Title/Author:
“The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White
Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL’s Most Outlandish Teams” by Steve Currier
Tags:
Ice Hockey, professional, history, Seals
Publish date:
November 1, 2017
Length:
496 pages
Rating:
5 of 5 stars (Outstanding)
Review:
In 1967, the NHL
doubled in size from six teams to twelve. Dubbed “The Great Expansion”, the
league wanted to place teams in markets where they could be successful. The San Francisco Bay area had supported its
minor league Seals team in the Western Hockey League and as a result, the area
was awarded one of the six expansion franchises. The colorful history of this NHL franchise,
with all of its ups and downs, is captured in this wonderful account by Steve
Currier.
The Seals never had a
winning record in their 11 years of existence, which includes the last two seasons
as the Cleveland Barons. There were flashes of great play, such as in the team’s
second season when they posted their best record, finishing second in the West
Division (that consisted of all six expansion teams) with 69 points and making
the playoffs. They followed that up with another trip to the playoffs in 1970,
getting swept in the first round. The team was also in playoff contention for
the 1971-72 season but failed to make the playoffs and never made it back. This
lack of success on the ice translated into poor attendance, as the Seals were
dead last in attendance every season of their existence.
The reasons for this
lack of success are many and varied. Currier leaves no stone unturned when
writing about why this happened, as he interviews former team officials, broadcasters,
players and long-time suffering Seals fans. One theory for the club’s poor
attendance is that they played their games in Oakland, which many in San
Francisco considered a second class town. Poor marketing throughout the entire
history of the team is also frequently mentioned. The revolving door of ownership didn’t help
either, but as many players and historians do, Currier saves the worst of his
criticism for one particular owner, Charlie O. Finley.
After purchasing the
floundering hockey team in 1970, he proceeded to try to use some of the same
gimmicks that made his baseball team in Oakland a success. The Athletics had
some of the most colorful uniforms in baseball and Finley tried to copy that
formula over to the Seals. He had the players wear white skates, which was a
disaster. Currier writes rich stories, especially from the players, about those
skates. It was noted that often the
skates had to be painted white and each coat of additional paint added to the
weight of the skate. One player felt the
skates weighed “fifty pounds.”
The stories about the
skates overshadowed the ultimate problem for the franchise – the lack of
funds. Finley was one of only several
owners who had this issue but he received the most attention about this in the
book as well as in the press. His
penny-pinching ways are blamed for the Seals losing 11 players to the new World
Hockey Association in 1972, breaking up what was a promising team on the ice. After Finley sold the team in 1974, the
happier days were never found, as the team was run by the NHL for stretches at
a time. The days in the Bay Area ended
in April 1976 as the Seals moved to Cleveland after George and Gordon Gund
invested in the team but even in Cleveland, it was more of the same results –
many losses and few fans. The franchise
ended its history by merging with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.
Of course, Currier
writes about many of the players who played for the Seals and Barons and many
of whom are fondly remembered to this day by some of the team’s fans. Players like Jay Johnstone, Denis Maruk,
Gilles Meloche, Gary Simmons (nicknamed “Cobra” for his artistic goalie mask), Ted
Hampson, and Bill Hicke are only a small fraction of the many players who wore
the green and gold sweaters of the Seals. Their stories are a joy to read,
mostly funny and always entertaining.
Most of them speak fondly of the few hearty fans who came out to the
games, but speak not so well about owners, especially those who played for
Finley.
While the Seals were
not a success on the ice or on the business pages, they left their mark in
hockey history and their story is one that should be told. Currier does this in an entertaining manner
and any hockey fan who wants to learn anything about this franchise should read
this book.
I wish to thank
University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for
an honest review.
Book Format Read:
Hardcover
Buying Links:
Interesting! The only thing I hear about the Seals these days are those white skates. Must have been interesting to watch them.
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