“Seals Falter, Settle for Tie with Toronto” (by Ken Miller) – Feb. 20, 1975 – download here

Anyone familiar with the Seals knows that the team experienced its fair share of bizarre moments. This game would be one of those moments, captured in the San Francisco Examiner‘s Ken Miller’s article. Not only did the Seals blow a 3-0 lead to a division rival, the game featured violent moments, crashes into goaltenders, a flying dessert, and an unconscious referee! Like the first day at Woodstock, this one had it all!

“Young Warns No Jobs on Seals Are Safe” (by John Porter) – Jun. 3, 1974 – download here

Garry Young had a lot on his plate after he became the Seals’ Director of Hockey Operations (basically a general manager who had to ask the league permission to do anything involving money) in February 1974. Not only was he looking for ways to improve the roster of the worst team in major professional hockey, he was also staring down the barrel of an expansion draft in which the team would be forced to part with not one, not two, but three players. On the other hand, these hard decisions would force the team to call up a few rookies who actually had a chance to make an impact, so the expansion draft turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

“Seals Showing a Brand New Look” (by Gordon Sakamoto) – Aug. 25, 1974 – download here

The months that unfolded between Charlie Finley’s sale of the Seals and the start of the 1974-75 regular season were unusual for anyone associated with the Seals. For the first time in years, the team seemed destined for bigger and better things. There was genuine excitement everywhere you looked. The white skates were gone, new uniforms were ordered, and smiles could be seen on everyone’s face. This article from late August 1974 is from Gordon Sakamoto of the Fremont Argus.

“Atlanta Tops California 4-2 – Sep. 23, 1974 – download here

This is a short (partial) article from the Ottawa Journal, which no longer exists. The game, an exhibition contest between Atlanta and California, held absolutely no significance to anyone except for one small anomaly: the free shot. For those of you unfamiliar with the free shot, it was a very short-lived experimental rule whereby instead of penalizing players for freezing the puck against the boards or penalizing goalies for freezing the puck for more than three seconds, the referee awarded the non-offending team with a free shot. Basically, a player was chosen to shoot the puck from one of the faceoff circles closest to the net. Only after the puck was shot could the opposing team jump back into the action. Yes, it was as bizarre as it sounds, and when the Seals were awarded a free shot versus Atlanta, things went awry. Needless to say, goaltenders hated playing the role of ducks in the line of hunters’ fire, and before the pre-season was over, the rule was abandoned.

“Seals Put Ding on WHA” (by John Porter) and “WHA Teams Lose to NHL Squads” (by the Canadian Press) – October 3, 1974 – download here

It was no secret that the NHL and WHA never really got along, although NHL players, for generations afterward, owed the rebel league a tremendous amount of gratitude. The WHA helped salaries rise across the NHL, for one thing. NHL players who found themselves out of work for one reason or another, could still hope to find a job in the other league. That said, there were some moments of bitterness, especially when a NHL player shunned his club and bolted for greener pastures. In “Seals Put Ding on WHA” from the Oakland Tribune we get a small glimpse of what that bitterness sounded like as Ron Chipperfield’s Vancouver Blazers took on the Seals in one of the earliest exhibition contests between the two leagues. Man, did the boys in green have a hate on for Chipperfield! The second article “WHA Teams Lose to NHL Squads” from the Nanaimo (B.C.) Times is just a summary of that night’s contest, as well as a few others around the NHL that night.

“I’m Krazy George” (by Hank Masler) – October 1974 – download here

This last article from the October 1974 issue of Goal is a two-page profile of legendary Seals cheerleader Krazy George Henderson.  This guy was (and is) truly one-of-a-kind, running up and down the aisles of the Oakland Coliseum, banging his drum, and yelling “Hey Turkey!” to opposing players.  More than a few players wanted nothing more than to squeeze their hands around George’s neck, but that kind of threat never stopped him from doing his job: rousing the small Coliseum crowds into a frenzy.  He was so good at his job that when the Seals folded, he found cheer-leading work with several other sports teams such as the NHL Colorado Rockies and baseball’s Oakland A’s, where he claims to have invented The Wave.

“Gilbertson… California’s Favorite” (by Hank Masler) – October 1974 – download here

From the October 1974 issue of Goal, here is a profile of former Seal Stan Gilbertson.  Apparently he wasn’t California’s favorite for long as he was traded within weeks of this article’s publication.

“Patrick Makes His Point” (by Hank Masler) – October 1974 – download here

Hall of Famer Craig Patrick is featured in this Goal article, also published a few weeks before he and Gilbertson were dealt to St. Louis for Dave Gardner and Butch Williams.

“The View From Here” (by Regina M. Skinner) – October 1974 – download here

Completing the hat-trick of articles from my issue of Goal is this interesting piece from Regina M. Skinner.  In it, she writes about the changes that took place between the Seals’ worst-ever season (1973-74), and what seemed to be a brand new era of Bay Area hockey where enthusiasm and hope reigned.

“Johnston Charitable on Seals’ Network” (by George Hower) – Oct. 8, 1974 – download here

It didn’t happen often that there was an actual write-up about a pre-season team scrimmage, but in the Oct. 8, 1974 Santa Rosa Press Democrat, sportswriter George Hower penned this interesting piece. The Seals were full of enthusiasm at this time, as they had just completed a very successful exhibition schedule compiling a solid 3-3-1 record. Gary Simmons and Al MacAdam emerged as potential stars and the new and improved defense crew gave the Seals some much-needed credibility.

“KC Scouts a Mystery to Seals” – Oct. 23, 1974 – download here 

This short article is really about the Lee Susman cartoon that accompanies it. The Seals and Kansas City Scouts were both off to terrible starts featuring rosters of pretty much the same expansion-grade quality in that there were question marks everywhere. The Seals had Gilles Meloche and Joey Johnston as always, and they also had newcomer Jim Neilson, but other than them, most other Seals were rookies or prospects who had yet to make a name for themselves. As for the Scouts, well… even some Seals had a hard time naming one member. Thanks to Bob Marceau for sending this article and cartoon my way.

“Another Oakland Rivalry Born” (by Jay Greenberg) – Oct. 25, 1974 – download here

After the Seals came back to tie the Kansas City Scouts in their first-ever meeting October 24, 1974, K.C. coach Bep Guidolin took exception to a quote from Seals coach Marshall Johnston, and so there was a little talk about a possible Oakland-Kansas CIty rivalry, but of course, that never really happened.

“Flyers Back in Form – Brawl With Seals” (by Gary Mueller) – November 16, 1974 – download here

I found this great article from the Sporting News on HockeyFights.com a few years ago.  Someone had posted it in the discussion group for the infamous Mike Christie penalty box pummeling from October 25, 1974.  Undoubtedly one of the lowest moments in Seals franchise history, which is saying a lot, even the Flyers’ nefarious Dave “The Hammer” Schultz was turned off by the entire incident.  A lot of people don’t realize that Mike Christie holds the Seals/Barons franchise record for plus/minus (+18) in one season, even though the team gave up 52 more goals than they scored.  On a team that, historically, had so few “plus” players, you could count them on one hand, +18 on the 1976-77 Barons was like +180 on the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens.

“Sputtering Seals Hit Rock Bottom” (by John Porter) – Nov. 20, 1974 – download here

While it is in fact difficult to say what “rock bottom” actually was for the Seals (just so many moments to choose from…), losing to the first-year Washington Capitals is a pretty logical moment to settle on. Coach Marshall Johnston would later say that this game, in which Dave Hrechkosy scored a goal, was the moment the season turned around for his rookie sniper.

“Weird Loss May Jell Seals” (by John Porter) – Nov. 24, 1974 – download here

The 1974-75 season was a real turning point for the Seals. Sure, they didn’t get off to a great start (3-15-4 after a 3-1 loss to Minnesota on November 23rd), but the team was chock full of young, enthusiastic prospects with a real future. Fans began returning to the Coliseum after the darkness of the Charlie Finley era had finally retreated for good. The team had vibrant new uniforms too. Good times were just around the corner. Or so it seemed. The Seals played a great game November 23rd against Minnesota but came out on the losing end. Nevertheless, there was a new found optimism installing itself in the Seals dressing room. That and strange rumours that Joey Johnston was on his way to the New York Rangers, and that Marshall Johnston was on his way out as coach, neither of which happened at that time. This article sums up well what the Seals were all about: a colourful cast of talented players shrouded in rumours of an impending implosion as the loss column figure continued to tick upward.

“Seals Jeopardizing NHL” – Dec. 5, 1974 – download here

In this article from the Hayward Daily Review is a nice history lesson on the financial mismanagement and ownership crises of the Seals, as well as how the NHL was suffering as a result of its original decision to award the Bay Area expansion franchise to Barry van Gerbig back in 1966. The article also goes into a little detail about the antitrust suit van Gerbig launched against the NHL after the league granted an expansion franchise to Vancouver, an area van Gerbig had original envisioned for his Seals after it became obvious Oakland was not going to work out as planned.

“Seals Win a Yawner” (by Hugh McDonald) – Dec. 21, 1974 – download here

The Washington Capitals were off to a terrible start in their expansion season, and the Seals were starting to look like they were going to make a run at the playoffs, so already it was shaping up to be a one-sided affair. The game was apparently a “yawner” but the Seals needed the easy two points.This was the period when the Wrecking Crew Line was just starting to take off as both Dave Hrechkosy and Butch Williams were starting to fill the net. It was a happy time for the Seals, who were finally turning a bit of a corner after two largely forgettable seasons. For the Capitals, Denis Dupere had the hot hand, setting a new single-season high for goals before Santa came to visit, so he was looking to pad his totals a bit.

“These Seals Refuse to Play Dead (by Mark Mulvoy) – Jan. 12, 1975 – download here

This here piece of history might be more rare than a piano-playing unicorn: a Sports Illustrated article dedicated solely to the Seals. This kind of literature was not a routine occurrence in sports’ most famous publication. This article from Mark Mulvoy comes from the January 12, 1975 edition of the magazine, and it is a great recap of the first half of the 1974-75 season when, at first, all hope seemed lost, and games were lopsided, but then saw things turn around when the calendar turned to ’75. Marshall Johnston seemed assured of a head-coaching job in Oakland for many years to come, star rookies like Larry Patey and Dave Hreckhosy were coming into their own, and the Seals actually won a few games on the road! Within a few short weeks, however, reality would soon hit back hard, Hreckhosy came back down to earth, and Johnston was replaced behind the bench by general manager Bill McCreary, and the Seals were miles out of a playoff spot. This article is one of the few from any publication from that era that focused not only on the Seals, but on the positive aspects of playing hockey in the Bay Area in the mid-70s.

“Big Seals Crowd Savors 6-1 Win” (by John Porter) – Jan. 25, 1975 – download here

On this night, the Wrecking Crew Line of Huston, Hrechkosy, and Williams was all over the place, finishing off nice plays, and leading the Seals to a very important 6-1 win. The Seals closed the gap in the standings between them and Toronto to a mere eight points, and it was looking as though the team had finally turned a corner. A few more wins here and there, and the playoffs would be a realistic possibility. Of course, the Seals could not maintain their hot streak and eventually fell out of the playoff picture, but in January 1975, the Seals had as good a shot as anyone at making the playoffs.

“Gary Croteau Lives Up to Name” (by Ken Rudnick) – Jan. 31, 1975 – download here

Gary Croteau was one of the Golden Seals’ all-time great heart-and-soul players. He had hands of stone at times, so he never racked up impressive goal totals, but he was no quitter, often barrelling through players to get to the net. In 1974, he was drafted by the expansion Kansas City Scouts, putting an end to Croteau’s California tenure. In this Kansas City Times article from January 1975, midway through the Scouts’ maiden season, the much-liked Croteau is given plenty of ink.

“Seals Playoff Bid Distant Dream” (by Ken Miller) – Feb. 2, 1975 – download here

The Seals had high hopes of making the playoffs in 1974-75 given that they were ending the season with 19 of their final 27 games at home. A solid December and early January kept them close to the third-place Toronto Maple Leafs, but once the team hit the skids in mid-January they were out of the running once again. This article comes from the San Francisco Examiner.

“Improving Seals Should Stay Put” – February 2, 1975 – download here

This is not really an article, but more of a “Letters to the editor” section.  In it, readers of the Hayward Daily Review were asked, “How would you feel if the California Seals moved out of the Bay Area?” I like this piece very much because you really get a feel for what it was like to be a Seals fan back in the day.  There is a lot of hope and optimism for the future dished out with a large side order of anger and frustration, with just a hint of snarkiness (WordPress tells me that ain’t a word, so DIBS! – patent pending).  When I wrote my book on the Seals, I wanted to be different from other sports histories in that I wanted the fans’ point of view to be a prominent part, so it is these types of personal anecdotes and opinions that I valued most during the research process.

“Seals Outbumble Caps for 5-1 Win” (by Joe DeLoach) – Feb. 6, 1975 – download here

As difficult as the 1974-75 season was for the California Golden Seals, it paled in comparison to the train-wreck 1973-74 season, and it most definitely paled in comparison to the hell the poor Washington Capitals were going through. When the Caps rolled into Oakland on February 5, they still hadn’t picked up a duke on the road. They had also crawled their way to a pathetic 4-42-5 mark overall, so it’s not like they had much more success at Capital Centre either. On this night, the Seals put the hurt on the expansionists, and Dave Gardner enjoyed his first two-goal game as a member of the Seals.

“Seals’ Wrecking Crew a Wreck” (by Ken Miller) – Feb. 10, 1975 – download here

For a while during the 1974-75 season, the talk in Oakland hockey circles was all about the Wrecking Crew Line of Dave Hrechkosy, Butch Williams, and Ron Huston. When the Wrecking Crew was on, the Seals won, but when the Wrecking Crew was quiet, the Seals usually lost. Case in point: February 9, 1975. The expansion Kansas City Scouts were in town, and even though they only had 11 wins under their belts, they managed to squeak out a 2-1 win, keeping the Seals 13 points behind the third-place Maple Leafs in the Adams Division playoff race.

“All Seals Need Now is a Set of Miracles” (by Ken Miller) – Feb. 27, 1975 – download here

If ever you wanted to know about the Seals’ February 26, 1975 3-1 loss to Minnesota, is THIS the update for you! Not only do you get a great article from Ken Miller of the San Francisco Examiner but you also get some added bonuses. You also get the official Seals news release (game notes, stats) leading up to the game PLUS updated league standings and team scoring stats. The docs are beauties! Thanks once again to Pete Manzolillo who dug up these rare gems and asked that they be shared with all of you.

“Coach Can’t Explain Seals ‘Flat Effort’ (by Hugh McDonald) – Feb. 27, 1975 + Seals official news release – download here   

The Minnesota North Stars were coming off a humiliating 9-2 loss to Toronto, and the Seals were coming off a spectacular 6-4 victory over Boston, but on February 26, the teams adopted the other’s result. In other words, the Seals sucked and the Stars rocked. As an added bonus to this article from the San Mateo Times, I’m also including the Seals’ official news release which preceded the game. Thanks once again to Pete Manzolillo for sending these great finds my way so that I can share them with all of you!

“Seals Won’t Call Up Rookies; Vets to Face Chicago (by Ken Miller) – Mar. 5, 1975 – download here

Just about every year of the Seals’ existence, there was that moment when the season was officially declared obsolete. This season, that date came a little later than usual. There were even a few moments in January and February when there was actually a smidgen of hope that the Seals could at least close the gap with Toronto to the point where there would actually be a playoff race, but the Seals hit the skids at the worst possible time and failed in their quest. This article from the San Francisco Examiner is all about that yearly question the Seals had to ask themselves: Do we go with rookies now that the season is over, or do we stay the course?

“Coach Applauds Seals” (by Hugh McDonald) – Mar. 22, 1975 – download here

Garry Young knew a thing or two about the California Golden Seals of 1974-75. In fact, he was mostly responsible for building that team that would end up showing a 15-point improvement in the standings. He left suddenly before the start of the regular season and accepted the head coaching position of the St. Louis Blues, a team that had struggled mightily in the early going. The Blues turned things around under Young and even challenged for the Smythe Division crown, but the Seals weren’t going to let them waltz in and take two points just like that. Note: I have absolutely no freakin’ clue why there is a mention of “players” (from where, your guess is as good as mine) claiming expenses from hair styling, bowling, and canoe trips on their tax returns. I may have to look into that when I get time.

“Washington streak ends as Seals capitulate, 5-3” (by Joe DeLoach) – March 29, 1975 – download here

The Hayward Daily Review‘s Joe DeLoach captures one of the most infamous moments in Seals history, as the 6-64-5 Capitals, who had lost all 37 of their previous road games that season, marched into Oakland and robbed the Seals of what would have been their 20th win of the season.  Legend has it that the Caps all autographed a garbage in their dressing room after the game, and then proceeded to parade it around the ice.  The next year, when they visited Oakland again, the garbage can was still there with all of their names inscribed on it.

“Seals’ McCreary Admits He Won’t Return as Coach” (by Ken Miller) – Apr. 7, 1975 – download here

The Seals entered the final game of the 1974-75 season a whopping 53 points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who were just finishing up their best-ever season. Even though the game was in Oakland no one really believed the Kings were going to leave without two points, but the Seals hung tough and gave the Kings all they could handle. This article from the San Francisco Examiner‘s Ken Miller talks about the Seals’ plans for the next season, as well as the possibility of Larry Patey, Joey Johnston, and Bill McCreary having made their final appearances in a Seals uniform, which was two-thirds correct.

“Season-Ender ‘Nothing Affair'” (by Hugh McDonald) – Apr. 7, 1975 – download here

All in all, 1974-75 wasn’t that bad. Sure, the Seals finished last in their division for the third year in a row, but the team did improve 15 points in the standings, they had a .500 record at home, offense increased, and goals-against were down. The club’s cupboard was restocked thanks to a young, emerging crop of players taking on major roles. The team even flirted with a playoff spot into January. The team was still a ward of the NHL, but it was only a matter of time before Mel Swig would be taking over. There really weren’t many periods in franchise history where there more reasons for optimism.