Revision as of 14:26, 6 May 2009

Sup?

Thanks

Thanks! Carlossuarez46 (talk) 21:15, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Wow! I thought only other people got awarded those! Thanissaro (talk) 21:19, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

What everyone else said! Thanks for the award! Amchow78 (talk) 21:26, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Thank you for the awards; I appreciate them! --Rosiestep (talk) 21:29, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

You have my sympathies, Good cheer is needed here. Good luck with your block, I hope it is removedHellinaBucket (talk) 03:59, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks

Why thank you! ;) Jo7hs2 (talk) 21:20, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Hmm...Jo7hs2 (talk) 22:51, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

re: Your Message

Hi Mrpotatohead 2, I've left you a reply on my talk page -- Marek.69 21:39, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Thankspam

Cheers! --AndrewHowse (talk) 21:40, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Randomly distributed barnstars

(Re )

Hmmmmmm....thank yar... though, it is generally frowned upon to just hand out barnstars willy-nilly to any random folk you come across... (Not trying to be a wet blanket or anything...) –xeno 22:06, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. Dlohcierekim 22:13, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Mrpotatohead 2 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

Request reason:

Ill keep it simple, I think that being blocked for spreading cheer with zero warnings isnt smooth, But i will concede that the other lehappy account was my own and that was recently created prior to this. I forgot the password to get back in so i created a new account, this one. By checking my edit history i have no abusive edits (in fact one of those was a reversion to an abused page (St Andrews) and people had led me in no way to belive what i was doing was wrong and when i did notice i stopped. Thanks a bunch for reading (but i still think spreading cheer isnt that bad when it was a random acts of kindness award.Mrpotatohead 2 (talk) 00:01, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Decline reason:

We're here to write an encyclopedia. Randomly giving barnstars doesn't contribute to that. I can't find any evidence that you're interested in helping to write an encyclopedia, so you don't appear to need an active account at this time. FisherQueen (talk · contribs) 00:05, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

If you want to make any further unblock requests, please read the guide to appealing blocks first, then use the {{unblock}} template again. If you make too many unconvincing or disruptive unblock requests, you may be prevented from editing this page until your block has expired. Do not remove this unblock review while you are blocked.

Mrpotatohead 2 (block log • active blocks • global blocks • contribs • deleted contribs • filter log • creation log • change block settings • unblock • checkuser (log))

Request reason:

I understand your reasons, but i have made constructive edits, on the page Saint Andrew i had reverted vandalism. I also tried on other pages while i was spreading random acts of kindness barnstars, but that didnt appear to go through a bot seemed to get ahead of me. I just think an indefinate block is pretty tough when i never recieved any warnings about my edits being bad. And Im making an effort here to talk about this. If its wrong i wont do so again.

Decline reason:

This request for unblocking has been declined due to your history of vandalism and/or disruption to this encyclopedia. However, we are willing to give you another chance provided that you can earn back the trust of the Misplaced Pages community. To be unblocked you need to demonstrate that you are willing and able to contribute positively to Misplaced Pages. You can do this by:

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If you need help while working with your proposed edits, you may add "{{helpme|your question here}}" to your talk page. Thank you. –xeno 00:21, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

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California Golden Seals

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The California Golden Seals were a team in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1967–76. Initially named California Seals, the team was renamed Oakland Seals part-way through the 1967–68 season, and then to California Golden Seals in 1970.

History

Founding

In 1966, the NHL announced that six expansion teams would be added as a new division for the 1967–68 season, officially because of a general desire to expand the league to new markets, but just as importantly to squelch the Western Hockey League's threat to turn itself into a major league. The San Francisco Seals were one such team from the WHL, and after it was purchased by Barry Van Gerbig and moved across the Bay to a new arena in Oakland, the Seals joined the NHL. The Bay Area was not considered a particularly lucrative hockey market, but the terms of a new television agreement with CBS called for two of the expansion teams to be located in California.

Van Gerbig had planned to have the team play out of a new arena in San Francisco, but the arena never came to fruition, and the Seals played out of the Oracle Arena, then called the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. The franchise was named California Seals in an attempt to appeal to fans from San Francisco, and to address complaints from the other NHL teams that Oakland was not considered a major league city (notwithstanding the presence of the American Football League's Oakland Raiders and the pending relocation of Major League Baseball's Kansas City Athletics) and would not be a draw for fans. The plan failed, however, and on November 6, 1967, Van Gerbig announced that the team's name was being changed to Oakland Seals.

Struggles

The Seals were never successful at the gate, and because of this poor attendance Van Gerbig threatened on numerous occasions to move the team elsewhere. First-year coach and general manager Bert Olmstead publicly advocated a move to Vancouver, but an offer from Labatt's brewery to purchase and relocate the team was rejected by the league, as was a proposal to move the team to Buffalo from the eventual owners of the Buffalo Sabres, who had been shut out of the 1967 expansion. This, as well as the team's dismal on-ice performance, led to major changes to both the Seals' front office and the roster - only seven out of the 20 Seals players remained after the first season. The new-look Seals were somewhat more successful, making the playoffs for two years, although with sub .500 records. Those would be the only two years that the Seals franchise made the playoffs.

Failed sale to Trans National Communications

For the 1969–70 season the team was sold to a group called Trans National Communications, whose investors included Pat Summerall and Whitey Ford. However, the group filed for bankruptcy and ownership reverted to Van Gerbig, who put the team up for sale.

Charlie O. Finley purchases the franchise

Prior to the 1970–71 NHL season, the Seals were bought by Charlie O. Finley, the flamboyant owner of baseball's Oakland A's. Finley and Roller Derby boss Jerry Seltzer had both put in a bid on the team. Although Seltzer's offer was slightly better and included a more detailed plan for revival, a majority of NHL owners from the "old establishment" voted in favor of Finley. Bill Torrey manager at the time, would eventually leave the team due to clashes with Finley. He would go on to manage the Newyork Islanders dynasty of the 1980s .

Finley changed the team's name to California Golden Seals (itself a last-minute change from the announced "Bay Area Seals"), and introduced marketing gimmicks intended to sell the team to the fans, among them changing the Seals' colors to green and gold and briefly having them wear white skates, to match the style of the popular A's. However, this was all for naught, as the Seals finished with the worst record in the NHL that year. At the end of the 1970 season, the Seals had traded their pick in the first round of the 1971 draft to the Montreal Canadiens along with Francois Lacombe in return of Montreal's first round pick in 1970 (selected Chris Oddleifson), Ernie Hicke and cash. As a result of the Seals' dreadful season, the Canadiens had the top pick in the draft, and used it to select future Hall of Famer Guy Lafleur. This transaction now ranks as one of the most one-sided deals in NHL history.

Under the ownership of the NHL and Mel Swig

The team rebounded in 1971–72, but the arrival of the World Hockey Association wiped out most of those gains. Finley refused to match the WHA's contract offers, causing five of the team's top ten scorers from the previous season to bolt. Shorn of any defensive talent save for goaltender Gilles Meloche, the team sank into last place again in 1973, where it would remain for the rest of its history. Although divisional restructuring in 1974–75 included a revamped format in which 3 teams in each division made the playoffs, the Seals efforts were frustrated by their placement in the Adams Division with the strong Boston, Buffalo and Toronto teams of the day.

Tired of the struggling hockey team, especially by comparison to the highly successful A's , Finley tried to sell the Seals, but there were no takers. The NHL eventually took control of the team in February 1974. The league ran the team for two years until San Francisco hotel magnate Mel Swig bought the team in 1975 with the intent of moving the team to a proposed new arena in San Francisco. The team fell just short of the playoffs, and after a mayoral election, plans for the new arena were cancelled.

The end of the Seals

After nine money-losing seasons and continued low attendance, minority owners George and Gordon Gund persuaded Swig to move the team to their hometown of Cleveland, in June 1976, where they were renamed the Cleveland Barons. After two more years of losses, the Gunds (by this time majority owners) were permitted to merge the Barons with another failing team, the Minnesota North Stars. The merged team continued as the Minnesota North Stars under the Gunds' ownership, but assumed the Barons' place in the Adams Division. The North Stars relocated to Texas following the 1992–93 season to become the Dallas Stars for the 1993–94 season.

The Cleveland Barons remain the most recent team in an established North American major professional league to fold, as well as the only team in the NHL to do so since 1942.

Legacy

The current NHL team in the Bay Area, the San Jose Sharks, has a historical connection to the Seals. Years after the Barons-North Stars merger, the Gunds wanted to bring hockey back to the Bay Area. They asked the NHL for permission to move the North Stars there in the late 1980s, but the league was unwilling to abandon a traditional hockey market like the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, a group led by former Hartford Whalers owner Howard Baldwin was pushing the NHL to bring a team to San Jose, where an arena was being built. Eventually, a compromise was struck whereby the Gunds would sell their share of the North Stars to Baldwin's group, with the Gunds receiving an expansion team in the Bay Area to begin play in the 1991–92 NHL season. In return, the North Stars would be allowed to participate as an equal partner in an expansion draft with the new franchise. On May 5, 1990, the Gunds officially sold their share of the North Stars to Baldwin and were awarded a new team in the Bay Area that would eventually become the Sharks.

Dennis Maruk was the last Seals player active in the NHL, retiring as a member of the Minnesota North Stars in 1989. Charlie Simmer was still active with the IHL's San Diego Gulls until 1992.

Season-by-season record

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes

² named California Seals from October 11 to November 6, 1967.

Notable players

Hall of Famers

• Harry Howell
• Bert Olmstead
• Craig Patrick (inducted as builder)
• Rudy Pilous (inducted as builder)
• Bill Torrey (inducted as builder)

Team captains

• Bobby Baun, 1967–68
• Ted Hampson, 1968–71
• Carol Vadnais, 1971–72
• Bert Marshall, 1972–73
• No captain, 1973–74
• Joey Johnston, 1974–75
• Jim Neilson and Bob Stewart, 1975–76 (co-captains)

General managers

• Rudy Pilous, 1967 (fired before start of season)
• Bert Olmstead, 1967–68 (resigned in March 1968)
• Frank Selke Jr., 1968–70 (resigned in November 1970)
• Bill Torrey, 1970 (resigned in December 1970)
• Fred Glover, 1970–71 (fired in October 1971)
• Garry Young, 1971–72 (fired in November 1972)
• Fred Glover, 1972–74 (resigned in February 1974)
• Garry Young, 1974 (resigned before start of 1974–75 season)
• Bill McCreary, 1974–76

First round draft picks

• 1967: Ken Hicks (third overall)
• 1968: none
• 1969: Tony Featherstone (seventh overall)
• 1970: Chris Oddleifson (10th overall)
• 1971: none
• 1972: none
• 1973: none
• 1974: Rick Hampton (third overall)
• 1975: Ralph Klassen (third overall)

See also

• List of California Golden Seals players
• List of California Golden Seals head coaches
• San Jose Sharks
• Cleveland Barons (NHL)
• Minnesota North Stars
• Dallas Stars
• List of NHL players
• List of NHL seasons
• 1967 NHL Expansion

References

1. Minneapolis Tribune November 7, 1967, page 24 from an AP story.
2. Deford, Frank (1971), Five Strides on the Banked Track, Little, Brown and Company, pp. 114–115
3. Pittsburgh post gazette Moday Febuary 28th 1977 edition
4. http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=b199501&type=Builder&page=bio&list=ByName#photo
5. http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=108866&sc=102
6. http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=108866&sc=102
7. Cameron, Steve (1994). Feeding Frenzy! The Wild New World of the San Jose Sharks. Taylor Publishing Co. pp. 29–38.

External links

• Welcome to the Seals Homepage

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