Mike Christie
NHL Seals/Barons career regular-season stats: 225 GP, 10 G, 65 A, 75 PTS, 356 PIM, -25 +/-
If ever there was one Seals player who exemplified what it meant to be a heart-and-soul player, it was the gritty Mike Christie. No one was harder on himself, but in the end, despite a limited skill set, he stretched out a respectable 412-game NHL career from 1974 to 1981. With the Seals and Barons, Christie played 225 games and scored 10 goals and 65 assists. He was tough, determined, quiet, unassuming, and a great teammate, who won the respect of everyone in the dressing room. When the Philadelphia Flyers tried to intimidate Christie with their goon tactics during one unfortunate game early in 1974-75, he courageously stood up to them and absorbed a beating from several Flyers while he was serving a penalty.
In 1976-77, Christie may have enjoyed the best season ever put together by a Seals/Barons defenseman, although his success is rarely acknowledged today. Not only did Christie finish with a respectable 6 goals and 27 assists, he also finished with an incredible (for the Barons) mark of +18, which no other Seals or Barons player ever came close to matching before or after.
Christie passed away July 11, 2019 at the age of 69.
Gerry Ehman
NHL Seals career regular-season stats: 297 GP, 69 G, 86 A, 155 PTS, 56 PIM, -85 +/-
NHL Seals career playoff stats: 11 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 6 PTS, 0 PIM, -8 +/-
“Tex” was probably the choppiest skater to ever suit up for the Seals, but he possessed a deft scoring touch that gave the team some credibility and much needed offense during its early years. Ehman was a solid two-way player who played a strong defensive game as he was often given the task of shadowing some of the league’s biggest scorers. He was a highly respected figure in the dressing room due to his strong work ethic and commitment to the game.
In the club’s first NHL season, the 35-year-old Ehman scored 19 goals and led the team with 44 points. On January 7, 1968, Ehman scored the first-ever hat-trick in NHL Seals history. The following year he finished with a career-high 21 goals and 45 points. He played the latter part of the season on a line with Ted Hampson and Earl Ingarfield after Bill Hicke and Gary Jarrett went down with injuries, but the new veteran trio was broken up after the season, which disappointed Hampson greatly after he had enjoyed his greatest personal success, a 75-point season.
After four seasons with the Seals, Ehman retired at the age of 38. In 297 games with the Seals – a mark that placed him fifth all-time – Ehman scored 69 goals (6th), 86 assists (9th), and 155 points (8th).
Ehman passed away March 21, 2006 at the age of 73.
Bill Hicke
NHL Seals career regular-season stats: 262 GP, 79 G, 101 A, 180 PTS, 155 PIM, -76 +/-
NHL Seals career playoff stats: 11 GP, 0 G, 4 A, 4 PTS, 6 PIM, 0 +/-
Bill Hicke’s career was all but over when the California Seals selected him in the fifth round. He was so highly thought of that he was the first forward selected by the Bay Area squad, and he did not disappoint.
He was one of the best players the Seals had during their first few NHL seasons. In fact, despite playing in just 52 games in 1967-68, he led the Seals in goals (21) and game-winning goals (4). The 12 power-play markers he scored that season set a franchise record that was never broken. Hicke played right wing on the Seals’ Assembly Line (with Ted Hampson and Gary Jarrett) starting in 1968-69, when he put together a career year. Hicke set single-season franchise records for a right wing, including most assists (36 in 1968-69), most points (61). He also has the distinction of having scored the fastest two goals in Seals history (9 seconds vs. Los Angeles, Oct. 17, 1969). After notching 25 goals in his second year in Oakland, he became the first, and only one of six Seals, to record at least two 20-goal seasons.
Hicke holds the all-time franchise record for power-play goals scored in his career (25) and he is tied for the all-time franchise mark of 10 game-winning goals. He stands among the Seals’ all-time leaders in goals (4th – 79), assists (5th – 101), and points (5th – 180) in 262 games played from 1967 to 1971. He was also a Seals alternate captain from 1969-71.
Hicke passed away July 18, 2005 at the age of 67.
Leonard Shapiro
Like last year, the Seals Hall of Fame would not be complete without a special surprise induction. This year, the honor goes to Leonard Shapiro, who has worked tirelessly at keeping the Seals memory alive for almost 50 years, including the founding and management of the California Golden Seals Facebook page, a small corner of the Internet that houses a phenomenal collection of photos and recollections from players, fans and media members.
Gary “Cobra” Simmons has known Len longer than just about anyone else involved with the Seals, and this is why he nominated Len for induction:
“Leonard the Guru is the go-to guy if someone wants info on the Seals. He has so much info stored in his head and also his house is full of Seals info. Whenever someone wants to know something about the team, they contact Guru. He has also been one of the leading forces in the still-around Seals Booster Club… He knows every Sports TV, radio and newspaper reporter in the Bay Area. If my memory serves me right [which it sometimes doesn’t],
when the Sharks came up with the idea of honoring the Seals in Jan. 2017, it was The Guru they contacted… IMO The Seals HOF would be incomplete w/o The Guru in it.”
Couldn’t put it any better myself.