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1970–71 California Golden Seals season

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1970–71 California Golden Seals
Division7th West
1970–71 record20–53–5
Goals for199
Goals against320
Team information
General managerFrank Selke Jr.
Bill Torrey
Fred Glover
CoachFred Glover
CaptainTed Hampson
Carol Vadnais
ArenaOakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena
Average attendance5,358
Team leaders
GoalsErnie Hicke (22)
AssistsDennis Hextall (31)
PointsDennis Hextall (52)
Penalty minutesDennis Hextall (217)
WinsGary Smith (19)
Goals against averageGary Smith (3.86)

The 1970–71 California Golden Seals season was the Seals' fourth in the NHL, but their first as the Golden Seals. Oakland Athletics owner Charlie O. Finley bought the team[1] in the offseason for approximately $4,500,000. He announced a name change in which his team would be called the Bay Area Seals. On October 16, after the first two games of the season, Finley changed the name once again. The team became known as the California Golden Seals in an attempt to draw fans from across the state of California, in particular from nearby San Francisco. Along with the name change came new green and gold colours, and a new logo and uniforms.

Several other changes occurred in the Seals' front office after Finley bought the team. Unhappy, General Manager Frank Selke Jr. quit in October 1970. His replacement, Bill Torrey, lasted only a month before resigning himself. Coach Fred Glover took over the responsibilities of General Manager after Torrey's departure in November.

Amidst the shake-up of the Seals from a business point of view the on-ice performance of the team suffered greatly. The team finished the season with an NHL-worst record of 20-53-5 (45 points). It was the worst season in their history up to that point in time, and the 53 losses set an NHL record (since surpassed).[2] The Seals record was worse than both of the two expansion teams that season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Vancouver Canucks.

On May 22, 1970, The Seals made a trade with the Montreal Canadiens that would come back to haunt the franchise for the rest of their existence. In the trade, the Seals sent defenseman Francois Lacombe along with their first round draft pick in 1971 to the Montreal Canadiens for Ernie Hicke and Montreal's first round pick. Since the Seals finished with the NHL's worst record that season, that gave the Canadiens the first overall pick in the 1971 draft which they used to select future hall of famer Guy Lafleur.

Captain Ted Hampson was traded to the Minnesota North Stars late in the season, and was replaced by Carol Vadnais.

Offseason

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Amateur draft

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Round Pick Player Nationality College/junior/club team
1 10. Chris Oddleifson  Canada Winnipeg Jets (WCHL)
2 19. Pete Laframboise  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHA)
3 33. Randy Rota  Canada Calgary Centennials (WCHL)
4 47. Ted McAneeley  Canada Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
5 61. Ray Gibbs  Canada Charlottetown (Senior)
6 75. Doug Moyes  Canada Sorel Black Hawks (QMJHL)
7 88. Terry Murray  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHA)
8 100. Alan Henry  Canada University of North Dakota (NCAA)

Regular season

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Standings

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West Division[3]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Chicago Black Hawks 78 49 20 9 277 184 +93 107
2 St. Louis Blues 78 34 25 19 223 208 +15 87
3 Philadelphia Flyers 78 28 33 17 207 225 −18 73
4 Minnesota North Stars 78 28 34 16 191 223 −32 72
5 Los Angeles Kings 78 25 40 13 239 303 −64 63
6 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 21 37 20 221 240 −19 62
7 California Golden Seals 78 20 53 5 199 320 −121 45


Record vs. opponents

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Schedule and results

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No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 10, 1970 3–5 @ Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 0–1–0
2 L October 11, 1970 1–5 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 0–2–0
3 L October 16, 1970 1–5 Boston Bruins (1970–71) 0–3–0
4 L October 17, 1970 1–6 @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 0–4–0
5 L October 20, 1970 1–2 @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 0–5–0
6 T October 21, 1970 2–2 St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 0–5–1
7 L October 23, 1970 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 0–6–1
8 T October 25, 1970 2–2 @ New York Rangers (1970–71) 0–6–2
9 L October 28, 1970 2–3 @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 0–7–2
10 W October 30, 1970 6–1 Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 1–7–2
11 W November 4, 1970 3–1 New York Rangers (1970–71) 2–7–2
12 W November 6, 1970 8–4 Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 3–7–2
13 W November 11, 1970 2–0 Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 4–7–2
14 L November 13, 1970 2–4 @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 4–8–2
15 L November 14, 1970 1–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 4–9–2
16 W November 15, 1970 2–1 @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) 5–9–2
17 L November 17, 1970 1–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 5–10–2
18 L November 19, 1970 2–6 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 5–11–2
19 L November 21, 1970 3–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 5–12–2
20 L November 22, 1970 0–9 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 5–13–2
21 L November 25, 1970 1–3 Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 5–14–2
22 L November 27, 1970 2–3 Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 5–15–2
23 W November 29, 1970 2–1 @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 6–15–2
24 L December 2, 1970 2–3 @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 6–16–2
25 L December 4, 1970 0–4 Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 6–17–2
26 W December 9, 1970 6–1 Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 7–17–2
27 L December 11, 1970 1–2 New York Rangers (1970–71) 7–18–2
28 L December 12, 1970 2–5 @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 7–19–2
29 W December 16, 1970 4–2 Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 8–19–2
30 W December 18, 1970 1–0 Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 9–19–2
31 W December 20, 1970 7–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 10–19–2
32 W December 22, 1970 5–2 Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 11–19–2
33 L December 26, 1970 3–9 @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 11–20–2
34 L December 29, 1970 2–3 @ New York Rangers (1970–71) 11–21–2
35 L December 30, 1970 1–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 11–22–2
36 L January 2, 1971 3–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 11–23–2
37 L January 3, 1971 2–3 @ Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 11–24–2
38 W January 6, 1971 6–3 St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 12–24–2
39 L January 9, 1971 3–5 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 12–25–2
40 L January 10, 1971 4–7 @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) 12–26–2
41 L January 12, 1971 2–8 @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 12–27–2
42 T January 13, 1971 1–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 12–27–3
43 W January 15, 1971 3–1 New York Rangers (1970–71) 13–27–3
44 L January 17, 1971 1–3 Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 13–28–3
45 L January 20, 1971 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 13–29–3
46 W January 22, 1971 5–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 14–29–3
47 L January 24, 1971 3–5 @ Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 14–30–3
48 W January 27, 1971 6–2 Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 15–30–3
49 L January 29, 1971 2–4 Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 15–31–3
50 L January 31, 1971 1–7 @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 15–32–3
51 L February 3, 1971 1–6 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 15–33–3
52 L February 5, 1971 2–3 Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 15–34–3
53 L February 7, 1971 2–5 Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 15–35–3
54 W February 10, 1971 5–1 Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 16–35–3
55 L February 12, 1971 0–3 @ Buffalo Sabres (1970–71) 16–36–3
56 L February 13, 1971 2–5 @ Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 16–37–3
57 L February 16, 1971 1–5 @ St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 16–38–3
58 L February 17, 1971 2–3 @ Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 16–39–3
59 L February 19, 1971 0–5 Boston Bruins (1970–71) 16–40–3
60 W February 20, 1971 5–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 17–40–3
61 L February 24, 1971 2–5 Montreal Canadiens (1970–71) 17–41–3
62 L February 26, 1971 1–3 Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 17–42–3
63 L February 28, 1971 3–8 Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 17–43–3
64 L March 3, 1971 1–8 @ New York Rangers (1970–71) 17–44–3
65 L March 4, 1971 0–7 @ Boston Bruins (1970–71) 17–45–3
66 T March 6, 1971 4–4 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1970–71) 17–45–4
67 T March 7, 1971 3–3 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 17–45–5
68 L March 10, 1971 1–8 Boston Bruins (1970–71) 17–46–5
69 L March 14, 1971 5–8 Detroit Red Wings (1970–71) 17–47–5
70 W March 17, 1971 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1970–71) 18–47–5
71 L March 19, 1971 2–5 Chicago Black Hawks (1970–71) 18–48–5
72 W March 21, 1971 5–2 Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 19–48–5
73 L March 24, 1971 0–6 Toronto Maple Leafs (1970–71) 19–49–5
74 L March 26, 1971 5–8 St. Louis Blues (1970–71) 19–50–5
75 L March 28, 1971 5–11 @ Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 19–51–5
76 W March 31, 1971 4–1 Minnesota North Stars (1970–71) 20–51–5
77 L April 2, 1971 2–7 Vancouver Canucks (1970–71) 20–52–5
78 L April 3, 1971 4–6 @ Los Angeles Kings (1970–71) 20–53–5

Player statistics

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Skaters

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Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
Dennis Hextall 22 78 21 31 52 217
Ernie Hicke 20 78 22 25 47 62
Gary Croteau 18 74 15 28 43 12
Gerry Ehman 8 78 18 18 36 16
Bill Hicke 9 74 18 17 35 41
Gary Jarrett 12 75 15 19 34 40
Ron Stackhouse 21 78 8 24 32 73
Norm Ferguson 17 54 14 17 31 9
Ted Hampson 10 60 10 20 30 14
Carol Vadnais 5 42 10 16 26 91
Don O'Donoghue 11 43 11 9 20 10
Tom Williams 26 18 7 10 17 8
Doug Roberts 2 78 4 13 17 94
Tony Featherstone 16 67 8 8 16 44
Joe Hardy 14 40 4 10 14 31
Wayne Muloin 4 66 0 14 14 32
Earl Ingarfield 7 49 5 8 13 4
Dick Mattiussi 6 67 3 8 11 38
Harry Howell 3 28 0 9 9 14
Bert Marshall 19 32 2 6 8 48
Dick Redmond 4 11 2 4 6 12
Paul Andrea 23 9 1 0 1 2
Mike Laughton 15 25 1 0 1 2
Gary Smith 1 71 0 1 1 6
Bob Sneddon 30 5 0 0 0 0
Chris Worthy 30 11 0 0 0 2
Hilliard Graves 23 14 0 0 0 0
Barry Boughner 24 16 0 0 0 9

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Seals. Stats reflect time with the Seals only. ‡Traded mid-season

Goaltenders

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Note: GP = Games played; TOI= Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP TOI W L T GA SO GAA GP TOI W L GA SO GAA
Gary Smith 1 71 3975 19 48 4 256 2 3.86 -.--
Chris Worthy 30 11 480 1 3 1 39 0 4.87 -.--
Bob Sneddon 30 5 225 0 2 0 21 0 5.60 -.--

Transactions

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The Seals were involved in the following transactions during the 1970–71 season:

Trades

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May 22, 1970 To Oakland Seals
Dennis Hextall
To Montreal Canadiens
cash
May 22, 1970 To Oakland Seals
Ernie Hicke
1st round pick in 1970 (Chris Oddleifson)
To Montreal Canadiens
Francois Lacombe
1st round pick in 1971 (Guy Lafleur)
October, 1970 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Phoenix Roadrunners (WHL)
Gerry Odrowski
February 5, 1971 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Los Angeles Kings
Harry Howell
March 7, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Dick Redmond
Tom Williams
To Minnesota North Stars
Ted Hampson
Wayne Muloin

Additions and subtractions

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Additions
Player Former team Via
Bob Sneddon Los Angeles Kings Reverse Draft (1970–06)
Gary Croteau Detroit Red Wings Intra-league Draft (1970–06–09)
Paul Andrea Vancouver Canucks Intra-league Draft (1970–06–09)
Hilliard Graves Charlottetown Islanders (PEI Jr.) free agency (1970–10)
Subtractions
Player New team Via
Bob Dillabough Vancouver Canucks Expansion Draft (1970–06–10)
Charlie Hodge Vancouver Canucks Expansion Draft (1970–06–10)
Howie Menard Buffalo Sabres Expansion Draft (1970–06–10)
Brian Perry Buffalo Sabres Expansion Draft (1970–06–10)
Paul Andrea Buffalo Sabres waivers (1970–11–04)

Awards and records

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References

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  1. ^ Charlie Finley: The Outrageous Story of Baseball's Super Showman, p.201, G. Michael Green and Roger D. Launius. Walker Publishing Company, New York, 2010, ISBN 978-0-8027-1745-0
  2. ^ Currier 2017, p. 146
  3. ^ "1970–1971 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  4. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  5. ^ National Hockey League Official Guide and Record Book 2006, p. 188, Dan Diamond & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, ISBN 0-920445-98-5.

Bibliography

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  • Currier, Steve (2017), The California Golden Seals: A Tale of White Skates, Red Ink, and One of the NHL's Most Outlandish Teams, Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 978-0-8032-8848-5