Introduction

Before you delve too far into the meat of this blog I would like to make known why I have posted this information and where I got it from.

The purpose of this blog is to act as a repository of random historical hockey stats, with a particular focus (at least at the start) on '60s and '70s info. Why the '60s and '70s? Truth be told I'm working on a book about the California Seals/Oakland Seals/California Golden Seals/Cleveland Barons. The book is to be similar to a team media guide. Media guides have all sorts of information in them, particularly historical statistics: goals, points, penalty minutes, rosters, records, uniform numbers, trades, draft picks, etc. For example you can pick up a Montreal Canadiens media guide, even a brand new one, and find all sorts of information about the Canadiens going back to before the NHL existed. 

What about teams that no longer exist? The NHL went through a period of great expansion beginning in 1967 when the league doubled in size from six teams to twelve. By 1974 the league had ballooned to 18 teams; tripled! Not all of those teams were successful on and off the ice. The Minnesota North Stars, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Scouts, Cleveland Barons, Atlanta Flames and California Golden Seals have long been defunct. Some are better remembered (the North Stars) than others (the Scouts), but you can still find info on the Kansas City Scouts in a New Jersey Devils media guide (the Scouts moved to Denver in 1976 and became the Colorado Rockies, and the Rockies moved to Jersey in 1982 where they have remained since). The franchise itself just moved. The Cleveland Barons, née California Seals (one of the six expansion teams in 1967), didn't move: they ceased to exist. They folded. Merged with the North Stars. All that information, all those franchise records, were forgotten. There is no 1978-79 Cleveland Barons media guide to refer back to.

So that's my goal: compile the stats of the Seals/Golden Seals/Barons (at some point I think I'm going to have to come up with an acronym for that ... ) and write a sort of media guide. A comprehensive reference for any Seals/Barons fan out there, what few are left.

In the process of researching for this book I've come across a great deal of information that hasn't been compiled in any easy-to-find resource. Rather than keep this info all to myself I feel I should share it, as it's not central to my base work. It's basic, simple stuff that fell through the cracks of time. Stuff that might hold interest for other researchers out there, other hockey fans, who might use it.

So to you dear hockey fan/researcher I leave this information for your use and perusal. Even if you're another hockey author feel free to use the information in your work; all I ask is that you cite your source: me.


I will strive to provide my sources here too. Some will come from print sources (the annual NHL Guide for example, predecessor of today's more comprehensive NHL Guide & Record Book), some from newspapers of the time, some from team media guides, some from press releases. 


Thank you for reading this, and enjoy!