Hi everyone! Finally, the weekend is upon us, and you know what that means: a trip in the way-back machine to when our favourite lovable losers were still skating in the NHL. This week, we go back to February 1969, one of those rare moments when the Seals had reasons to dream of success. The club was sitting pretty in second place, and a lot of that success was due to one William Hicke, who along with his linemates Ted Hampson and Gary Jarrett, was enjoying a career season. He had once been touted as a future star in Montreal, but things never quite worked out there. In 1967, however, after having been drafted by the Seals in the expansion draft, Hicke blossomed, scoring 21 goals in just 52 games. The following year, he would eclipse his goal record by tallying 25 and adding another 36 assists. It was a good time to be Bill Hicke, even if his asthma got in the way once in a while, but once he found himself a little good luck charm in the form of a Medic Alert medallion, it was all good. You can read this great feature on the Seals’ all-star winger right here.

Also, don’t forget about the big sale going on right now at McFarland Publishing. Click on this link. and punch in the coupon code HOLIDAY22! to get 40%, but act soon as you only have until November 28 before the discount drops to 25%. Happy holiday shopping to all of you! Until next time, stay gold!

P.S. Sorry for the crappy title, folks. At this point in my adult life, I really can do better. I think I can do better. I’m just a bit sleep-deprived these days that anything that rhymes kinda sounds good.

Hi everyone!

Normally, I wouldn’t post anything to the site on a Tuesday night, but I thought you might be interested in taking advantage of a book sale at McFarland Publishing. If you’re looking for some Christmas presents for the book lover in your family, head on over to McFarland to check out their stock:

From McFarland: Many of our customers look forward to our annual sales, including our traditional list-wide holiday sale. In years past, we’ve usually started that sale on or around Black Friday. This year, we’re trying something different: we’re opening up the sale two weeks earlier to give shoppers a head start. During this early access period, we’re even offering a deeper-than-usual 40% discount on all of our titles with coupon code HOLIDAY22! The early access sale runs through Cyber Monday, November 28, after which the discount drops to 25% through the remainder of the holiday season. If you’d like to help share the word, please do!  You’ll find sharable social media posts pinned to the tops of our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram profiles, and the main landing page is here: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/holiday22/. To stay up to date on all of our latest news and promotions, please join our mailing list here: https://mcfarlandbooks.com/about-us/contact-us/join-our-mailing-list-catalogs/.  

Happy holidays from your friends at McFarland!

In case you’re interested, my latest book, When the NHL Invaded Japan can be ordered from McFarland by clicking on this link.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! It never fails that when you’re having a bad day, you can always look at the history of the California Golden Seals and immediately feel a whole lot better. Case in point, the post-Christmas period when the Seals did not score a single goal between 12:11 of the second period of December 25 to 8:26 of the first period January 4, 1968. This week, we shine a light on the 4-0 loss suffered to St. Louis on January 3rd. Not only did the Seals take a beating on the score sheet, but they also came up short physically as both Mike Laughton and Tom Thurlby ended up on the wrong end of a couple of tussles. You can read all about this less-than-inspiring night, and check out a couple of good action photos as well, in this week’s article right here.

Sorry for the short update this week. It’s been crazy busy this week with the kids both sick, my wife returning to her old work schedule, and me needing to prepare myself for a sports card and memorabilia show where I will be selling copies of my books for the first time in a few years. I’ll be back next week, folks, hopefully with a longer update. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Well, I am in a chipper mood tonight. It looks like after months of waiting and hair-pulling it looks as though we got ourselves a deal for our father’s house. After the previous deal fell through a week ago, it felt as though we would be stuck taking care of this house, over an hour away, for the rest of the fall and winter. Then, three showings later, and a new offer falls into our laps! In fact, it is an even better offer than the last one, and we’ve been assured that the buyers have been approved for financing, and are very motivated to move in. It just goes to show that if you have a little faith.

It’s refreshing when you read those rare Seals articles where the players are excited about their prospects for the future. Sure, we know now that things didn’t really work out in the end, but it is still refreshing to hop into the way-back machine and imagine what was going through the players’ minds at that moment. And in February 1976, the Seals truly believed they had a chance at catching the Toronto Maple Leafs for that last Adams Division playoff spot. In this week’s article, the Seals are celebrating a big 6-4 win over the New York Rangers, and are preparing to meet the Detroit Red Wings next. You can read all about the Seals’ big victory right here.

In closing this week, I wanted to let you all know that the article that I have written about the 1976 Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Cup series is going to be appearing in the next issue of The Hockey News, so if you don’t already have a subscription, be sure to rush to wherever the magazine is sold in your neighbourhood and pick up a copy!

Overall, it’s been a pretty good week. I’m taking the rest of the evening off to play a little Animal Crossing (because that’s what you do when your children are too young to play Grand Theft Auto), and watch an old episode of The Office (because that’s what you do at 10pm when the children finally go to bed and consequently relinquish control of the TV). Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone!

This week, we go back to October 7, 1974 and explore the night the Seals creamed their first of two WHA opponents that exhibition season. The WHA had been around for two years by this point, but the NHL still had plenty of venom left to direct at their rebellious counterparts. On this night, former Seals draft pick Ron Chipperfield, newly acquired by the Vancouver Blazers, was front and centre on this night as his old team and new team clashed. Chipperfield would score 330 points in 369 WHA games, so he probably made a good choice to sign with the Blazers, but his old teammates were not exactly impressed by his talents, as you will read in a two-part summary of the first-ever Seals-WHA battle.

As an added Halloween bonus this week, we have added a brand new scary “Overexposed” card, featuring former Washington Capital Steve Konowalchuk, to the Hockey Hall of Shame. Boy, has it been awhile since we’ve inducted one of these things. I think the last induction was way back in March, so I hope you enjoy it, folks!

That’s about it for this week, everyone. Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend, and a Happy Halloween! Until next time, stay gold!

I don’t know who or what has got a hold of Steve Konowalchuk’s jersey, but Steve certainly seems perturbed by this sudden turn of events. I would be looking a little freaked myself if I was in Steve’s place. Just look at the blue part of his jersey, just under the word “Capitals”. I can’t imagine the thing that could make a jersey look like that. Some sort of two-clawed beast, I suppose, but what the hell only has two claws. Three or four claws, sure, I can understand that, but two? That’s just weird.

Then again, I suppose it could be that mean-ass chicken that used to hang out with Link Gaetz when he was playing out in sunny San Jose. You remember that chicken, right?

Oh, yeah, he won first place for something, and I’m guessing it is for pecking the living s#!t out of other chickens, dogs, humans, you name it. Chickens have two claws that shoot out the front, and one at the back, right? I think I’ve found our culprit!

Hi everyone! I have to admit it’s been a pretty great week. First, we finally get a serious offer on our father’s house meaning there is one less responsibility in my life. Hopefully. Probably shouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch, but I’m 99% sure the sale is going to go through. And my Habs have actually played pretty well to start the season. Sure, I would be lying if I said this positive trend will continue into mid-2023, but I’ll take what I can get, which, after last season’s debacle, is a welcome relief.

This week is all about the optimism. All about believing that things will get better. Ah, sure, sometimes things don’t actually get any better, but one can’t go through life always believing things will be bad. Take the end of the Seals’ 1974-75 season. Things were definitely looking up in the Bay Area. The team was playing more competitive hockey. Rookies were playing a major role in the team’s success. Both Gilles Meloche and Gary Simmons turned in strong performances in goal. Attendance was up too. So this week, I invite you to check out an uplifting piece from Hugh McDonald of the San Mateo Times. It comes one day after the Seals tied the 105-point L.A. Kings, and it focuses on the Seals’ prospects for the future. Yes, there was a time when the Seals looked primed to remain in Oakland for a long, long time. It didn’t turn out that way, but the article is still an interesting snapshot of what was going on in Bay Area hockey at the time.

Before I close out this week, I have an important announcement. In a future issue of The Hockey News, (likely hitting your news stands in early November), a piece that I wrote about the 1976 Coca-Cola Cup series will be appearing in its legendary pages. My first freelance job! I am very excited about seeing the article in hockey’s longest-running publication, and I hope you all get the chance to check it out.

On that note, have a great weekend, and may all your hockey nights be merry and bright. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Yes, it’s that time of year again when games actually matter and every single loss is literally the end of the world. At least, that’s how it always seems here in Canada where hockey is a matter of life and death every single day. Seriously, after the Leafs lost to Montreal in the season opener, the media was already starting to question if this game would have a serious impact on the Leafs’ playoff hopes.

Game one, folks.

One out of 82.

Eighty-one more games to go and some folks are already thinking the season is over. That’s Canada, folks. How can you not love that?

We’re passionate about the game, it’s true. It’s been a part of our culture for a very long time, and the thought of it slipping away is enough to make any Canadian cringe just a little bit. In the past, we’ve seen our teams pack up and go far, far away, and the thought of losing another franchise is always a possibility.

We also want another Stanley Cup.

Badly.

Seriously, it’s been 29 years since we’ve seen silver, and it’s getting annoying. It might be a sort of inferiority complex beginning to develop here in the Great White North, much like what has always existed in the Bay Area. That great rivalry between Oakland and San Francisco.

No one can argue that the Bay Area has played host to a great number of champions over the last fifty years. There were those great Oakland A’s teams of the 1970s, then the Golden State Warriors took home the NBA championship right after the A’s dynasty ended, followed by the San Francisco 49ers and their five Super Bowl championships in the 1980s and 90s.

San Francisco’s teams continue to thrive in their respective leagues, while Oakland has seen both its hockey and football teams leave town, while their baseball team is on the brink of pulling up stakes.

This week’s article, from the Sport in American History website, was forwarded to me by Tim Hanlon of Good Seats Still Available, and the piece is not only a review of my book on the Seals, but a wonderful history of the Bay Area’s first NHL team, and how Oakland continues to live in the shadow of its bigger, more famous city-brother across the Bay. Click on this link to go to the Sport in American History site and read this fascinating piece.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely itching for some real NHL action. Pre-season games are nice, but let’s face it, unless someone gets illegally bludgeoned over the head and raises a stink on social media, the games are meaningless. After the free-agent frenzy of July, there really ain’t much going on the rest of the summer and early fall. It’s not like I’m expecting my Habs to do much of anything this year, but until we get a few weeks into the season, I can still only wonder if they are going to start the season like the 1970-71 Seals did. You know, go the first nine games without a win and basically playing themselves out of a playoff spot by Halloween.

So, this week, we are going back to Charlie Finley’s first season as Seals owner, and more precisely to that Halloween night I was alluding to. That was the night the Seals finally won a game, 6-1 over the Buffalo Sabres. The Seals launched 48 shots at the goaltending duo of Joe Daley and Roger Crozier, the latter of which had to take over after Daley took a puck to the head and needed a dozen or so stitches to close the gash. The win was the first of four straight for the Seals, who looked absolutely deadly for a very short while, but in the end, the playoffs simply weren’t in the cards. You can read about the Seals’ big night right here.

Hope you have yourselves a great weekend! Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I feel like crap. I’ve felt like crap all day. Stuffy, runny nose, sore throat, sneezing. Uh. I’ve probably gone through two boxes of Kleenex in the last 24 hours. I was seriously thinking of posting a short message tonight telling all of you that I would not be posting anything tonight. And then, after putting my daughter to bed and turning on the TV I found enough energy to plunk myself down in front of my laptop to at least consider maybe starting the process of adding something new to the site. And then it dawned on me as the fog of my cold slowly began to fade away…

Like the title of this week’s blog entry states, what you are about to read is an embarrassing admission. Would you believe that after posting articles on the Seals for the last six years, I have never posted anything about the infamous Barry Cummins-Bobby Clarke stick-swinging incident from December 1973? Needless to say, that realization shook me out of my Vicks-induced stupor. Yes, I, Steve Currier, who has literally written the book on the Seals, and who went into the incident in great detail, forgot to include a snapshot of that fateful night on this site. Well, that shocking injustice is going to be rectified today as I am finally posting a long-overdue article on the moment the famous (sort of) feud between the Seals and Flyers was born.

For those of you unfamiliar with one of the top ten most remembered moments in Seals history, rookie California defenseman Barry Cummins took exception to Bobby Clarke (allegedly) nicking him with his stick. Cummins went ballistic and slashed Clarke over the head opening up a 24-stitch gash and drawing the ire of several members of the Flyers. You can read all about the “slugfest” right here.

That’s about it for this week. Just a few final reminders before I sign off. If you haven’t done so already (and if you’ve bought my new book When the NHL Invaded Japan), I ask that you leave some feedback on any website you can find, whether it is Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, or some other lesser-known site. Feedback is extremely helpful and greatly appreciated, and get this, it’s free! If you haven’t already picked up a copy of my book, you can do so by reaching out to me on this site, or by placing an order on my other website Coca-ColaCup76.com where you can find lots of rare photos and articles, as well as a couple of links to interviews I have recently done regarding the Capitals and Scouts’ memorable voyage to Japan.

As always, thank you for visiting the site, and thank you for your support!

Until next time, stay gold!