“Seals Turn Back Bad Bruins, 4-2” (by John Porter) – Dec. 13, 1971 – download here

The interesting thing about this article from the Oakland Tribune‘s John Porter is that it is dripping with foreshadowing. The Seals certainly had the Bruins’ number at this point in the season, having not only won this game 4-2, but also a memorable game October 28 where Gilles Meloche recorded his first career shutout. The Seals just couldn’t believe their good fortune having beaten the Bruins twice, so it becomes somewhat cringeworthy when you read some players’ quotes because you know that later in the season, the Seals would lose 8-6 to those same Bruins after having squandered a 6-1 lead. Not only was that late-season loss hard to swallow, it was arguably the turning point in what had been, to that point, a very successful season. At least, the Seals had one last moment of glory against the team that had trounced them so thoroughly over and over again.

 

“Seal Veterans Face Struggle for Jobs” – Aug. 20, 1971 – download here

The summer of 1971 was a pivotal time for the Golden Seals. The team was at its lowest point ever (at least up to that point in their history) and the team was facing another season at the bottom of the standings unless it did something drastic. GM Garry Young took over from Fred Glover during the summer and he set about moulding team as he saw fit, which meant discarding most veteran players and replacing them with cheaper options, but cheaper options with upside. If the Seals were going to fail one way or another, why not take a few risks and keep your fingers crossed that good things would come of it.

“Seals, Kings in 4-4 Tie” (by John Porter) – Oct. 9, 1971 – download here

I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been for the Seals’ goaltending duo of Gary Kurt and Lyle Carter during those early days of the 1971-72 season. Kurt certainly had it worse, in my opinion. Not only was he expecting to have veteran Marv Edwards as his partner, but then he finds out that Edwards, who was on loan from Toronto, was in fact going back to Canada. So, then it’s up to him to guard the net for a team full of rookies, castoffs, and unknown minor-leaguers. October 9 versus Los Angeles was Kurt’s first official NHL contest, and while it started off well enough, it ended in disappointment.

“New Seals’ Mentor Loses in Debut” (by Michael Watson), “‘Mystery’ to Glover” (by Hugh McDonald), and “Seals’ New Leader Sounds Like Glover” (by Hugh McDonald) – Oct. 16, 1971 – download here

October 15, 1971 was an interesting day in the history of the California Golden Seals. The date marked the debut of coach Vic Stasiuk, who replaced Fred Glover after the Seals got off to a 0-1-2 start and gave up about a gazillion goals. Stasiuk’s debut was not much better. The Seals built up a huge lead on Vancouver then watched it fritter away in a disappointing, but wild 9-6 loss. The first article comes from the Hayward Daily Review‘s Michael Watson, while the latter two articles come from the San Mateo Times‘ Hugh McDonald.

“Why Glover Fired?” (by John Porter) – Oct. 17, 1971 – download here

It took many people by surprise when it was announced that Fred Glover would no longer be the Seals’ coach. It’s not like the team was coming off a great season, but the team also wasn’t expected to contend in the new season either after blowing up the bridges. The team got off to a 0-1-2 start, and gave up tons of goals, but that was to be expected considering the lack of experience up front, on defense, and in goal. Still, Glover was popular with the media, and had led the Seals to their only two playoff appearances. In this article from the Oakland Tribune, John Porter explores the reasons behind Glover’s sudden dismissal.

“Happy Fall of Seals Pinder” – Oct. 25, 1971 – download here

After starting the season 0-5-2 the Seals could not have been more desperate for a win. Starting a three-game road trip did not bode well for the Seals, but they unexpectedly won all three games. The first, a 6-3 victory in Detroit included a hat-trick from Gerry Pinder, a most welcome addition to the club.

“Penguins No Match for Sheehan, Seals” (by John Porter) – Oct. 28, 1971 – download here

In this, Tom Webster’s third game with the Seals, he scored a goal and an assist, his first points for his new team, and statistically, his best game in the green-and-gold. The Seals were racking up goals like it was no one’s business in the early days of 1971-72, but they also had an awful penchant for giving up tons of goals too. In this one, they had a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes, but with less than a minute to play in the game, they led just 5-4 and almost let two points slip away before Gerry Pinder scored an insurance goal.

“Goalie Frustrates B’s” (by Frank Barrett, Jr.) – Oct. 29, 1971 – download here

A great article from the Lowell Sun (p. 21) describes the game in which Gilles Meloche shut out the mighty Boston Bruins in his first game with California.

“Seals That Good?” (by George Ross) – Nov. 4, 1971 – download here

Believe it or not, there was actually a time when it was good to be a member of the California Golden Seals. It didn’t last very long, but the first half of the 1971-72, things could not have gone much better in Oakland. The team was winning. They had a crop of youngsters who were lighting it up every night. They also had an outstanding rookie goalie who came out of nowhere to become a contender for the Calder Trophy.

“Leafs Look Like Old Seals – New Seals Romp” (by John Hickey) – November 8, 1971 – download here

The 1971-72 season was a great time to be a Seals fan. The team was young and could score some goals too. They had a tremendous rookie goalie, and they were in a playoff position almost all season long. There were a few hiccups along the way, which is normal for a young team. There were, for example, a couple of dreadful losses to the New York Rangers, and there was a 10-3 loss to Philadelphia, but overall, the Seals looked pretty good. At no time did they look better than on November 7 in a 8-1 win over Toronto, which came on the heels of a 8-1 loss to the Rangers.

“Seals Win Costly War” (by John Porter) – Nov. 19, 1971 – download here

Here’s a look back at one of the Seals’ unluckiest games ever despite winning, which was a rare-enough occasion for our favorite hard-luck franchise. This article from John Porter of the Oakland Tribune also has a companion story from former Seals goaltender Lyle Carter, which you can read here, about how a severe injury incurred in this game potentially cost him a lengthy NHL career.

“Stars Defense Seals, 2-1” (by John Porter) – Nov. 27, 1971 – download here

The Seals were on a bit of a roll in the first half of the 1971-72 season, but so were the surging Minnesota North Stars whose goaltenders Lorne “Gump” Worsley and Cesare Maniago were playing some of their best hockey. The Stars used a stifling defense and strong goaltending from Worsley to steal two points from the Seals on this night.

“A Look at the Seals’ Mod Squad” – Nov. 28, 1971 – download here

This article from the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat summarizes very nicely the first two months of the Seals tumultuous 1971-72 season. Lots of offense, both for and against the Seals. Youthful enthusiasm and youthful mistakes. Hope that the season would end with a spot in the playoffs. The early months of the season were anything but boring, something the Seals had unfortunately become the two previous years. Thanks to some stellar behind-the-scenes work from general manager Garry Young, every Seals fan had a reason to look forward to the future.

“Seals Foil Bruins” – Dec. 15, 1971 – download here

The Seals didn’t beat the Boston Bruins too often in their history, but when they did it was almost always a shocking event. Of course, there is the famous 2-0 shutout by Gilles Meloche in what is often seen as the most memorable game in California Golden Seals history. There is also the 6-2 win against Boston in March 1974 that not only ended goaltender Ross Brooks’ NHL record 14-game winning streak, but also featured an incident in which Krazy George Henderson found himself in the middle of a brawl in the Oakland Coliseum stands. When the Seals beat the Bruins in December 1971, the game flew a bit under the radar, but on this night the Seals ended the Bruins’ 12-game unbeaten streak. It was also the Bruins’ only loss between November 11 and January 6, a span of 24 games! Note: that this game actually took place December 12, but this article was published in the December 15 edition of Pacific Stars & Stripes, which may have been a weekly publication.

“Come See the Seals Basking in the Sun” (by Red Fisher) – Dec. 18, 1971 – download here

This is a wonderfully written article by the legendary Montreal Star sportswriter Red Fisher. The 1971-72 season was quite the turnaround for the Golden Seals, and Fisher’s article goes into great detail how Garry Young handled his duties as the youngest general manager in the NHL. The article explores the Gary Smith-Gilles Meloche swap as well the trials and tribulations of the mercurial Bobby Sheehan, who was among the top scorers in the league just before Christmas time.

“Seals Beef at Hull Goal” (by John Porter) – Dec. 23, 1971 – download here

This mostly-forgotten game was very controversial at the time as the Seals were right in the thick of the playoff picture and needed the two points, but two questionable Chicago goals sent the Seals down to defeat. In today’s NHL, Hull standing in the crease probably would have been enough to get a goal called back, but in 1971, a goalie could practically wear an opposing player like a coat and it wouldn’t be enough to have a goal taken away.

“Meloche Too Tough, Seals Trip Kings” (by John Porter) – Dec. 26, 1971 – download here

The Seals-Kings tilt on Christmas Day 1971 was noteworthy for being the very last NHL game ever played on Jesus’s birthday. GSH subscriber Sante Debacco was kind enough to point out a few interesting facts about the game: “Because it was a west coast game, it was the last game to be played on that day, and the Seals are the last team to ever win a regular season NHL game on Christmas. They beat the Kings 3 to 1. Stan Gilbertson is the last player to ever score a goal on Christmas. He scored an unassisted empty net goal in the final minute of the game to insure the victory for the Seals! Incidentally, Mr. Gilbertson was also the last player to take a penalty on Christmas. According to the game summary, he took a holding penalty at 5:06 of the 3rd period, which was the last penalty called for the game. I wonder if Mr. Gilbertson realizes how famous he is.”

“Vadnais Crowns Kings” – Jan. 6, 1972 – download here

The Seals were on a five-game winless streak when the L.A. Kings came to town looking for their second win in a row against their California counterparts. In this article we learn about their friendship between former Montreal Canadiens Rogie Vachon and Carol Vadnais. Vachon was the big star the night before when the Kings defeated the Seals 4-1, but Vadnais went ballistic the next night scoring four points in the Seals 6-2 revenge win.

“Seals Face Vancouver” (by John Porter) – January 14, 1972 – download here

Don’t let the innocuous title fool you. The Seals did a hell of a lot more than just face Vancouver the night of January 14, 1972. They also faced the crippling nightmare of having fans call them sissies, a tag no hockey player wants to be labelled with. Hockey has always been known as a tough, sometimes vicious sport, but on this night, the Seals looked anything but, unless you considered figure skaters mean. I suppose Tonya Harding was pretty mean, but this was some twenty years before she had people club her competition in the knee, but I digress. Yes, this cool January evening at the Oakland Coliseum was the moment Charlie Finley finally got his wish to see his California Golden Seals as he originally envisioned them: snazzy new team name, bright yellow and green uniforms, and lovely white skates. Surprisingly, the Seals came out 5-3 winners on this night to remain comfortably in third place in the West Division. You can find out more about said skates right here in the Hockey Hall of Shame.

“Meloche Hottest Goalie in NHL” – Jan. 31, 1972 – download here

This article comes from a happy time in the history of the California Golden Seals. The team was beginning to surge, even moving into third place. When Gilles Meloche picked up his second straight shutout January 30, the Seals seemed a shoo-in to make the playoffs. It looked as though the team’s playoff drought was going to end at one year, 1971. Little did anyone know that the Seals would not only blow their shot at the playoffs in 1972, but that they also would fail to qualify every other year until their demise (under the name Cleveland Barons) in 1978.

“Seal Pup’s Growing Pains” (by John Porter) – Feb. 8, 1972 – download here

After the Seals did the impossible and held the mighty Montreal Canadiens to a tie on February 4, the Seals played one of their worst games of the year, an 8-2 drubbing at the hands of the not-so-mighty Detroit Red Wings. Mickey and Dick Redmond were front and centre in this game, with the elder brother notching a hat trick (and almost a fourth goal as well).

“Meloche Stops Canadiens Cold” (by Tim Burke) / “‘Delaying’ Call Irks Stasiuk” (by Bob Morrissey) – Feb. 17, 1972 – download here

Gilles Meloche always played his best when he was competing in front of his hometown crowd. I’m not talking about his adopted hometown, but about his real hometown, Montreal, or more specifically Ville-Émard, Quebec. Take away his first ever game versus Montreal on November 16, 1971 when he got shelled for seven goals, and the rest of the season went pretty well for Meloche against the Habs. In the other four games he took on the Canadiens, Meloche’s goals-against average was a mere 2.25. February 16 was Meloche’s third-ever game in Montreal, and you could tell by this point that the nerves were not getting the better of him anymore as he stymied the Habs over and over. Had it not been for a controversial “delay of game” call against Meloche that led to a Montreal power-play goal, the Seals’ great may have skated off with a shutout in front of his entire family. Enjoy these two related articles from the Montreal Gazette‘s Tim Burke and Bob Morrissey.

“California Golden Seals Blow 5-Goal Lead, 8-6” (by David Dietz) – Feb. 24, 1972 – download here

The title pretty much sums up what this article is all about.  This first half of this game was one of the Seals’ all-time best, while the second half ranks up there with their all-time worst.  The Seals had just traded Carol Vadnais and Don O’Donoghue to Boston for Reggie Leach, Rick Smith, and Bobby Stewart.  It was a good trade for the Seals, and things worked out well for Vadnais in Boston, as he would end up winning his first and only Stanley Cup a few months later.  The trade participants had barely got their bearings when they took to the Coliseum ice for their first game against their former teams, and the result of this game foreshadowed exactly where both teams were heading.

“Seals Leading NHL – In Ties” (by Hugh McDonald) – March 4, 1972 – download here

The 1971-72 Seals were one of the most interesting in team history. They held a playoff spot most of the season due to their spunky new attitude, their quick feet, their ability to push a few teams around physically, and one awesome rookie goalie. One thing they were also good at was going for the draw – 18 times in fact. This article is about March 3, 1972, when the Seals tied the defending West Division champions from Chicago. It was also a night in which former teammates Paul Shmyr came to the aid of teammate Gerry Pinder, both of whom were former teammates of aggressor Keith Magnuson.

“Joey’s Hat Trick Foils Sabres” (by Hugh McDonald) – Mar. 9, 1972 – download here

The 1971-72 Seals really should have made the playoffs. The team was on quite the roll right up until the end of January but a horrendous February tailspin put their playoff hopes in major jeopardy. In fact, the Seals won just a single game the entire month, and didn’t win another game until March 8 versus Buffalo. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily would be the better choice of word), the Seals didn’t lose every other game during that horrible stretch. In fact, they tied six times, but had some of those ties been converted into wins, it would have gone a long way to helping them get back to the playoffs. So, March 8 was a very important game for the Seals, and Joey Johnston’s hat trick, not to mention the hot play of linemates Gary Croteau and Reggie Leach, could not have come at a better time.

“Baseball Delays Seals” (by John Porter) – Apr. 12, 1972 – download here

While the 1971-72 season was a relatively successful one for our white-skated heroes, the same could not be said about the 1972 off-season. Who would have thought that that year’s Major League Baseball strike may have indirectly been responsible for the Seals’ disastrous 1972-73 season in which much of the team’s core was skating in the World Hockey Association?