“Goaltender to Bartender” (by John Porter) – Dec. 11, 1973 – download here
For all you Gilles Meloche fans out there, this article is going to please you. You probably already know that during the 1973-74 season, Meloche missed a significant portion of the season after Reggie Leach accidentally skated over his exposed hand. What you probably didn’t know is that Meloche was going a bit stir crazy during his time off and did a little bartending to keep busy. This interesting article also dives a bit deeper into Meloche’s feelings towards his hometown Montreal Canadiens and how he enjoyed driving his family nuts. I’m not kidding.
“Seals Swamp Penguins; Bow to Islanders” (by Ken Fidlin) – Sep. 24, 1973 – download here
This article from Ken Fidlin of the Kingston Whig-Standard shows just how frustrating it could be cheering for the Seals. One night, the guys destroy their opponent 8-1, the next night they forget to show up against the worst team in the league. Sure, this was just the pre-season (hence the reason why I’m posting an article from the city where the Seals held their training camp) but one of those two games proved to be a microcosm of how the Seals’ season was going to go. Care to guess which one?
“Seals Give Crowd a Treat” (by Glenn Schwarz) – Oct. 11, 1973 – download here
The 1972-73 season was widely considered the Seals’ worst. In fact, if the team hadn’t miraculously won its final four games of the season, it would have easily been their worst statistically and figuratively. It just seemed as though the team just couldn’t string even two in a row. So when the Seals won their first two games of 1973-74, fans were understandably excited. Of course, the Seals couldn’t maintain that momentum and finished the year a horrible 13-55-10 for the all-time worst season in franchise history. This San Francisco Examiner article is about the opening game of 1973-74, and how the Seals gave it to the St. Louis Blues. As an added bonus, there is also a Lee Susman (Oakland Tribune) cartoon from the day before the opening game.
“Detroit Lesson Pays for Seals” (by John Porter) – Oct. 25, 1973 – download here
After getting trounced by the Detroit Red Wings October 21st, the Seals sought revenge three nights later in Oakland, and boy, did they ever succeed. Gary Croteau scored his second career hat-trick, Joey Johnston scored his 50th career goal, and the Seals skated away with an impressive 7-3 win. The line of Gary Croteau, Ivan Boldirev, and Hilliard Graves each picked up three points in the victory, which brought the Seals back up to the .500 mark. The good times would not last long as the team won just ten more times the rest of the season, and finished miles out of the playoffs.
“$7 Million Bid for Seals Gets NHL Rebuff: S.D. Offer/1-1 Tie” (by Bob Brachman and Glenn Schwarz) – Nov. 8, 1973 – download here
This article from the San Francisco Examiner is in fact divided into two parts, one by Bob Brachman and one by Glenn Schwarz. The first part, “S.D. Offer” is about how Charlie Finley wanted to sell the Seals to Peter Graham, who then intended to move the Seals to San Diego, but the NHL put the kibosh on that plan. The second part is about the Seals’ 1-1 tie with Chicago the day before.
“Sabres Give Seals Another Lift” – Nov. 19, 1973 – download here
When the Seals shut out Buffalo 2-0, and earned their first road win of the season, there was just so much optimism that this would be the game that would turn things around, especially on the road, where the team had already lost its first seven. Little did anyone know that the Seals would go 1-30 away from home the rest of the way.
“Stewart Says Finley Image Hurts Seals” (by Ed Schoenfeld) – Nov. 29, 1973 – download here
It sure was never easily being a member of the California Golden Seals. It wasn’t bad enough that the team endured losing season after losing season (including the 1973-74 season), but when there were the occasional blips of happiness and joy, they were often scuttled by venomous media members, who always had an excuse to explain how the hockey world had gone wrong and given the Seals a cookie. At least, that’s what the Seals’ Bob Stewart believed.
“Seals Lose a Slugfest” – Dec. 3, 1973 – download here
This was truly one of the most infamous nights in the history of the California Golden Seals: Barry Cummins vs the Philadelphia Flyers. It was this moment that ignited the heated Seals-Flyers rivalry which you can read about right here. On December 2, 1973, Cummins made the mistake of raising his stick too high on Flyers leader and chief agitator Bobby Clarke. The second that lumber connected with Clarke’s head, all hell broke loose. It would not be the last time blood was shed between the future two-time Stanley Cup champs and the perennial West Division chumps.
“Finley Should Suit Up For Seals’ Contest (by Nelson Cullenward) – Dec. 22, 1973 – download here
Charlie Finley had been the Seals’ owner for about two-and-a-half years when this article was written. For the most part, the media had left Finley alone. They weren’t crazy about him personally. They overlooked his absenteeism, his stinginess, his bizarre penchant for coloured skates, etc. For the most part. If they were going to criticize him in print, it most likely had something to do with the Oakland A’s, but since they were flying at this point in history, Finley was mostly seen as an eccentric and cheap owner. By 1972-73, however, with the Seals’ roster completely decimated, the critics were now out for blood. All those who followed Bay Area hockey were upset that the Seals’ best players were playing in the WHA. And it was all because Finley refused to look for a crowbar to pry open his wallet. Nelson Cullenward of the San Francisco Examiner suggested that Finley strap on the pads and stand in for Gilles Meloche against the Buffalo Sabres’ French Connection Line. More than a few fans surely agreed.
“Rx For the Lowly California Seals” – Dec. 24, 1973 – download here
This Santa Rosa Democrat article is for all you Gilles Meloche fans. Meloche talks about the hand injury he suffered during the 1973-74 season, and how optimistic he was about the Seals’ chances of making the playoffs due to a cushy second-half schedule. Indeed, 1974 started well enough for the Seals with wins over Los Angeles and St. Louis in the first four games of the new year, but then the wheels fell off the track, and the Seals went on a 12-game winless streak, and they won just four of their last 38 games.
“Glover Fumes Over 7-0 Rout” (by John Porter) – download here
In my opinion, this Oakland Tribune article perfectly sums up the entire gamut of harmful acts any sane coach could have wanted to do to himself during the Seals’ dismal ’72-’73 season: suicide, alcoholism, making huge dents in walls; this article’s got it all!
“Hull Says Hat Trick a Cinch vs. Seals” – Jan. 7, 1974 – download here
Reggie Leach had a great night versus Chicago, scoring three goals, but he was upstaged by Dennis Hull who also scored three goals out the Black Hawks’ nine that night. This article from the Hayward California Daily Review details one of the lowest points in the history of the Seals franchise, just weeks before Charlie Finley decided to mercifully bail out.
“Hockey’s Doormat” (by Dick Beardsley) – Jan. 25, 1974 – download here
It won’t surprise anyone visiting this site that the Seals had their fair share of problems in the 1973-74 season. Let’s face it, everything that could have gone wrong that season went wrong… terribly wrong. This wonderful piece from Dick Beardsley of the Atlanta Journal perfectly summarizes the Seals’ horrendous first half of the season. We’ve got a coach wrestling with players, an absentee owner, players in dodgy positive thinking classes, and an underlying tension between teammates.
“This Time Finley Got Out — With a Bundle (by Prescott Sullivan) – Feb 17, 1974 – download here
Charlie Finley spent a bundle to acquire the Oakland Seals in the summer of 1970, and even though he never made any money during his three years as owner, he did manage to turn a profit when he sold the club to the NHL in February 1974. Despite his flaws, Finley was quite the successful businessman and almost always found a way to make money.
“Seals New Bench Boss Plans All-Out Program” (by Ken Miller) – Feb. 17, 1974 – download here
February 1974 was a happy time in Oakland. At least the second half of February was. That was when Charlie Finley finally decided to accept the NHL’s offer and sell the Seals. Out went the white skates and eventually the green-and-gold uniforms. Out went Fred Glover too. In came brand new coach Marsh Johnston, new team president Munson Campbell, and new director of of player personnel Garry Young. What was once old became new again, but the changes did the Seals some good. The new people at the top had a plan and during the summer they did yeoman’s work getting a new uniform for players, and pulling off a number of bold trades that helped the Seals improve 15 points in the standings, but this article here explains where it all started.
“Superstitious Seals” (by Geoffrey Fisher) – 1973-74 season – download here
Everyone knows that professional athletes have their fair share of weird beliefs, rituals and superstitions. Gary Smith used to wear a ridiculous number of socks under his skates. Glenn Hall used to be sick to his stomach before almost every game. The Seals’ Gary Croteau, Hil Graves, Gilles Meloche, and Morris Mott all believed that following a few teeny rituals, they would be happier and more successful on the ice. As you’ll read in this article from a 1973-74 Goal game program (sent to me by Pete Manzolillo – thanks again!), some of these superstitions led to some pretty interesting results, but not always in a good way. Mr. Graves, I’m looking in your direction. As for the rest of you, you’ll just have to read the article to find out what I mean.
“Seals Upset Montreal” – March 3, 1974 – download here
This short article from late in the 1973-74 season details the most glorious moment of the Charlie Finley era; a road win versus Montreal! Any win against the vaunted Canadiens was a reason for the Seals to celebrate, but this win was particularly sweet as it ended California’s months-long road losing streak, and it was Marshall Johnston’s first win as coach. To commemorate the win, the players bought Marsh a plaque which has remained close to his heart ever since.
“Bruins Stunned By Golden Seals, 6-2” / “Finley Gone, Seals Prosper” (by Bob Ryan) – Mar. 11, 1974 – download here
The Boston Bruins’ Ross Brooks entered the March 10, 1974 contest having already won 14 consecutive games, a streak that tied legendary Boston goaltender Tiny Thompson for the all-time record. No one, and I mean, no one would have bet that the Seals would be the team to end the streak. The 43-12-9 Bruins were gunning for first place overall, while the 12-44-9 Golden Seals had been stomped on and kicked around for the better part of two years. Around the same time, Charlie Finley had already ditched his hockey team, and no one could have been happier in Sealsland. Sure, the Seals weren’t winning all that much, but the team had a new attitude, and a couple of shocking wins against Montreal and Boston under their belts. The first article, from the Nashua Telegraph is about the game itself, while the second article, published the same day in the Boston Globe is about how the Seals were beginning to transform their game as the pushed the Finley era aside.
“Baby Makes It, Seals Don’t” (by Joe DeLoach) – Mar. 14, 1974 – download here
The happy Papa on this night was new Seals coach Marsh Johnston. Unfortunately, the rest of his team did not leave the Coliseum ice in as good a mood. The Seals put out a good effort, and probably deserved to beat the Red Wings, but goalie Jim Rutherford was outstanding, and the rest of his teammates managed to stay clear of the penalty box.
“Streaker Shows at Seals’ Loss” – April 6, 1974 – download here
The Seals’ 1973-74 season could not have gone any worse. They started the year with optimism and even a .500 record after the first six games, but then injuries to Gilles Meloche and Marv Edwards played a big role in derailing the team’s chances at finishing out of last place. By the time November rolled around, it was a pretty safe bet the Seals were not going to be playing meaningful hockey in April. Speaking of “pretty” and “hockey in April”, those two notions collided on April 5, 1974 when a lovely, blonde lady laced up a pair of skates and glided onto the ice of the Oakland Coliseum almost completely naked, and you can read about her right here.