Hi everyone! Yes, that’s what happened the night of March 23, 1973, according to Seals Hall-of-Famer Gary Croteau. It didn’t happen often in the franchise’s eleven-year NHL history, but when the Leafs skated into Oakland to take on the Seals, the boys in yellow made the Leafs wish they could have hit the links a little earlier. The Leafs and Seals were both on the outside looking in when they clashed in late March for much the same reason. The World Hockey Association had decimated both rosters some seven or eight months earlier, and both teams plummeted to the bottom of their respective divisions. The Leafs lost half of their defense (Jim Dorey, Rick Ley, and Brad Selwood), not to mention goaltender Bernie Parent and centre Jim Harrison, and as a result, there were lots of nights like this one against the Seals. The Seals, on the other hand, lost an even larger portion of its team: leading scorers Bobby Sheehan and Gerry Pinder, depth forwards Tom Webster, Gary Jarrett, and Wayne Carleton, rock-solid defenseman Paul Shmyr, back-up goaltender Gary Kurt, and a few other prospects. The Seals would never be the same. The Leafs, however, still had a good core left behind, and they would rebound nicely the following year. You can read all about the Seals’ big win over in the Articles section.

Before you leave the site today, and if you haven’t already cast your votes for this year’s inductees to the Seals Hall of Fame, please make sure to click on this link to the HOF ballot and do your democratic duty.

Since I will be away next weekend, there will be no update to the site until the week of April 17, but I wish you all a Happy Easter and a great long weekend! Until next time, stay gold!