Here, I’ve listed all of the books I can think of that mention interesting blurbs about the Seals or Barons.  Obviously, this is not a complete list, but I’ll be adding more titles as I become aware of them.  Of course, if anyone knows of any books with interesting Seals/Barons facts in them, please let me know, and I’ll add them to the list.  There are a few titles I would recommend you check out first: Brad Kurtzberg’s Shorthanded is the gold standard, and probably the easiest book to find on the list.  Bobby Baun’s autobiography, Lowering the Boom has a full chapter on the Seals, so does Wayne Gretzky’s new book, 99: Stories of the Game, Alan Bass’s The Great Expansion, and Stephen Laroche’s Changing the Game.  Reggie Leach has an autobiography out as well titled The Riverton Rifle, which has a few pages describing the Seals portion of his career.  Then there are some oldies like Gene Kiczek’s High Sticks and Hat-Tricks, Gerald Eskenazi’s Hockey and the excellent Hockey! The Story of the World’s Fastest Sport by Richard Beddoes, Stan Fischler, and Ira Gitler, but good luck finding those cheap on Amazon!  If you’re more of a Charlie Finley fan, I can’t recommend more highly Michael G. Green, and Roger D. Launius’s Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball’s Super Showman.  I found my copy used on Amazon, so it’s pretty easy to find, and well worth the read.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hey there everyone!  As I write this latest entry, my Habs are the last team yet to lose a game in regulation, and that surely means the Stanley Cup is returning to Montreal, doesn’t it?  Doesn’t it?  Shea Weber has been on fire, and fans might actually be starting to forget about the great P,K. Subban.  That guy certainly had a lot of flair, and he was always a lot of fun to watch.  The Seals also once had a defenseman who was flashy, tough, and talented: Carol Vadnais.  During the late sixties and early seventies, he was the guy that every team in the league was interested in getting in a trade with the Seals, but the team always resisted, that is until Vadnais himself requested a trade.  He ended up winning the Cup with Boston in 1972, so I’m sure he didn’t complain too much about the move.  Anyway, getting to the point of this rambling paragraph, check out Vadnais’ 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee card in the “Overexposed” section of the Hockey Hall of Shame.

Also be sure to check out the two new articles posted in the Articles section.  The first is about the Barons’ first NHL game back in October, 1976.  The second article describes the unusual agreement that merged the Barons with the Minnesota North Stars almost two years later.

Until next time, stay gold!