Let’s Revisit The Early Days of the California Golden Seals…

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!

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