Hi everyone! I recently came across a great article about the Seals in, of all places, the Atlanta Journal. And no, in case you’re wondering there is no Atlanta anywhere near the Bay Area. I’m of course talking about Atlanta, Georgia, a place that, at the time the article was written, had been a member of the NHL for about a year and a half. What can I say, the article’s writer, Dick Beardsley, nailed it. I’m somewhat surprised, however, that the Seals would be so prominent in his radar that he would write an article about them rather than Bobby Orr, Bobby Clarke, or Bobby Hull. In Beardsley’s article from January 23, 1974, he wonderfully summarizes the turmoil that had encompassed the Seals since the very beginning of the season. Ivan Boldirev gets the spotlight in this piece as his participation in the controversial Mind Dynamics program is discussed, and ridiculed, by his teammates. Something about seeing things in colours and how it can make you look at life more positively. Of course, everyone on the team was chasing wins rather than rainbows, but in the end, no one really caught anything.

What I found interesting in the article was how there seemed to be this simmering feeling of tension between everyone in the Seals dressing room. The quotes you will read in the article could be just innocent ribbing between jocks, but something tells me there was an underlying feeling of anger and resentment. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever read another article that contained so much uneasiness without actually having any angry exclamation marks. When you read the article you feel as though the team really had given up hope, which is understandable, of course. This takes place just weeks before Charlie Finley sold the Seals to the NHL, and everyone was getting quite fed up with what was going on in Oakland. To read this great article, head on over to the articles section.

Have a great rest of the weekend, and we’ll see you all back next week. Until next time, stay gold!