Hi everyone! I’m sure you’ve all been immersed in a number of books since you’ve been in self-isolation mode. I know I have. I’ve read through Henry Boucha’s autobiography, a history of the Montreal Canadiens-Quebec Nordiques rivalry, and I’m in the process of reading a history of the Vegas Golden Knights as well as The Curse, a history of the L.A. Clippers of the NBA. It’s been nice having time to read so much and catch up on all those books I’ve collected over the years but never had a chance to read, so I thought I’d share with you my views on a book on NHL expansion, Changing the Game by Stephen Laroche. It contains a chapter on the Seals so if you haven’t read this book before, you may be interested in doing so now that you have some spare time. You can read my review of it here.

I’ve also added an article on the night Rick Hampton broke the Seals’ record for most points by a defenseman in a season. I always felt Hampton, like many other high draft picks of doormat teams, got a bad rap as he was asked to deliver the impossible even though he wasn’t even legally old enough to drink. He was in way over his head as the third overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft. In any other year, he probably would have been a low first-round pick, maybe even a second-rounder, but because the WHA had signed so many under-aged players, many who would have been drafted lower were drafted way too high. The ’74 draft, not to mention the next few drafts, were among the weakest in hockey history as first and second overall picks were not nearly as great as previous tip top draftees like Guy Lafleur and Denis Potvin.

As an added bonus to the Hampton article, there is also a cartoon from the Oakland Tribune‘s Lee Susman, courtesy of Bob Marceau, who also sent me the article, and several others I’ll be posting in the coming weeks.

That’s about it for this week. Stay healthy and stay safe. Enjoy your time with your families and take advantage of the nice weather as Spring rolls in. Read a good book in your back yard, bask in the sunshine, and drink lots of coffee and beer!

Until next time, stay gold!