San Francisco Seals (WHL)
Encyclopedia
The San Francisco Seals were a minor league
hockey
team which played in the Western Hockey League
from 1961 to 1967.
were eliminated from the 1960-61 WHL playoffs, owner Mel Smith
announced that he was considering moving the Comets to either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Los Angeles Sports Arena general manager Bill Nicholas had already told the National Hockey League
that he would affiliate with the WHL if he were not awarded an NHL expansion franchise by the summer of 1961. As a result, WHL president Al Leader
visited both the Cow Palace
in Daly City and the Sports Arena to evaluate their availablility for WHL play.
On April 23, 1961, the WHL granted an expansion franchise for San Francisco to former Vancouver Canucks owner Coleman (Coley) Hall, on the condition that an ice surface be installed in the Cow Palace. At the same time, the WHL approved the relocation of the Victoria Cougars to Los Angeles, where they were renamed the Los Angeles Blades
. The San Francisco franchise, named the "Seals" in honor of the city's former minor league baseball team, and Blades were California's first pro hockey teams since the San Francisco Shamrocks and Los Angeles Monarchs
left the Pacific Coast Hockey League, as the WHL was then known, in 1950.
Under coach Max McNab
, the Seals debuted on Oct. 13, 1961 with an 8-3 road loss to the Seattle Totems
at Civic Arena
. Their first home game at the Cow Palace took place a month later, with the Seals losing 5-3 to Edmonton
on Nov. 17. The Seals would finish 29-39-2 in their first season and were eliminated by Spokane 2 games to none in their first-round playoff series.
, the Seals lured coach and general manager Norman "Bud" Poile south from the defending champion Flyers. Poile had won three championships in eight seasons at Edmonton; with the Seals, he would add two more.
Poile's teams generally led the league in penalty minutes, and his 1962-63 Seals fit the mold. Led by hard-nosed players such as Orland Kurtenbach
, Larry McNabb, Nick Mickoski
and Charlie Burns
, the Seals developed a fierce rivalry with the Buckaroos, perennial WHL front-runners. For the next two seasons, Portland-San Francisco games had the atmosphere of a heavyweight title fight, and games between the two routinely attracted crowds of 8,000 or more. The Blades were another rival; Cow Palace crowds loved to hate defenseman "Big Burly Bill Burega
."
After finishing 44-25-1 in the 1962-63 regular season, the Seals eliminated Los Angeles in three games in the first round of the playoffs, then outlasted the Buckaroos in seven rugged semifinal contests, taking the seventh and final game 3-1 at Portland.
In the 1963 Lester Patrick Cup
finals, the Seals faced the Totems, with all seven games played at the Cow Palace due to scheduling conflicts in Seattle. Trailing 3 games to 1, the Seals came back to win the last three games - the last two in overtime - and captured San Francisco's first pro hockey championship. Kurtenbach scored the Cup-winning goal 4 minutes into overtime of the Seals' 4-3 Game 7 victory.
Even though the WHL contracted in 1963-64 - Edmonton and Calgary both requested a leave of absence following the playoffs - the Seals finished a distant fourth during the regular season behind the Denver Invaders
, who had relocated from Spokane. But superb play from forward Al Nicholson
and goalie Bob Perreault
helped the Seals win the final three games of their first-round playoff series against Portland. The Seals would go on to become the first team to win back-to-back Patrick Cup titles, defeating the Blades in six games in the only all-California final.
were considering merging to form a rival major league. The WHL and AHL would go on to play an interlocking schedule in 1965-66, but by then the NHL had made up its mind.
In February 1966, the NHL selected San Francisco-Oakland as one of the six expansion markets, along with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis. Barend (Barry) van Gerbig
, who had bought the team from Mel Swig, became the Seals' new owner and prospective governor for the team's entry into the NHL. By then, Poile had turned over the coaching reins to player-coach Charlie Burns; the Seals would reach the 1966 WHL playoffs and were one game away from their third finals appearance, but lost the last two games of their first-round playoff series against the eventual WHL champion Victoria Maple Leafs
, who prevailed 4 games to 3.
Following the playoff defeat, van Gerbig began preparing the Seals for their move to the NHL. The team relocated from the Cow Palace to the brand-new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for their last WHL season in 1966-67, changing their name to the California Seals. Former Chicago Black Hawks coach Rudy Pilous
took over as coach, alternating duties with Burns, as the Seals recorded only their second winning record (32-30-10). The Seals' six-year run in the WHL ended when they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Seattle; California's final game was a 4-1 loss to the Totems on April 15, 1967 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
Tom Thurlby
, one of the first five players signed by the Seals on Sept. 7, 1961, was the only Seals player to remain with the team for all six of its seasons in the WHL. He would also play 20 games for the NHL Seals in 1967-68.
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team which played in the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Hockey League was a minor pro ice hockey league that operated from 1952 to 1974. Managed for most of its history by Hockey Hall of Fame member Al Leader, it was created out of the merger of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Canada Senior Hockey League...
from 1961 to 1967.
Pro hockey returns to California
After his Spokane CometsSpokane Comets
The Spokane Comets are a defunct minor professional ice hockey team that was located in Spokane, Washington. They played in the Western Hockey League from 1960 to 1963.The 1962-63 team was coached by Roy McBride who piloted the team to a 30-38-2 record....
were eliminated from the 1960-61 WHL playoffs, owner Mel Smith
Mel Smith
Melvin Kenneth "Mel" Smith is an English comedian, writer, film director, producer, and actor. He is most famous for his work on the sketch comedy shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Griff Rhys Jones.- Early life :Smith's father, Kenneth, was born...
announced that he was considering moving the Comets to either San Francisco or Los Angeles. Los Angeles Sports Arena general manager Bill Nicholas had already told the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
that he would affiliate with the WHL if he were not awarded an NHL expansion franchise by the summer of 1961. As a result, WHL president Al Leader
Al Leader
George Alfred "Al" Leader was a Canadian-American ice hockey player, referee, and administrator. He is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame in the "Builder" category. Leader settled in Seattle, Washington in the 1930s and became involved in hockey as the administrator of the Seattle City League...
visited both the Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...
in Daly City and the Sports Arena to evaluate their availablility for WHL play.
On April 23, 1961, the WHL granted an expansion franchise for San Francisco to former Vancouver Canucks owner Coleman (Coley) Hall, on the condition that an ice surface be installed in the Cow Palace. At the same time, the WHL approved the relocation of the Victoria Cougars to Los Angeles, where they were renamed the Los Angeles Blades
Los Angeles Blades (WHL)
The Los Angeles Blades were a minor league hockey team which played in the Western Hockey League from 1961 to 1967.-History:Following the 1960-61 season, Spokane Comets owner Mel Smith informed the WHL that he was considering moving his team to either Los Angeles or San Francisco...
. The San Francisco franchise, named the "Seals" in honor of the city's former minor league baseball team, and Blades were California's first pro hockey teams since the San Francisco Shamrocks and Los Angeles Monarchs
Los Angeles Monarchs
The Los Angeles Monarchs were a professional ice hockey team, active from 1944–1950, in the Pacific Coast Hockey League . The Monarchs are the only professional ice hockey team to win a league championship for the city of Los Angeles...
left the Pacific Coast Hockey League, as the WHL was then known, in 1950.
Under coach Max McNab
Max McNab
Maxwell Douglas McNab was a Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and NHL general manager. He was born in Watson, Saskatchewan...
, the Seals debuted on Oct. 13, 1961 with an 8-3 road loss to the Seattle Totems
Seattle Totems
The Seattle Totems were a professional ice hockey franchise in Seattle, Washington. They were a member of various minor professional and semi-professional leagues between 1945 and 1975. They played their home games in the Mercer Arena and later at the Seattle Center Coliseum...
at Civic Arena
Mercer Arena
Mercer Arena, previously known as the Exposition Building, the Civic Ice Arena and Seattle Center Arena, is a performing arts venue located at the corner of Mercer Street Fourth Avenue North in Seattle, Washington. It was built in 1912 next door to the Seattle Civic Auditorium , as part of the $1...
. Their first home game at the Cow Palace took place a month later, with the Seals losing 5-3 to Edmonton
Edmonton Flyers
The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963, playing in various senior and minor professional leagues during that time...
on Nov. 17. The Seals would finish 29-39-2 in their first season and were eliminated by Spokane 2 games to none in their first-round playoff series.
Championship years (1962-63 and 1963-64)
Following McNab's departure to take over the Vancouver CanucksVancouver Canucks (WHL)
The Vancouver Canucks were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. Inaugurated in 1945 with the PCHL, they became a WHL team with the merger of the PCHL with the Western Canada Senior Hockey League in 1952...
, the Seals lured coach and general manager Norman "Bud" Poile south from the defending champion Flyers. Poile had won three championships in eight seasons at Edmonton; with the Seals, he would add two more.
Poile's teams generally led the league in penalty minutes, and his 1962-63 Seals fit the mold. Led by hard-nosed players such as Orland Kurtenbach
Orland Kurtenbach
Orland John Kurtenbach is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. A centre notable for his defensive skill and as one of the toughest fighters in the game, he played for several National Hockey League teams during his twenty professional seasons, principally the Vancouver...
, Larry McNabb, Nick Mickoski
Nick Mickoski
Nickolas "Broadway Nick" Mickoski was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.Mickoski started his National Hockey League career with the New York Rangers in 1947. He would also play for the Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins. He retired after the...
and Charlie Burns
Charlie Burns (ice hockey)
Charles Frederick Burns is a retired professional ice hockey forward who played 749 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Oakland Seals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota North Stars...
, the Seals developed a fierce rivalry with the Buckaroos, perennial WHL front-runners. For the next two seasons, Portland-San Francisco games had the atmosphere of a heavyweight title fight, and games between the two routinely attracted crowds of 8,000 or more. The Blades were another rival; Cow Palace crowds loved to hate defenseman "Big Burly Bill Burega
Bill Burega
William Burega was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played 4 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1955-56.-Awards and achievements:*MJHL First All-Star Team...
."
After finishing 44-25-1 in the 1962-63 regular season, the Seals eliminated Los Angeles in three games in the first round of the playoffs, then outlasted the Buckaroos in seven rugged semifinal contests, taking the seventh and final game 3-1 at Portland.
In the 1963 Lester Patrick Cup
Lester Patrick Cup
The Lester Patrick Cup was the championship trophy of the Pacific Coast Hockey League and the Western Hockey League from 1949 to 1974. Originally known as the President's Cup, the trophy was renamed in 1960 to honor pacific coast hockey pioneer and legend Lester Patrick following his death on June...
finals, the Seals faced the Totems, with all seven games played at the Cow Palace due to scheduling conflicts in Seattle. Trailing 3 games to 1, the Seals came back to win the last three games - the last two in overtime - and captured San Francisco's first pro hockey championship. Kurtenbach scored the Cup-winning goal 4 minutes into overtime of the Seals' 4-3 Game 7 victory.
Even though the WHL contracted in 1963-64 - Edmonton and Calgary both requested a leave of absence following the playoffs - the Seals finished a distant fourth during the regular season behind the Denver Invaders
Denver Invaders
The Denver Invaders were a minor pro ice hockey team that played in Denver, Colorado in the Western Hockey League during the 1963-1964 season. They were the Spokane Comets before they moved to Denver. They played their regular season games at the Denver Coliseum, and their playoff games at the...
, who had relocated from Spokane. But superb play from forward Al Nicholson
Al Nicholson
Allan Douglas Nicholson was a Canadian ice hockey left winger. Born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, he played in 19 games for the Boston Bruins and recorded one assist.-External links:*...
and goalie Bob Perreault
Bob Perreault
Robert M. Perreault - is a retired professional ice hockey player who played 31 games in the National Hockey League and 1 game in the World Hockey Association. He played with the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Los Angeles Sharks. He is the cousin of Gilbert Perreault.-...
helped the Seals win the final three games of their first-round playoff series against Portland. The Seals would go on to become the first team to win back-to-back Patrick Cup titles, defeating the Blades in six games in the only all-California final.
Decline and transition to the NHL
A year later, while the Seals were en route to missing the playoffs for the only time in their existence, the NHL announced that it planned to expand through the creation of a second six-team division - a move prompted by the desire for a new U.S. television contract, as well as rumors that the WHL and American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
were considering merging to form a rival major league. The WHL and AHL would go on to play an interlocking schedule in 1965-66, but by then the NHL had made up its mind.
In February 1966, the NHL selected San Francisco-Oakland as one of the six expansion markets, along with Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis. Barend (Barry) van Gerbig
Barry Van Gerbig
Barend "Barry" van Gerbig is an US millionaire socialite best known as the owner of the National Hockey League's California Seals.-Early life:...
, who had bought the team from Mel Swig, became the Seals' new owner and prospective governor for the team's entry into the NHL. By then, Poile had turned over the coaching reins to player-coach Charlie Burns; the Seals would reach the 1966 WHL playoffs and were one game away from their third finals appearance, but lost the last two games of their first-round playoff series against the eventual WHL champion Victoria Maple Leafs
Victoria Maple Leafs
The Victoria Maple Leafs were a minor pro ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League that played three seasons in Victoria, British Columbia, beginning in 1964. The previous season they had played as the Invaders in Denver, Colorado, winning the regular season with the best record in the Western...
, who prevailed 4 games to 3.
Following the playoff defeat, van Gerbig began preparing the Seals for their move to the NHL. The team relocated from the Cow Palace to the brand-new Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum for their last WHL season in 1966-67, changing their name to the California Seals. Former Chicago Black Hawks coach Rudy Pilous
Rudy Pilous
Rudy Pilous was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach, born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Pilous won a Stanley Cup coaching the Chicago Black Hawks in 1960–61, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1985 in the builder category.-Playing career:Pilous played junior ice hockey in the Manitoba...
took over as coach, alternating duties with Burns, as the Seals recorded only their second winning record (32-30-10). The Seals' six-year run in the WHL ended when they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Seattle; California's final game was a 4-1 loss to the Totems on April 15, 1967 at the Seattle Center Coliseum.
Tom Thurlby
Tom Thurlby
Thomas Newman Thurlby is a retired professional ice hockey defenceman who briefly played in the National Hockey League for the Oakland Seals.-Career statistics:-External links:...
, one of the first five players signed by the Seals on Sept. 7, 1961, was the only Seals player to remain with the team for all six of its seasons in the WHL. He would also play 20 games for the NHL Seals in 1967-68.
After the WHL
When the franchise joined the NHL in 1967, it retained the name "California Seals" in an effort to appeal to fans in both San Francisco and Oakland. However, after only a few months, the team had failed to attract many fans from San Francisco, and the name was changed to Oakland Seals. The name was later changed again to California Golden Seals in 1970; the franchise eventually moved to Cleveland in 1976.See also
- California Golden SealsCalifornia Golden SealsThe California Golden Seals were a team in the National Hockey League 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. The Seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of...
- San Jose SharksSan Jose SharksThe San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...