Gary Croteau

Seals career regular-season stats: 270 GP, 47 G, 76 A, 123 PTS, 47 PIM, -105 +/-

“The Bull” was one of the hardest-working players the Seals ever employed, and was a coach’s dream. Gary Croteau was dependable, tough, and had a decent scoring touch as evidenced by the two 20-goal seasons he would enjoy in the NHL. While he never hit such a lofty mark in Oakland, his contributions to the club were enormous. He stormed out of the gate his first year, 1970-71, scoring 15 goals and adding 28 assists to finish with 43 points, the third-highest total on the Seals. He played most of the season on the “Battle Line” with wolverine Dennis Hextall at center, and either Norm Ferguson or Tony Featherstone on the right side. He scored his first career hat-trick January 27, 1971 vs. Minnesota.

The Battle Line was broken up at the end of the season as Hextall packed his bags for Minnesota. Whether or not Croteau struggled due to the absence of Hextall is unknown, but “Bull” scored just 24 points, and the following season, he played in just 47 games in an injury-shortened campaign, but Croteau’s effort never waned.

The 1973-74 season got off to a great start as Croteau picked up his second and last career hat-trick October 24 in a 7-3 Seals win versus Detroit. Playing mostly on a line with Ivan Boldirev and Craig Patrick, Croteau would finish the year with 14 goals and 21 assists, but the Seals exposed Croteau in the June expansion draft, and he was selected by the Kansas City Scouts.

While in Kansas City, local scribe Ken Rudnick once described Croteau’s style as “straightforward, dedicated wholeheartedly to the proposition that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. If someone in a different-colored uniform got in the way, there were always 205 pounds on a 6-foot frame to deal with the obstacle.” Even though he struggled to score early on in K.C., his coach Bep Guidolin loved him because he was determined, worked hard, and was responsible defensively. “He’s a bear for work,” Guidolin said. “That’s what a hockey club needs — a bunch of guys who’re willing to work.” (“Gary Croteau Lives Up to Name,” Kansas City Times, Jan. 31, 1975)

Croteau finished his Seals tenure 10th in all-time games played and tied for first in hat-tricks (2).

Norm Ferguson

Seals career regular-season stats: 279 GP, 73 G, 66 A, 139 PTS, 72 PIM, -57 +/-

Seals career playoff stats: 10 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5 PTS, 7 PIM, -2 +/-

The hard-working, hustling Sydney, Nova Scotia-native made quite an entry into the National Hockey League back in 1968-69. Then-coach Fred Glover had coached Ferguson in Cleveland of the AHL, and Ferguson played some of his best hockey for the minor-league legend. The year before his entry into the NHL, Ferguson potted 42 goals and 75 points. At the time, Ferguson’s NHL rookie season ranked as one of the best of all-time. His 34 goals not only tied Danny Grant for the league lead in rookie goals, they also tied the all-time league record, but since Grant scored 65 points compared to Ferguson’s 54, the Minnesota star won the Calder Trophy to the great disappointment of Bay Area fans and management. Grant won the award 119-112, in one of the closest votes ever for rookie-of-the-year. During that first season, Ferguson also became the first Seal to be awarded — and score on — a penalty shot, which he achieved November 24, 1968 vs. Hall-of-Famer Ed Giacomin of the New York Rangers.

Ferguson’s outstanding first season was followed up by a disappointing 11-goal, 20-point performance in 1969-70, but when he was placed on The Battle Line with Dennis Hextall and Gary Croteau, Ferguson found his scoring touch again picking up 14 goals and 17 assists in just 54 games. The 1971-72 season would prove to be his last in the Bay Area as he was selected by the New York Islanders in the expansion draft, but the WHA was a more alluring option, and that is where he spent six very productive seasons.

The popular and friendly Maritimer sits tied for first all-time in career hat-tricks with the Seals (2), 9th all-time in games played with the franchise, 5th in goals scored, 3rd in even-strength goals scored (58), 8th in power-play goals (15), 10th in shots taken, and tied for first in game-winning goals (10).

Joe Starkey

Like many people who were once associated with the Seals, the affable and funny Joe Starkey became much more famous after he parted ways with the Seals.  During his three seasons calling Seals games, his “What a Bonanza!” line, which he exclaimed after every Seals goal, quickly became his trademark.  Starkey’s greatest claim to fame is his frenetic call of “The Play”, which occurred in the 1982 college football game between the California Golden Bears and Stanford:  As the play-by-play man of the San Francisco 49ers from 1989 to 2008, Starkey called several Super Bowls as well.  When the San Jose Sharks were born, there was no one better suited to be their first play-by-play man than Starkey.