Hi everyone! It has been a tough couple of weeks in the California Seals family as three of its members sadly passed away. Former San Francisco Seals player-coach Charlie Burns died on November 5 at the age of 85. Tony Featherstone, the Seals’ first round draft pick in 1969 passed October 30 at the age of 72. Defenseman Ron Serafini, who played two games for the Seals in 1973-74, also passed away October 30 one day before his 68th birthday. We wish the families and friends of Mr. Burns, Mr. Featherstone, and Mr. Serafini our sincerest condolences.

Charlie Burns was one of the most prominent players in Seals history, and one of the few players to cross over from the WHL club to the NHL club. Burns totalled 237 points, the fourth-highest total in team history, in 230 career WHL games with the Seals. His 92 goals place him 5th overall in that category. He also has the distinction of scoring the very last regular-season goal in WHL Seals history. For a time, Burns both played and coached the Seals, compiling a 50-44-5 record and franchise-best .530 win percentage. Burns was a heart-and-soul player who always gave it his all, and he fought his way back to the NHL after having been sent down to San Francisco while he was a member of the parent Boston Bruins. Burns suffered a severe head injury during his junior career, so he was forced to wear a distinct leather helmet during his professional career, which stretched out from 1958 to 1973. He began his NHL career in Detroit, but after just one season, he was sent to Boston where he would perform admirably as a penalty-killer for the next four years. He had a deft scoring touch, however, notching 48 career goals with Boston. He was sent down to San Francisco for four years, and he became one of the Seals’ most valuable players. In fact, the Seals Booster Club named him the team’s MVP in both 1964 and 1965. He also led the team in scoring in 1963-64 with 69 points in 68 games, and he played a valuable role in the Seals’ second straight championship season. After four seasons in the WHL, Burns returned to the NHL as a member of the California Seals, and he did not look out of place finishing the year with nine goals and a team-leading 26 assists. His 35 points placed him third on the expansion team’s scoring list. The Pittsburgh Penguins claimed him in the intra-league draft during the off-season, and he continued to play a prominent role with his new club (second in team scoring with 51 points) before moving on to Minnesota for the last four years of his career.

Tony Featherstone’s stay in Oakland was not quite as long as Burns, but at times he showed some flashes of skill, notably when he finished the 1970-71 season on a five-game point streak. They were the last games he would play for the Seals before being traded to Montreal for goaltending prospect Ray Martyniuk. Featherstone had been selected by Oakland, 7th overall in the 1969 amateur draft, and he would see action nine times with the 1969-70 Seals. Featherstone was expected to play a bigger role with the club the following season, but he struggled for the most part until a season-ending stretch in which he scored seven points in nine games. The Seals were desperate for goaltending, however, as the 1971-72 season approached. Gary Smith had been dealt to Chicago for Gerry Desjardins, but Desjardins arrived in Oakland with an injured arm, and so the deal was left in limbo for a few weeks, meaning the Seals were bereft of any veteran goaltenders. Featherstone never caught on with Montreal (although he did score 103 points one year with the Habs’ farm team in Nova Scotia), and Martyniuk never reached the NHL at all, but the Minnesota North Stars gave him another opportunity in 1973-74 (21 points in 54 games). Featherstone then signed with the Toronto Toros of the WHA and enjoyed a successful 63-point season his first year. He retired from professional hockey in 1976.

Defenseman Ron Serafini was drafted 50th overall by California in the 1973 amateur draft, but only suited up twice for the Seals before eventually finding his way to the World Hockey Association. He played 16 games for Cincinnati, posting two assists before returning to the minors. He played one last season in Austria in 1977-78 before hanging up his blades.

This week I have posted an article from February 12, 1968, the date of Burns’ best (NHL) Seals game, a two-goal performance in a 4-3 come-from-behind victory for the Seals. I’ve also posted an article from April 1, 1971 about the Seals’ impressive 4-1 win over Minnesota. This game featured Tony Featherstone’s last goal as a member of the Seals. He was really heating up as the season was coming to a close, scoring four goals and three assists in his last nine games of the season. During that stretch, he had scored goals in three consecutive games, the last of which was the one presented in this week’s second article.

Until next time, stay gold!