Hi everyone! Hope everyone is doing well and that the fall blahs haven’t got you down. Don’t fret though; it just means another hockey season is around the corner. I’ve already received, count ’em, TWO different season preview issues from the Hockey News. How much their prognosis could have changed from issue number one in late July to issue number two in late August, a time in which almost nothing happens in the NHL, is a mystery to me, but I’ll eventually get to reading both issues all the way through and find out.

This week, head on over to the articles section for a brand new piece on the famous January 12, 1973 3-3 tie against the vaunted Montreal Canadiens. Yes, the Seals actually picked up a point against this edition of the Habs that lost a total of ten games throughout the regular season and won the Stanley Cup.

On a completely unrelated note, I turned my computer on yesterday morning and the first thing I, like many of you saw was this guy:

Oh yeah, that’s some good old fashioned nightmare fuel right there. You’re welcome!

Like everyone else on the Internet, I thought, WOW, Bryan Cranston has really let himself go. I mean, he actually went FULL Walter White and started cooking and selling meth. And then I looked closer and realized it was some other dude who cooks and sells meth, but seriously, look at the resemblance.

Subconsciously, the image must have stayed with me all day, and as I was writing up a new induction for the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, I couldn’t help notice how much former Edmonton Oiler Dean McAmmond was a dead ringer for yet another sinister Breaking Bad character. To find out which one, you’ll have to head on over to this week’s induction!

And that’s about it for this week. Hope everyone has a great weekend and takes advantage of the last few days of warm sunshine. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! School has officially started for every child here in Ottawa, meaning that things are getting busy here at the homestead. I’m hoping it doesn’t slow down my updates, but if it does you’ll know why. In the meantime, lots of new stuff to share with you this week.

This week, I stumbled upon a fascinating article about the San Francisco Seals’ (and later Oakland/California Golden Seals’) legendary broadcaster Roy Storey. I had no idea how many health scares he went through in his life, especially before and during the Seals’ championship runs in 1963 and 1964. I invite you all to read up on a sometimes forgotten member of the Seals family.

In the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, check out this brand new card of the Hartford Whalers’ Dave Barr. It’s time to break out the Crayolas, folks, so you know what that means… bad 80s airbrushing!

If anyone is interested in reading a new review of my book, please check out Sal Barry’s site Puck Junk. You can check it out at the following link: http:// http://puckjunk.com/2019/07/22/book-review-the-california-golden-seals/. Sal’s site has all kinds of interesting articles about hockey books, hockey cards, and other hockey-related topics, and it is updated quite frequently so there’s always lots of new stuff. With hockey season around the corner, there’s sure to be a surge of new material.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It’s great to be back and yet still officially on holidays for at least another four days. I’ll be heading back to work, which happens to be a school, this coming Tuesday after Labour Day weekend, and my little boy Emmett, along with a whole bunch of other four-year-olds will be starting kindergarten the very same day. In order to commemorate what has often been termed “The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” I present to you a brand new induction into the Hockey Hall of Shame’s Overexposed wing. If you grew up in the 1990s like I did, you will surely get the warm-and-fuzzies looking at this classic cardboard and thinking of your high school days. I’m talking about the wonderfully awesome Craig Wolanin card from the 1992-93 Topps set.

There is also another new article courtesy of Pete Manzolillo. It contains some great photos of Pete Laframboise from during and after his famous four-goal game against Vancouver January 3, 1973. You could say that Laframboise and the Seals really took the Canucks to school on this night! You can read all about it in the articles section.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Well, it’s that time of year again when network television slowly starts bringing back its hit shows for yet another season. Actually, it’s more Netflix than anything else. Orange Is The New Black is back and so is Glow, not to mention a whole slew of stand-up specials and straight-to-Netflix Adam Sandler movies. Then again, that sounds like what Netflix does year-round. Anyway, I needed some sort of segue into this week’s Overexposed card, featuring the NHL’s all-time greatest stuntman, David Oliver! Yes, you read that correctly. You won’t believe this cardboard classic until you see it, so I strongly urge you all to head on over to the Hockey Hall of Shame for your weekly dose of weirdness.

In keeping with the entertainment theme of the week, you can go read a new Oakland Tribune article from the summer of ’70, a time when the Seals were up for sale, and no one knew exactly who owned the team in the first place. Trans-National Communications claimed they owned the Seals, and wanted to sell them to roller derby king Jerry Seltzer, while Barry Van Gerbig also claimed ownership, and wanted to sell the team to Charles O. Finley. You all know how things ended up, and the rest is history.

If you’ve checked out the David Oliver card, you can see where I got the “broken neck” part of this week’s title. As for the rest, well, it’s holiday time, and I’m taking a break. Don’t fret though, I’ll just be away for a week, so no new update until the last week of August. So until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Golden Seals Hockey for another trip in the Way-Back Machine. This week, I’ve added a new article detailing Bert Olmstead’s frustrations as he thought about resigning as head coach. Olmstead’s one and only season behind the bench (1967-68), did not at all go as planned. The Seals were expected to contend for the division crown. Instead, they were pretty much out of the playoff picture before Christmas, and by February, they were already busy polishing up their golf clubs. Olmstead made one last-ditch effort to better understand what was wrong with his players, but all that resulted from his observations way up in the stands was that he became even more disillusioned. You can read all about Olmstead’s last stand in the articles section.

There is also a new addition to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, and like most of the previous additions, it tries really, really hard to be cool, but in the end it achieves everything but coolness. It looks like poor Brent Sapergia of the San Diego Gulls got himself some really bad advice from some hack photog. Bad advice that likely continues to give the dude nightmares to this day. Take a trip down memory lane to a simpler time when men tried to look like rats, and women tried to look like Brillo pads that were struck by lightning. Check out this horrific slab of cardboard over in the Hall of Shame!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Happy Civic Holiday long weekend! At least, for those of you living in Canada. I don’t know what goes on in the U.S. the first Monday in August but here in Canada it is time to celebrate! What it is we celebrate, I really have no freakin’ clue. Civic Holiday is one of the weirdest holidays in Canada in that it serves really no purpose other than to give the populace a paid day off between Canada Day and Labour Day. All I know is that I don’t have to work, so I’m happy whatever the reason I’m allowed to sleep in on a Monday. (Who am I kidding, considering my son Emmett is only 3, I’ll be lucky if I’m still in bed past 6:30am.).

The point I’m trying to make is that rituals don’t always make a lot of sense, but in the end, they often make us happy, comforted and/or comfortable. Hockey players’ superstitions make about as much sense as Civic Holiday, as you will read in this week’s new article (thanks again to Pete Manzolillo). This piece comes from 1973-74 (I’m not sure exactly when), so it features little snippets from the lives and careers of Gilles Meloche, Bob Stewart, Gary Croteau, Morris Mott, and Hilliard Graves among others. Some of their superstitions produced (at least that what is believed) some interesting results, while others did absolutely nothing but provide some peace of mind. In either case, the article is an interesting insight into the minds of professional hockey players from a long-ago era.

While you’re here, be sure to check out the latest addition to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame. This week, we feature one-time San Francisco Seal Doug Favell in what seems to be a very trying moment in his NHL career. You have to see his face to believe me.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Thanks for coming back once again, and judging by the latest ranking in Feedspot article, you guys have been spreading the word. Last year, Golden Seals Hockey was ranked number 52 in the list of best hockey websites, but this year, in the “Top 50 Ice Hockey Websites, Blogs & Newsletters To Follow in 2019” list, this site is ranked… 25th!

For the first time, as far as I can remember, I’m combining my job and my website. For those of you (all of you?) who are not aware, I am a French teacher, but I specialize in helping public servants here in Ottawa who need to pass their bilingualism tests. It’s a fun job, but not everyone is qualified to do it. It has taken me years to figure out exactly what I should be doing, but after eleven years at Fast Forward French in Kanata (the West end of Ottawa), I am now the academic director. This means I handle lots of student evaluations and assessments. It just so happens that site subscriber Pete Manzolillo sent me an awesome clipping from an old “Goal” game program, and in this clipping we see a Washington Capitals scouting report of the Cleveland Barons. The Caps were scheduled to face Cleveland December 2, 1977 and this report comes after the Barons’ 3-1 loss to Boston November 13.

In keeping with this week’s theme, our newest addition to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame is certainly appropriate. After all, coaches are basically teachers in sweatsuits and skates, and this week we’re featuring former Winnipeg Jets coach Bob Murdoch (not the Seals’ Bob Murdoch, however), uh… teaching… the referee?… the fans?… the voices in his head? I really don’t know. Head on over this week’s newest induction and let me know what you think is going on. As usual, I’m just interpreting what I see, and I’m likely wrong, but if being wrong is… wrong… wait, I think that line might go some other way. It might have something to do with loving someone. Anyway, new induction this week, yay!

Until next time, stay gold!

As you probably already know, former Seals/Barons defenseman Mike Christie passed away July 11 as he was awaiting a kidney transplant. The Big Spring, Texas-born, but Calgary, Alberta-raised Chrisite was 69. Christie, in my opinion, was one of the more underrated defensemen in franchise history. Many don’t realize that he holds the franchise +/- record, which he set in 1976-77. He went +18 that year, which on a team like the Cleveland Barons, was like finishing +218 on a contending team. Of all the players who toiled in Oakland and Cleveland, he may have had the biggest heart, and was a respected team leader. Everyone remembers the night the Philadelphia Flyers jumped Christie in the penalty box, and Christie never complained about the unfortunate incident in any newspaper article I ever read. He was a tough individual with a little offensive flair. The same year he set the club mark for +/- he also scored 6 goals and added 27 assists, which were both career-highs. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Christie family as well as his teammates over the years. R.I.P. Mike.

I just wanted to do a small update this week, due to the fact we are having furniture delivered this weekend, thus meaning we have to rearrange (i.e. clean) the house before and after its arrival. I spent most of last evening moving one heavy couch from my basement, up a narrow set of stairs, around a sharp corner and into my living room, followed by moving the previous living room couch out into the garage where it will reside until the garbage truck comes by Monday morning. So, yeah, a little short on time this week, but all the same I happened to find an old article from a 1974 issue of The Hockey News featuring 2019 Seals Hall of Fame inductee Ivan Boldirev, who was then in his third and final season with the Seals. Boldirev was traded to Chicago just a few months later for Mike Christie and Len Frig in one of the most underrated deals made by the Seals. Sure, Boldirev was about as consistent as they came, and he had a great career with Chicago, Atlanta, Vancouver and Detroit, but the Seals’ defense immediately improved after acquiring Christie and Frig. Head on over to the articles section to take a look at the piece.

Until next time, stay gold!

I’m very sorry to report that former Seal and Baron Mike Christie, one of the finest and toughest defensemen in franchise history passed away July 11 at the age of 69. He was awaiting a kidney transplant at the time of his passing. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike’s family, friends, and teammates. R.I.P.

Hi everyone! Welcome back to Golden Seals Hockey and to our once-a-year special day! It is time to present the Seals Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Please welcome Gary Simmons, Ivan Boldirev, and Jim Neilson to our hallowed Hall. Thanks to everyone who voted for our newest inductees as well as the other nominees over the last few months. The participation in the voting process was fantastic this year, even better than 2018. Word is starting to spread and I appreciate the efforts you have all made at getting people to visit the site.

On the recommendation of Robert Kirk of Brandon, Manitoba, I have also decided to induct, as the Hall’s first builder, the legendary Peanuts creator Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz. I think you will agree that his induction is long overdue and a tremendous past oversight. If you would like to read the biographies of our Class of 2019 inductees, please head over to the 2019 Inductees.

I got a tremendous gift in my Dropbox this week: a treasure trove of articles about the Kansas City Scouts and Washington Capitals. I’m so geeking out right now just trying to figure out where I’m going to start with them all. I’ve got media guides, Hockey News articles, game programs, and a whole lot of other cool stuff. I even found out that after the Scouts and Capitals exhibition tour of Japan, there were preliminary plans to invite the L.A. Kings and, wait for it… California Seals the next time around. Of course, that never happened, perhaps because the Seals moved to Cleveland before plans could be finalized. Looking forward to enjoying these new sources this weekend and getting back to writing more of my new book. And so I bid you all a good night and a great weekend!

Until next time, stay gold!