7 NHL Stars Who Played For The California Golden Seals

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.

1975-76 NHL Goal Scoring Leaders - Leach Replaces Esposito

1975-76 was an end of an era in the National Hockey League. Phil Esposito had dominated the goal scoring landscape since 1969-70, leading the NHL for six consecutive seasons. Esposito scored 50 or more goals for five consecutive seasons and set the mark for most goals in a single season with 76 in 1970-71. In 1975-76, the Boston Bruins traded him mid-season to the New York Rangers and he totalled just 35 goals, not good enough to place in the top ten.

Reggie Leach – Philadelphia Flyers

Leading the NHL in 1975-76 with 61 goals was Reggie Leach of the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a career year for Leach with his next highest goal total coming in 1979-80 with 50. Reggie carried on into the 1975-76 playoffs with 19 goals in 16 games as the Flyers reached the finals before losing out to the Montreal Canadiens. Leach was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in the losing cause. To date, he is one of just five players to be awarded the Conn Smythe when not winning the Stanley Cup.

Guy Lafleur – Montreal Canadiens

Guy Lafleur of the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens came second with 56 goals. It was Guy’s second of six consecutive seasons with 50 or more goals and his first of three consecutive Art Ross Trophies. The 56 goals was a far cry from the 130 he scored in 62 games for the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL in 1970-71.

Despite finishing third in the Norris Division and making an early opening round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins provided the National Hockey League with two 50 goal scorers. Pierre Larouche finished third with 53 and Jean Pronovost ended 1975-76 with one less than his teammate.

Pierre Larouche – Pittsburgh Penguins

Pierre Larouche was another phenom in the QMJHL. With the Sorel Black Hawks in 1973-74, he scored 94 goals and totalled 251 points in 67 regular season games. 1975-76 was just his second season in the NHL. He would score 50 goals in a season one more time in his NHL career, exactly 50 as a member of the 1979-80 Montreal Canadiens.

Jean Pronovost – Pittsburgh Penguins

Jean Pronovost had a career year with his 52 goals and 104 points. Pronovost played two games shy of 1,000 in an NHL career that spanned from 1968-69 to 1981-82. He spent the bulk of his time with Pittsburgh but also played for the Atlanta Flames and Washington Capitals.

Bill Barber – Philadelphia Flyers

Two players tied for fifth spot in 1975-76 with 50 goals each. Bill Barber of the Philadelphia Flyers and Danny Gare each had 50. Barber gets the tie breaker nod with 112 points to Gare’s 73.

Bill Barber is one of just two of these six players to have a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Barber was inducted in 1990, two years after Guy Lafleur. 1975-76 was the only time during his twelve year NHL career, all with the Flyers, that Barber reached the 50 goal plateau.

Danny Gare would reach the 50 goal plateau one more time in his career. In 1979-80, he scored 56 for the Buffalo Sabres, tying Blaine Stoughton of the Hartford Whalers and Charlie Simmer of the Los Angeles Kings for the NHL lead. Gare played in the NHL from 1974-75 to 1986-87 with the Sabres, Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers.