Hi everyone and welcome back! It’s been an exciting week here at the site. Lots of people have been writing in looking to help make the site even better! Others have just wanted to share their thoughts on the Seals or let me know how much they appreciate the site. Thanks guys!
As you know, this weekend the San Jose Sharks are hosting the NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time since 1997. Some of you may remember this as the moment when the California Golden Seals (along with other California hockey heroes from the Sharks and Kings) reunited to play a team of alumni from other NHL teams, losing a close game. To celebrate the All-Star Game’s return to the Bay Area, I am posting the San Francisco Seals’ game by game summary. (I know, I know, San Jose is NOT San Francisco, but you have to remember that the Sharks played their first few years in the Cow Palace, where the Seals used to play). Thanks to the Herculean efforts of Chuck Nan and his research skills, I have been able to update the WHL Seals’ home attendance figures and finally get around to posting the game by game summary. Thanks so much, Chuck for sharing your great research with the world! The Seals’ history is a tricky one to trace, but we’re getting there one small step at a time.
What I find truly fascinating about the WHL Seals is how well attended their games were. I can truly understand why the NHL wanted to put a team in the Bay Area. There were a lot of nights when the old Cow Palace was hosting a capacity crowd or a near sell-out. The other thing I find interesting is the bizarre schedule WHL players had to endure. Eight and ten-game home stands were the norm rather than the exception, and road trips were usually brutal! I can understand that teams wanted to keep expenses low so they had lots of two-game series in the same city and teams did most of their traveling in long bursts, but players must have absolutely hated being away from their families for long periods like that. Go check out the stats section to download the San Francisco Seals’ game by game summary. It is not complete as far as attendance figures go, but we’re inching closer to finishing it.
For those of you who are looking for your weekly dose of cringeworthy cardboard, check out this week’s Overexposed victim, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Igor Ulanov looking rather queasy. Or maybe he’s just sick and tired of being manhandled by the Colorado Avalanche; you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Weekly reminder time: make sure to cast your vote for the 2019 Seals Hall of Fame by glancing over to the right side of your screen and clicking next to your favorite player or personality. Thanks also to everyone who keeps coming back to the site to check out all the latest updates. Until next time, stay gold!