Hi everyone! Let me begin by saying Wow… and I sincerely mean, WOW! Has this been a breathtakingly calamitous week for the Chicago Blackhawks or what? Not only has this storied franchise been shaken to its very core with the recent sexual assault accusations (Shame! SHAME!) and its fallout, to add insult to injury, the Hawks have been absolute crap on the ice. I thought Montreal had been sucking pretty badly this season, but man, I’d hate to be a Hawks fan right now. Site subscriber Mark Harris wrote to me the other day to point out that an old Seals futility record (were there any other kinds of records for the Seals?) had fallen. Apparently, the 1970-71 Seals had gone 324 minutes and 25 seconds without taking lead in a game, but the 2021-22 Blackhawks actually went a whopping 366 minutes and 41 seconds without taking a single lead. Not only did the Hawks set a new record, they absolutely blasted the old one out of the water. So good news for Seals fans everywhere: another ignominious record wiped from the books. Another Seals record that has since fallen was of course the 232 penalty minutes they and the Philadelphia Flyers accumulated this very week 48 years ago. Of course, that was the infamous night the Flyers attacked Seals defenseman Mike Christie in the penalty box.

While there are not many Seals records that still stand today, one thing did not change in the years after the team left Oakland. At least, one thing didn’t change in the years immediately after the team’s move to Cleveland, and that would be the team’s propensity for making bad decisions and living to regret them. This week, we dive deep into Gary Webster’s excellent new book, The NHL’s Mistake by the Lake: a History of the Cleveland Barons. I had been waiting anxiously for the book to arrive in my mailbox, but Amazon took its sweet time sending it to me, so I’m a bit late in posting my review, but fear not, the big day has finally arrived. You can head on over to the Seals Literature section to read all about Webster’s new book. It is a real hoot. As an added bonus, you can also listen to the interview he recorded with Tim Hanlon of Good Seats Still Available this summer. Just scroll down the page to episode 225 to hear the interview.

Until next time, stay gold!