Hi everyone! Another weekend is upon us, and it is hotter than hell up here in Eastern Ontario. Temps are supposed to be in the low 30s for the next four days – that’s the low 90s Fahrenheit for all my American friends – so it’s going to be one hot Father’s Day weekend. It’s also the first weekend in months where I’m actually going to visit someone at their house. In this case, my Dad and his girlfriend and my brother. I hope all of you fathers out there have yourselves a great Father’s Day too, and those of you who aren’t fathers, don’t forget to give your Dad a call or send him a card.

Like I said before, it’s going to be one hot weekend. Almost enough to make me want to shed all my clothes and have a cold one under a tree. Speaking of wearing not enough clothes, this week’s article comes from the November 19, 1971 Oakland Tribune, and it is all about the dangers of not dressing properly for the right occasion. On this night, the Seals won what can only be described as a barn-burner, but they were worse for wear afterwards. Goaltender Lyle Carter, when he was interviewed for my book, told me about that night and how it had a profound affect on his career. Here is an excerpt from the interview I did with Lyle on July 17, 2011:

“We were leading the game 2-1.  I’m going to say we were in the second period, I’m pretty sure, and the rebound went back to [Richard] Martin.  He didn’t even stop it; he blasted and they tell me it was 90 miles per hour or more and I was using a belly pad that shouldn’t have been used in peewee hockey that they had come up with for me to use in that game, and you think back and you wonder… why didn’t somebody think of me using Meloche’s belly pad, but anyone who knows goaltender gear, a belly pad in those days was one piece, the arm pads were another, today I believe they’re all the same piece, and this was a very small belly pad, it was not well-padded, whereas mine had reinforcements on it which went practically around to your back on both sides.  There was nothing like this on this belly pad, and that’s why I was injured, because it hit — next to maybe a hockey sweater and an undershirt or something underneath — it hit no equipment.  I hit me just in the bare skin you might say.  It cut me for about a five-inch gash. It tore the rib cartilage, and actually knocked me out. I never knew what happened until I looked up and the players were all around me.  I was laying on my back on the ice, and they took me off on a stretcher and so on.  That was the injury and it pretty much ruined my debut in the National Hockey League and ruined my season.”

Being short a piece of equipment is something this week’s newest Hall of Shame inductee need not worry about. In fact, he wears his equipment places where it isn’t even necessary. This week’s newest induction to the Overexposed wing is another classic card from the awful 1992-93 Topps Stadium Club set. This time around we’re featuring former St. Louis Blue Craig Janney and his shoulder pads! Like so many other cards in the Topps set, it is stunningly awful, and you can read all about it and a few other mistakes from that same set right here.

Before you take off to enjoy that wonderful summer weather, don’t forget to cast your votes for the 2020 Seals Hall of Fame. The voting closes June 30th, so if you haven’t gotten around to voting, you’d better do it soon!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! This week, it is time to show some respect for two of the greatest players of the 1970s, both of whom broke out in a big way toiling in Oakland, which unfortunately meant they got very little attention from the mainstream sports media. I’m talking about defenseman Paul Shmyr and centre Dennis Maruk.

There has been a recent surge in interest in the career of Dennis Maruk. First, there was his excellent and revealing autobiography, which you can read about here. There have also been several articles published online, including this week’s feature piece, detailing his great career. The Ukrainian Weekly posted this article just two weeks ago, and I’ve added it to the articles section for you to check out, but you can also read it from the Weekly‘s site here if you’d like to read some of the other articles that have been published recently.

In the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, the great Paul Shmyr‘s not-so-great rookie card has been added. It also features another underrated defenseman from the 1970s, but see if you can figure out who before I give you the answer.

As the anniversary of the site approaches, please be reminded that the voting for the Seals Hall of Fame will close July 1, so if you haven’t voted for your favorites yet, I urge you to do so now. The newest inductees will be announced in mid-July as always.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone, and welcome back! It’s June 6, which means today is the 53rd anniversary of the NHL’s very first expansion draft, the one that officially gave birth to the Seals, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota North Stars, and Los Angeles Kings. Today is the day Bill Hicke, Charlie Hodge, Gary Smith, Bobby Baun and several others became original members of the NHL Seals. Of course, things didn’t turn out so well for those guys in Year One as the club finished a disappointing 15-42-17, and a country mile out of the playoffs, but no one doubted their toughness and character strength.

To celebrate the grit and determination of hockey players from that long-ago era, I present you with a great piece from the Oakland Tribune’s Ed Levitt all about the grind that a season of pro hockey can be on a human body. The 1970-71 Seals, in particular, suffered a rash of injuries that pretty-much ensured they weren’t going to be participating in any meaningful games come April. Just about everyone who was counted on to lead the team went down with lengthy, nagging injuries, and you can read all about the Seals’ medical issues in the articles section.

Of course, one cannot write about hockey heartache and disappointment without focusing attention on one-time first-round draft bust Alexandre Daigle. We’ve got a horrible new entry to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame that exemplifies all that was wrong with hockey cards in the mid-1990s. Awful colour schemes, random words everywhere, busy patterns and logos thrown about willy-nilly, and let’s not forget the completely nonsensical player photo! This thing has it all!

That’s about it for this week. Come back again next time and don’t forget to vote for your preferred pick for induction into the Seals Hall of Fame for 2020!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! The NHL is back! In quiet, empty-arena form, but I’ll take it. After all, the Montreal Canadiens are actually going to live to see another playing day, and in the playoffs no less! Sure, it’ll probably be a quick playoff run that will last fewer days than the training camps players are going to have to go through before resuming play, but I’ll take it. It’ll give us all something to look forward to, and these days, that’s really all we can ask for. And there’s also the draft coming up in less than a month, so there’s a bonus, and free agency will be just around the corner. See how things are looking up all of a sudden?

In the articles section this week, we are featuring a piece on Seals all-star, and 2020 Seals Hall of Fame nominee Bill Hicke, arguably the team’s best player their first two seasons in the NHL. Hicke was especially effective when he was put onto a line with Ted Hampson and Gary Jarrett, and 1968-69 was their zenith when all three were selected to play in the all-star game. Unfortunately, Jarrett sustained an injury not long before the game, so he was replaced by Carol Vadnais. The “Assembly Line” wasn’t kept together very long, but in the short time they were together, they were dynamite, and Hicke was the line’s triggerman. You can read all about him and his linemates in the articles section.

In the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, be prepared to dance like Dominic Roussel, a man who was so in the zone the night his card photo was taken that he broke out one hell of a crazy dance move right there in his crease. When you see this thing you’ll be wondering how there was no mention of it in the paper the following morning. It’s like John Travolta and a Russian leader had a rug-cuttin’ child who could also stop pucks. You read that right. Best get on over to the Overexposed wing and find out how that Russian Travolta sentence makes any sense.

That’s about it for this week. The weather is finally improving so spending more time outside is becoming a priority. Thank God we have a back yard so we can enjoy the weather and social distance at the same time. Hope everyone enjoys a beer or two, grills up something good on the BBQ, and enjoys their time outside with the family.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I don’t know what the weather is like for all of you throughout Hockeyland, but in my neck of the woods, things are really looking up. We’ve had sun and just a little bit of heat all week long, and it’s going to continue throughout the weekend. Haven’t had this type of consistently pleasant weather since last August, and with this lock-down stuff seemingly unending, it certainly is appreciated. The weather, I mean, not the lock-down.

More and more, I keep hearing rumors that the NHL season is going to resume sooner rather than later. Whenever it does, it is probably going to feel like a brand new season, so why not get into the early-season mood with a brand new Seals article from the early days of the 1968-69 season. The Seals were playing the Kings in a game that featured a little bit of everything: hitting, punching, comebacks and controversy. And you’ll find out what the word “puncheroo” means too, so there’s an added bonus for your vocabulary. As always, you can find all Seals-related articles right over here.

Finally, if you’re a Calgary Flames fan, and you love receiving fashion tips, this is the card for you! I’m talking about the classic Zarley Zalapski sittin’-on-the-boards-wearin’-the-tightest-black-shorts-you-ever-did-see card. What, you don’t remember this one? Oh, then you absolutely must head on over to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, but be forewarned: you will never be able to un-see what Upper Deck concocted once upon a time.

Before you leave, don’t forget to cast your votes for this year’s inductees to the Seals Hall of Fame. You have until the end of June, so you still have time, but why wait, right?

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Well, it’s week 47 of quarantine, and still no hockey. Bunch of rumors going around, but that’s it. Getting harder and harder to come up with some sort of hockey-related, even sports-related intro to these postings. Doesn’t help much that the main topic of this site, the California Golden Seals, haven’t played a game in over four decades, but we keep plugging along hoping that tomorrow will bring some good news. It feels like forever since COVID-19 took sports away from us like Donald Audette used to kick the skates out from under his much-bigger opponents.

So, like I said, I… wait, what? You didn’t know that Donald Audette had such a violent streak? He sure did, and I gots the proof. You should check out the latest induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, a fantastic new card featuring the former Buffalo Sabres star.

This week, we’re going back to season one of the Seals’ NHL life. Back to the time when the Montreal Canadiens paid their first visit to the Oakland Coliseum… and lost. The Canadiens would have the last laugh, however, winning the 1968 Stanley Cup, but one brief shining moment the Seals came out on top. It was also the Seals’ very first win against an Original Six club, in fact, the one on which star goaltender Charlie Hodge had enjoyed so much success. You can read all about it here.

Don’t forget to cast your vote for your fave candidates for the 2020 Seals Hall of Fame induction! You can find the ballot right over there on the right-hand side of the page. Easy!

Until next time, folks, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing well and not going too stir-crazy spending all this extra time at home. I’m glad to hear that before long I’ll be able to escape my cellar where I do all my teaching nowadays. Almost like back in January 1976 when the Seals were inching ever so closely to a playoff spot and attempting to climb out of their division basement for the first time since 1972. This week’s article comes from that point in time just after a big win over division rivals the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Continuing the “at home” theme, have we got a treat for you! Yes, we’ve got two new Overexposed inductions, which I had to post together in one posting, which you will understand why when you check out these classic Shayne Corson cards. These beauties were produced during that strange period in the mid-to-late 1990s when card companies loved featuring NHL players engaging in their favorite hobbies. You probably remember the crap-load of golfing cards we’ve featured in the past, not to mention Mike Ricci riding around on a golf cart like a four-year-old, and Joe Sakic eating soup. Ah, memories! In Shayne Corson’s case, his hobby was apparently… DUM, DUM, DUM… MURDER! I know, I know, you don’t believe me, and if I were you I wouldn’t either. But I’m not you, I’m me, and I’m tellin’ ya there was something fishy going on at the Corson residence between 1997 and 1998. You’ll just have to check out this week’s induction to find out for yourself.

One last thing I wanted to announce… The paperback version of my book is now available for pre-order on Amazon if you want to pick it up, but there’s a catch. You won’t be able to get it in your hands until October 1 when it is officially released. So, if you’re looking to get your Christmas shopping done early – and let’s face it, there’s still a chance you won’t be leaving the house anytime soon – wouldn’t it be great for a book to just one day show up in your mailbox? Yup, that’s what I thought, so head on over to Amazon and get clicking!

Until next time, stay gold!

In watching a lot of these classic NHL games on TV to satisfy my need for sports during this pandemic, I’ve noticed that the game definitely had a lot more clutching and grabbing than I remember. Case in point, this week’s Overexposed card featuring the Florida Panthers’ Johan Garpenlov. Take a look at the moment when a photographer captured the guy getting his lunch money stolen by a gang of angry schoolyard thugs.

This week’s Seals article is not so much about mugging your fellow man, but more about pushing and shoving a… wait, what’s that I see? Is that a cartoon Seal shoving a boy scout in the face? Yup, that’s what it is all right, and it can be found right here in the latest Lee Susman cartoon which was published just before the Seals’ first-ever game against the Kansas City Scouts October 23, 1974. This week’s article is not a very long one, but more of a companion piece to the Susman caroon. It is interesting that the Seals may have been giving the expansion Scouts a little extra motivation by not being able to name a single one of them when asked to do so by a Bay Area reporter, which was strange considering four-year Seals veteran Gary Croteau was now on the Scouts’ roster.

Also, friend of the site Greg Enright let me know recently that his book titled The Pittsburgh Penguins: the First 25 Years has been published, and it looks like a great read, which I’m looking forward to digging into. Most of you here right now are fans of old-school hockey and the post-expansion era, so you’ll want to check out this book. There is a sample on Amazon, and it is available there, but in Kindle form only. If you prefer a more traditional softcover version, you can pick it up on the McFarland website here.

In closing this week, I’m sending out an S.O.S. (thanks, Sting!) hoping a few of you out there can think of some brutally awkward hockey cards that need to be posted on this site. In fact, if anyone has any suggestions for topics they would like to see roasted in the Hockey Hall of Shame, send them on over to me, and I’ll see what I can do to make your dreams come true! And once you’re done sending me snaps of God-awful cardboard crap and goofy hockey marketing ideas, don’t forget to vote for your picks for the Seals Hall of Fame. The online ballot is right there to your right, and you can vote up to three times per device.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! With all the talk about hockey coming back, there is finally a little enthusiasm in the air. Sure, no one will actually be able to attend any games, but in my opinion, as long as there is some sort of competitive current-day sports for us to watch on TV, I’m happy. Not sure if the excitement is similar to the excitement that Seals fans felt after their team won their opening game of 1973-74, but I needed some sort of introduction to this article I wanted to post, so voilà! As an added bonus, there is also a nice Lee Susman cartoon from the previous day’s Oakland Tribune.

And for those of you who are wrestling with the notion of retiring, but are not sure if you still want to go to the office every day even though your boss has told you don’t work there anymore because you were replaced with someone else, well have I got an Overexposed card for ya! It features little-known, but rather underrated defenseman Tom Edur in an underrated O-Pee-Chee blunderfest from 1978-79.

As always, a friendly reminder to vote for the people you believe should be inducted into the Seals Hall of Fame. While the hockey world is completely shut down right now, we keep chugging along and taking your votes, so start clickin’ if you haven’t done so already.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I’m sure you’ve all been immersed in a number of books since you’ve been in self-isolation mode. I know I have. I’ve read through Henry Boucha’s autobiography, a history of the Montreal Canadiens-Quebec Nordiques rivalry, and I’m in the process of reading a history of the Vegas Golden Knights as well as The Curse, a history of the L.A. Clippers of the NBA. It’s been nice having time to read so much and catch up on all those books I’ve collected over the years but never had a chance to read, so I thought I’d share with you my views on a book on NHL expansion, Changing the Game by Stephen Laroche. It contains a chapter on the Seals so if you haven’t read this book before, you may be interested in doing so now that you have some spare time. You can read my review of it here.

I’ve also added an article on the night Rick Hampton broke the Seals’ record for most points by a defenseman in a season. I always felt Hampton, like many other high draft picks of doormat teams, got a bad rap as he was asked to deliver the impossible even though he wasn’t even legally old enough to drink. He was in way over his head as the third overall pick in the 1974 amateur draft. In any other year, he probably would have been a low first-round pick, maybe even a second-rounder, but because the WHA had signed so many under-aged players, many who would have been drafted lower were drafted way too high. The ’74 draft, not to mention the next few drafts, were among the weakest in hockey history as first and second overall picks were not nearly as great as previous tip top draftees like Guy Lafleur and Denis Potvin.

As an added bonus to the Hampton article, there is also a cartoon from the Oakland Tribune‘s Lee Susman, courtesy of Bob Marceau, who also sent me the article, and several others I’ll be posting in the coming weeks.

That’s about it for this week. Stay healthy and stay safe. Enjoy your time with your families and take advantage of the nice weather as Spring rolls in. Read a good book in your back yard, bask in the sunshine, and drink lots of coffee and beer!

Until next time, stay gold!