Former Seal Harry Howell passed away today, and I wish to extend my sympathies to his family and friends. He was one of the most respected players of his generation, whether that was as a member of the New York Rangers (with whom he won the 1967 Norris Trophy due in part to his career-high 12 goals and 40 points), the Oakland Seals, California Golden Seals, L.A. Kings, or the WHA’s New York Golden Blades/Jersey Knights, San Diego Mariners, or Calgary Cowboys. The Hockey Hall of Famer played a total of 1,581 regular-season games in the NHL and WHA, amassing 101 goals and 360 assists over an incredible 24 seasons. He also played in 45 career NHL/WHA playoff games, but unfortunately never captured the Stanley Cup.

When he was acquired by the Seals in 1969, many believed the Hamilton, Ontario native’s career was coming to an end; he played another seven years, including two with the Seals, scoring four goals and 25 assists in 83 games. He brought class and dignity to a franchise that was just starting out and looking for some credibility. Despite the Seals’ struggles during most of his two seasons in Oakland, Howell was known as a player who never quit, and who always gave it his all. After being traded to Los Angeles, he eventually made his way to the World Hockey Association. After his retirement, he returned to the NHL, this time as assistant general manager of the Seals’ descendants, the Cleveland Barons. When Bill McCreary was fired mid-way through the 1976-77 season, Howell became general manager, and he orchestrated many important deals, acquiring players like Gary Edwards, Walt McKechnie, J.P. Parise, and Chuck Arnason, all of whom played important roles in Cleveland’s ill-fated playoff push in 1977-78. When the Barons were merged with the Minnesota North Stars, Howell coached the team briefly before resigning from his post. He later served as a scout for the 1990 Edmonton Oilers, getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.

His number 3 has been retired by the New York Rangers, and his 1,160 regular-season games played for the franchise is still the team’s all-time record. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1979.

Hi everyone! Finally, after a month of sickness hell, everyone is feeling better at the Currier house. We’re all breathing clearly, noses stopped leaking, and coughing fits are now down to a minimum. To say the least, I have been more than happy to bid adios to February and greet March with a warm embrace. Now if only we can start the process of getting rid of all that cumbersome snow everywhere and everything will be alright.

This week, check out the brand new Hockey News articles posted about the Seals’ contract negotiations (or should I say lack of negotiations) near the end of the 1972-73 season. It must have been tough playing for the Seals during the Charlie Finley era. The team was a shambles, no one knew where the owner was at, and when he showed up it was to either gripe about how bad the team was, or to show off in front of his friends. Surprisingly, Finley actually spent some money in the off-season to keep the Seals’ best players around, so there would be no mass defections like there had been the year before, but there had definitely been concerns that whatever talent the Seals had was not going to be sticking around for long.

There is also a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame. This week’s card features Teemu Selanne and… Roy Firestone? And some of the worst fonts you ever did see. Yup.

So that’s that for this week. Keep coming back for more stats updates, articles, and other historical tidbits from everyone’s favorite defunct hockey team. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Welcome back! I’m happy to say I am feeling much better this week and have been looking forward to enjoying this weekend, the first in nearly a month where I don’t expect to be tearing through Kleenex boxes, coughing away, and downing Buckley’s cold and flu capsules. I’m looking forward to a normal weekend, and maybe a little hockey on the TV, but before I get to that, some business to take care of here.

This week, my beloved Habs turned in an impressive 8-1 win over Detroit, and this week, in the articles section, you can read about a rare 8-1 win by the California Golden Seals. This game, November 7, 1971, took place just as the off-the-scrap-heap Seals were just starting to warm up and make a charge at a West Division playoff spot. Poor Jacques Plante really took one on the chin on this night, but don’t feel too bad for the Hall-of-Famer; one year later he started a game for the Leafs in which they would beat the Seals 11-0, and Plante was so bored in doing so, according to Seals broadcaster Joe Starkey, that the goalie didn’t even finish the game to earn himself the shutout.

Also, there is a brand new Overexposed card, this time featuring former Minnesota North Star, and Norm Ferguson rookie-of-the-year rival Danny Grant. It is not just an expose on another weird card from the classic 1968-69 O-Pee-Chee set, but a tribute to some long-lost hockey legends of an animated kind.

So that’s about it for this week. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite Seals eligible for the 2019 Seals Hall of Fame. You can make your picks on the right side of the page. Keep spreading the word about the site too. I keep seeing new people showing up and sending e-mails with Seals memories, and it’s been great reading them!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Just a short update today, I’m afraid. As I expected, after our son Emmett became infected with Lord-knows-what-except-it-seemed-to-linger-forever-and-ever, my wife and I have both been experiencing flu symptoms for the better part of a week and have been alternating between feeling simply “snotty” to “achy and tired” to “feeling like we want to die”. Emmett found eating ice chips to be rather soothing, but then again, he eats ice chips for fun in the middle of December. It got me thinking of those old “McDonald’s Ice Chips” that were forever prominent in the San Mateo Times‘ sports section, and these were always fun to read because they cast a light on lesser-known events and quotes in Seals history. The “Ice Chip” I wanted to share with you is from 50 years ago yesterday: February 22, 1969. You can check it out over in the articles section.

Despite my health issues this past week, I did get my new car, which has been great although a bit of an adjustment; now I actually care if I hit something or get the paint scratched, so I’m being extra cautious everywhere I go and anytime I need to use the car as some sort of temporary shelf for a freshly-bought case of beer. I also got a cheque from the Public Lending Rights Program of Canada, meaning that enough people have borrowed the book from the library that I actually made a profit out of it! Crazy. All these years, I had no idea that taking a book out of the library gave the author a few bucks (or cents). So keep spreading the word about the book. If friends and colleagues don’t want to shell out too much money for the book, tell them to find it at their local library, and if it ain’t there, tell the library to get crackin’!

Don’t forget to vote for your picks for the Seals Hall of Fame for 2019. You can vote up to three times per device too. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It has been one hell of a whirlwind week up here in the Nation’s Capital. My son has developed a hacking cough and fever, meaning he has had to skip daycare the last few days, and then my wife got sick, making for an extremely low-key Valentines’ Day, and we had 30 centimeters of snow in one 12-hour period, meaning just about everyone stayed home from work this past Wednesday. Looking at these photos, would you have gone to work?

I was more than happy to call in sick for the day.

I was also in negotiations with a Honda salesman over purchasing a 2016 Civic LX. Thankfully, my boy’s cold seems to be finally waning now that the weekend is upon us (but he still has a cough, and my wife and I are now sick), the snow has been plowed (for the most part), and I’ve closed the deal on my new car. No more squealing fan belts, bald winter tires, failed environmental tests, and 150-degree mid-July days driving around with no air conditioning. I’ll miss my rusty old 2004 silver Civic (yes, writing a book CAN indeed mean still driving something that looks like it was found in an abandoned warehouse in the worst part of town), but I’m thrilled to have a car with touchscreens, surround sound, and a complete lack of rust coming my way in a few days. And I’m looking forward to christening it with a cranked-up-to-11 listening session of AC/DC’s Back in Black, the only album that should be considered when breaking in a new car, by the way.

But now on to the reason you’re likely here. A few days back, some of you may have seen Jeff “the Dude” Bridges starring in a Super Bowl commercial as his legendary character from The Big Lebowski. OK, so maybe I’m being hopelessly optimistic that there is going to be a sequel to this 1990s classic film, but one has to have dreams, doesn’t he? This week, I’ve added an article about former Seals defenseman Ted “Dude” McAneeley. The article goes over his early days growing up in Cranbrook, B.C., the roles his father and twin brother played in his life, and his greatest NHL thrill up to that time. Enjoy this rare piece from the Hockey News in the articles section.

That’s about all for this week, I’m afraid. My cold is starting to take over, and there’s a good chance I’ll be sleeping on the floor in my son’s room tonight (again) because if I don’t he will likely be visiting my wife and I’s bedroom every time his hacking cough wakes him up. Might as well just take the floor and hope I sleep well enough to function tomorrow. Good times…

Until next time, stay gold, and stay healthy!

Hi everyone! I hope you all have been enjoying a great week. I personally cannot wait until tomorrow. I actually get to sleep in (until 6:15! Thanks Gro Clock). Seriously, that is now considered sleeping in; my son was waking up at 5:30 most mornings until we bought him a Gro Clock, which might be the greatest invention known to parents. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, and you have kids, I feel really bad for you for not having enjoyed the benefits of this wonderful device sent from the gods. Also, I’m shopping for a new (ok, used) car! Finally going to replace the squealing, broken-air conditioned, balding-tired ’04 Honda Civic.

This week, I’ve added a new article about one of the strangest games in Seals history. On February 11, 1962, while the San Francisco Seals were in the midst of their first WHL season, the club traveled to Spokane to take on the Comets. It was the eighth game of a nine-game road trip, and to that point, things hadn’t gone so well. The putrid road trip dropped the Seals from 17-27-1 to 18-33-1, and then there was this game in Spokane. Try to guess what the three unusual elements were in this one.

There is also a new entry in the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame. This week, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Richard Mulhern shows off his fluorescent pink Atlanta Flames logo. If that makes no sense to you, well… it probably shouldn’t, I admit, so go check out this week’s induction to find out how it all totally makes sense. That make sense?

Finally, don’t forget to vote for your favorite Seals personality to be added to the Seals Hall of Fame. You can vote up to three times per device, as you may or may not know. And spread the word to others who may not be aware of the site. Every little bit of support helps!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone and Happy Super Bowl Weekend! After what felt like about two weeks, my Habs are back in action this weekend: two afternoon games in two days, which is pretty traditional considering a pretty good percentage of sports fans will be watching Tom Brady lose (hopefully).

This week, I’ve had the time to update the Seals/Barons all-time scoring and goaltending stats. Actually, it wasn’t that much work considering Hockey-reference.com has updated all of its stats after the NHL’s release of all its game summaries. I can only imagine the number of hours those folks who run the site had to put in to update the stats of every team for every season they competed in the NHL. I’ve only worked on stats involving the Seals and it felt like it took an eternity to put everything in order. So, thanks Hockey-reference.com for making all of us stats nerds happy and for making our lives just a little easier! You can find what can now be considered the official all-time scoring and goaltending stats for the Seals and Barons in the stats section.

I’ve also added a brand new induction to the Overexposed wing of the Hockey Hall of Shame, a weird card featuring the New York Rangers and Chicago Black Hawks from the 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee set. It features long-time NHLer Lou Angotti doing his best impression of an African safari star!

Don’t forget to vote for who you feel belongs in the Seals Hall of Fame for 2019! You can find the list of nominees on the right-hand side of the screen, and you can vote up to three times per device. Until next time, enjoy the Super Bowl and stay gold!

Hi everyone and welcome back! It’s been an exciting week here at the site. Lots of people have been writing in looking to help make the site even better! Others have just wanted to share their thoughts on the Seals or let me know how much they appreciate the site. Thanks guys!

As you know, this weekend the San Jose Sharks are hosting the NHL All-Star Weekend for the first time since 1997. Some of you may remember this as the moment when the California Golden Seals (along with other California hockey heroes from the Sharks and Kings) reunited to play a team of alumni from other NHL teams, losing a close game. To celebrate the All-Star Game’s return to the Bay Area, I am posting the San Francisco Seals’ game by game summary. (I know, I know, San Jose is NOT San Francisco, but you have to remember that the Sharks played their first few years in the Cow Palace, where the Seals used to play). Thanks to the Herculean efforts of Chuck Nan and his research skills, I have been able to update the WHL Seals’ home attendance figures and finally get around to posting the game by game summary. Thanks so much, Chuck for sharing your great research with the world! The Seals’ history is a tricky one to trace, but we’re getting there one small step at a time.

What I find truly fascinating about the WHL Seals is how well attended their games were. I can truly understand why the NHL wanted to put a team in the Bay Area. There were a lot of nights when the old Cow Palace was hosting a capacity crowd or a near sell-out. The other thing I find interesting is the bizarre schedule WHL players had to endure. Eight and ten-game home stands were the norm rather than the exception, and road trips were usually brutal! I can understand that teams wanted to keep expenses low so they had lots of two-game series in the same city and teams did most of their traveling in long bursts, but players must have absolutely hated being away from their families for long periods like that. Go check out the stats section to download the San Francisco Seals’ game by game summary. It is not complete as far as attendance figures go, but we’re inching closer to finishing it.

For those of you who are looking for your weekly dose of cringeworthy cardboard, check out this week’s Overexposed victim, former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Igor Ulanov looking rather queasy. Or maybe he’s just sick and tired of being manhandled by the Colorado Avalanche; you’ll have to decide for yourself.

Weekly reminder time: make sure to cast your vote for the 2019 Seals Hall of Fame by glancing over to the right side of your screen and clicking next to your favorite player or personality. Thanks also to everyone who keeps coming back to the site to check out all the latest updates. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!

This week, a huge thanks goes out to site subscriber Mark Harris for sending me a whole bunch of Seals-related photos from his trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Head on over to the photos section to check out some awesome shots of Seals pucks, Morris Mott’s green-and-white skates, and Gary Simmons’ first Seals mask.

Speaking of the man they call “Cobra”, the man he was traded for in January 1977, Gary “Scoop” Edwards, is our feature player this week. Check out the site’s newest article to find out more about Edwards’ sensational debut game with the Cleveland Barons.

Weekly reminder time… Don’t forget to cast your vote for the Seals Hall of Fame, if you haven’t done so already. The race has been very tight so far, but I expect a few candidates to break away from the pack as induction day approaches.

Last but not least, much thanks to everyone who has been writing in and sharing their stories with me, not to mention everyone who has been contributing photos and stats, which I will continue to post every chance I get. Thanks also to all those who have discovered the site through my book. Whether you’ve picked it up at the library, on Amazon, or at your local book market, thank you for helping get the word out!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! How are you all doing this fine week? I’ve been doing some reading about the Seals this week, but in an unintentional way. You see, I’ve been reading Troy Treasure’s Icing on the Plains, which is a great book detailing the history of the Kansas City Scouts. I was surprised to learn that the Scouts enjoyed one single solitary sell-out in their two-year history, and it wasn’t against Montreal, Boston, or Philly. No, the Scouts’ one sell-out was against California. Yup, March 20, 1976, 16,219 fans crammed into Kansas City’s Kemper Arena to watch two teams that, within a few months, would both be relocated. Of course, there is an asterisk attached to that sell-out: it was Media Appreciation Night and tickets were all $2 apiece, but a sell-out, even a fake one, was still a sell-out. It was the Scouts’ third-last home game ever. The 2-2 tie was also the Scouts second-last point earned in the NHL. When you think about it, maybe they should have thought of the promotion a little earlier. It’s not like they were making much more money drawing 6,000-7,000 fans to the other games.

I’ve been busy trying to drum up some publicity for my book this week, not to mention I’m also putting together a brand new article about the Seals with the help of a fellow fan. I hope to have it completed and posted by next week, so just a small update this week, but I think you’ll like the article I’ve added, an interview with the then recently traded Gary Simmons. As you may or may not know, Gilles Meloche had asked Cleveland general manager Harry Howell for a trade, but instead of trading Meloche, Howell traded Simmons and Jim Moxey to L.A. for goaltender Gary Edwards and one-time big scorer Juha Widing. What I like about this article is all the little tidbits of information about Simmons, including why and where he got his tattoos, his feelings about Newfoundland, and his dislike of pizza despite owning a pizza parlour. Head on over to the articles section to find out more about “Cobra”.

Weekly reminder time… don’t forget to cast your votes for the 2019 Seals Hall of Fame. The competition is starting to get interesting, and a few front-runners are starting to emerge, but there is still lots of time left before the voting closes.

Also, keep those e-mails coming and the stories flowing. I love hearing about how much the Seals meant to you. Until next time, stay gold!