During their brief time in the NHL, the Cleveland Barons had just one chance at a penalty shot and it came courtesy of Prince Edward Island’s own Al MacAdam. On December 16, 1976, in a road matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, MacAdam was awarded the rare opportunity after being tripped on a breakaway by Russ Anderson.
At 9:23 of the second period, MacAdam made the most of it, firing the puck past Penguins goalie Denis Herron to tie the game 3-3. It was his eighth goal of the season and marked a moment of franchise history, the only successful penalty shot ever recorded by the Cleveland Barons.
MacAdam wasn’t finished there. He added another goal in the third period, assisted by Dennis Maruk and Mike Christie, once again tying the game, this time at 4-4. Unfortunately, just 39 seconds later, Pierre Larouche buried the game-winner for Pittsburgh, sealing a 5-4 Penguins victory.
Jean Pronovost led the way for the Penguins that night with a four-point performance, two goals and two assists, while adding a shorthanded tally set up by Syl Apps.
Though the Barons’ history was short-lived, MacAdam’s effort stood out. Across his 864 game NHL career, he proved a model of consistency and leadership with the Philadelphia Flyers, California Golden Seals, Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North Stars, and Vancouver Canucks.
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On January 3, 1973, Pete Laframboise etched his name into
California Golden Seals history with a jaw-dropping four-goal
performance, the first in franchise history. Incredibly, those four
tallies made up 12% of his
entire NHL career goals.
The game, played at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
against the Vancouver Canucks, was tight after two periods with the
Seals holding a 5-3 lead. Then came the third period eruption, six
unanswered California goals, sealing an 11-3 rout.
Laframboise opened the scoring at 8:21 of the first period,
burying his seventh of the season past Bruce Bullock, assisted by
Walt McKechnie and Hilliard Graves. His second came on the power play
at 14:36 of the second, with helpers from Graves and Stan Weir.
The real fireworks came in the third. Laframboise struck twice in
quick succession, both set up by Graves and Weir, pushing the score
to 9-3. Only three players in Seals history would ever match the feat
of four goals in a game: Ivan Boldirev, Gary Sabourin, and Dennis Maruk. Boldirev also had a huge night in this game with two goals
(including the game-winner) and two assists.
Goaltending was a story of contrasts. Bullock stayed between the
pipes for Vancouver the entire night, surrendering 11 goals on 44
shots. Gilles Meloche, meanwhile, earned the win for California with
26 saves, picking up an assist on the final goal and even taking a
delay of game penalty late in the second period.
About Pete Laframboise
Pete Laframboise’s NHL career spanned 227 regular season games
and nine playoff appearances between 1971-72 and 1974-75, skating for
the Golden Seals, Washington Capitals, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He
also played 17 games for the Edmonton Oilers in the WHA during the
1976-77 season. Drafted in the second round by California in 1970,
Laframboise made the leap to the pros after a standout junior career
with the Ottawa 67’s.
The Califonia Golden Seals existed in the National Hockey League
for just a short nine year span from 1967-68 to 1975-76. Originally
dubbed the Oakland Seals, the team was one of six expansion teams to
enter the NHL for the 1967-68 season. Despite the fact that their
nine years were nothing more than dismal, several decent players
passed through the organization.
Harry Howell
Harry
Howell is the only player in the Hockey Hall of Fame that ever
dressed for the Golden Seals. Howell played just the 1969-70 season
and part of the 1970-71 season with the club after 17 years with the
New York Rangers. After 28 games in 1970-71, he was traded down the
California coast to the Los Angeles Kings. The 1966-67 Norris Trophy
winner was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Bryan Watson
Bryan
‘Bugsy’ Watson was best known for the time he spent in the
penalty box but he was also a decent defenseman. Now 41st on the
NHL’s all-time list of penalty minute leaders, he was once number
one. Watson finished his NHL career with 2212 PIM in 878 games.
Watson played one season with the Oakland Seals, 1968-69. His NHL
career spanned from 1963-64 to 1978-79, also playing for the Montreal
Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings
and Washington Capitals.
Bobby Baun
In the final season of the ‘Original Six’era, 1966-67, Bob Baun was the hero of the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup victory. The
following season, he was on the blue line for the Oakland Seals, a
team that won just 15 games. 1967-68 was the only season Baun spent
in California during a career that started in 1956-57 and ended after
the 1972-73 season. Baun also played three seasons with the Detroit
Red Wings.
Carol Vadnais
Carol
Vadnais played sparingly for the Montreal Canadiens during the
1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons. He became a regular in the NHL with the
Seals in 1968-69. Vadnais spent two years with California before
moving on to bigger and better things with the Boston Bruins. Carol
played a total of 1087 regular season NHL games between 1966-67 and
1982-83 with the Canadiens, Golden Seals, Bruins, New York Rangers
and New Jersey Devils.
Reg Leach
Drafted third overall by the Boston
Bruins in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, Reggie
Leach never really caught on with the Big Bad Bruins, playing
just two partial seasons with the club in 1970-71 and part of 1971-72
and scoring just a total of nine goals. Playing with the California
Golden Seals until the end of the 1973-74 season, Leach’s goal
scoring ability began to blossom. It was with the Philadelphia Flyers
that Leach exploded. He scored 61 in 1975-76 and 50 in 1979-80. He
scored 19 in 16 playoff games in 1975-76 earning him the Conn Smythe
Trophy in a losing effort. He won two Stanley Cups with Philadelphia,
included a victory over the Bruins in 1974.
Charlie Simmer
Charlie Simmer was a third round pick of the Seals in the 1974 NHL
Draft. He was a seldom used forward by California and even by the
Cleveland Barons when the team was relocated there for the 1976-77
season. However, after being traded to the Los Angeles Kings in
1978-79 and being stuck on a line with Marcel Dionne and Dave Taylor,
Charlie showed the hockey world what he could do. Simmer scored 56
goals in each the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons as a member of the
Triple
Crown Line. Those goal totals were accomplished in just 64 and 65
games. Simmer played 712 NHL games with the Seals, Barons, Kings,
Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins.
Dennis Maruk
In the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft, the last for the Golden Seals, they
finally got it right. In the second round, they drafted Dennis Maruk.
Maruk scored 30 goals in his rookie season and 36 with the Barons two
years later. He topped out with 60 goals and 136 points in a
Washington Capitals uniform in 1981-82. Dennis played 888 regular
season NHL games with the Seals/Barons/North Stars and Capitals and
scored 356 goals over that time.
A Bit More About The Team
The California Golden Seals were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) that existed from 1967 to 1976. Originally known as the California Seals, the team underwent a name change in 1970 to become the California Golden Seals. Based in Oakland, California, the Seals faced financial and on-ice challenges throughout their brief history.
The team struggled to achieve success in terms of playoff appearances and faced difficulties in building a dedicated fan base. Despite their challenges, the California Golden Seals are remembered for their distinctive green and gold jerseys and remain a unique part of NHL history.
The franchise ultimately relocated to Cleveland in 1976 and later merged with the Minnesota North Stars, ceasing to exist as an independent team.
The 1975 NHL Amateur Draft followed the Philadelphia Flyers
second consecutive Stanley Cup victory in 1974-75 and the start of the Montreal
Canadiens Stanley Cup dynasty in 1975-76. The NHL was in fierce competition
with the World Hockey Association and many junior players were drafted to both
leagues. Test and expand your knowledge of the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft with the
following four hockey trivia questions and answers.
Q. Who was the first overall pick at the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft?
A. The Philadelphia Flyers chose Mel Bridgeman first overall
in 1975. Bridgeman was fresh off a 66 goal and 157 point season with the
Victoria Cougars of the WCHL. Mel played in the NHL from 1975-76 to 1988-89
with the Flyers, Calgary Flames, New Jersey Devils, Detroit Red Wings and
Vancouver Canucks.
Bridgeman is the only player the Flyers have ever chosen
first overall. James Van Riemsdyk came close in 2007. He went second overall,
behind Patrick Kane. Kane came out of the London Knights and was selected by
the Chicago Blackhawks. Van Riemsdyk was drafted out of the University of New
Hampshire.
Q. Who was the only player drafted in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft to
play over 1,000 regular season games in the league?
A. Dave
Taylor was taken way down in the 15th round by the Los Angeles
Kings, 210th overall. Yet, Taylor was the only draftee in 1975 to
play over 1,000 games during his NHL career. Drafted out of Clarkson
University, Taylor played 1,111 games between 1977-78 and 1993-94, all with the
Kings.
First overall pick, Mel Bridgeman came close, playing 977
NHL regular season games. Doug Jarvis was taken in the second round and
finished up his career with 964 games played. Bridgeman and Jarvis are the only
two from the 1975 draft to reach the 900 game plateau.
Q. Who was the first member of the OHA’s London Knights to be selected
in the 1975 NHL Amateur Draft?
A. Dennis Maruk
was taken in the second round, 21st overall, by the California
Golden Seals. Maruk had just been honoured with the Red Tilson Trophy as the
OHA’s most outstanding player in 1974-75, finishing third in scoring with 145
points. Maruk played 888 regular season NHL games and contributed 878 points over
a National Hockey Career that spanned from 1975-76 to 1988-89. Besides the
Golden Seals, Dennis also played for the Cleveland Barons, Minnesota North
Stars and Washington Capitals.
Q. What team drafted NHL Ironman Doug Jarvis in the second round of the
1975 NHL Amateur Draft?
A. Although he never played for them, the Toronto Maple
Leafs took Jarvis 24th overall. Doug played in the NHL from 1975-76
to 1987-88 with the Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals and Hartford
Whalers. He didn’t miss a scheduled game between his first and last NHL games.
His record of 964 consecutive games stands as an NHL record today. Jarvis even
played two extra games in 1985-86 after being traded from Washington to
Hartford.
