1968-1969 Season

The Seals enjoyed their best season in the NHL in 1968-69, finishing second in the West Division and gaining the most wins and points in franchise history as well as many team and individual records. Keep in mind the Seals were still seven games below .500, but for a second year expansion team, this was a vast improvement. Prior to the 1968-69 season, new GM Frank Selke, Jr., comepletely revamped the team. By the end of their second season, only a handful of original Seals remained on the roster. the team's younger players responded to coach Fred Glover as it seemed everybody had something to prove. The Seals improved from 15 to 29 wins and from 47 to 69 points. New faces included Carol Vadnais, Norm Ferguson, Gary Jarrett and Earl Ingarfield. The Seals entered the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings and led the series 3 games to 2 but lost the final two games including the 7th game in Oakland and were eliminated by the Kings. After the season was over, Ted Hampson won the Masterton Trophy to become the only Seals player to win a major NHL post season award in the team's nine year history. The Sporting News also named Fred Glover coach of the year.

Game Date Opponent Result Seals Goalie Opp. Goalie W/T Goal Notes
1. Oct 11 68 Minnesota L 5-1        
2. Oct 13 68 Los Angeles T 4-4   Gerry Desjardins Gary Jarrett Tying goal scored with 1:08 left in game. Seals score 3 times in 3rd period. Gary Jarrett had 2 goals and an assist, Ted Hampson had 3 assists for the Seals.
3. Oct 16 68 Boston L 2-1        
4. Oct 19 68 @ St. Louis L 4-1        
5. Oct 20 68 @ Chicago W 4-3   Denis DeJordy Gerry Ehman Seals first ever win over Chicago. Gerry Ehman scored twice for Oakland. The Seals ended a 17 game winless streak dating back to last season (0-11-6).
6. Oct 22 68 @ Minnesota W 3-2 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago and Gary Bauman George Swarbrick Gary Jarrett & GerryOdrowski also score for Seals. Gary Smith stops 25 shots to earn the win. George Swarbrick's winner came with 4:01 left on a rebound of a Billy Harris shot.
7. Oct 23 68 @ NY Rangers L 6-1 Gary Smith Ed Giacomin Harry Howell John Brenneman scores lone Seals goal. Vic Hadfield, Dave Balon and Rod Gilbert had 2 points each for New York.
8. Oct 25 68 Montreal L 4-2        
9. Oct 27 68 Philadelphia T 2-2        
10. Nov 01 68 Chicago W 5-2 Gary Smith Denis DeJordy Carol Vadnais The Seals got 2 goals from Carol Vadnais and 2 assists each from Ted Hampson & George Swarbrick.
11. Nov 03 68 Pittsburgh L 3-1 Gary Smith Les Binkley Gene Ubriaco Lou Angotti had a goal and an assist to lead the Pens attack. Bill Hicke scored the only Oakland goal.
12. Nov 08 68 NY Rangers L 3-2   Ed Giacomin Rod Gilbert In an attempt to build attendance, the Seals scheduled 8 home games at the Cow Palace in Daly City. Only 6,082 fans came to the game. Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers. Gary Jarrett and Bert Marshall scored for the Seals.
13. Nov 10 68 Toronto L 3-1 Charlie Hodge Bruce Gamble Dave Keon Gary Jarrett tallied the lone Seals goal. Ron Ellis, Dave Keon and Jim Dorey scored for Toronto.
14. Nov 12 68 @ Los Angeles L 3-1     Bill Flett Flett scores a pair of goals and adds one assist for the Kings. Gerry Ehman scores for Seals. 9 seconds after Ehman's goal, Jim Peters scored for LA.
15. Nov 13 68 Detroit W 2-1 Chris Worthy Roger Crozier Gary Jarrett Gary Jarrett scored with just 48 seconds left to lead the Seals to a 2-1 win over the Red Wings. Bill Hicke also scored for Oakland while Chris Worthy made 24 saves.
16. Nov 16 68 @ Montreal T 3-3 Chris Worthy Rogie Vachon Ted Hampson Norm Ferguson scores a goal and adds an assist. Ted Hampson tied the game with just 2:21 left in the 3rd period. Chris Worthy made 34 saves. Jean Beliveau and Yvon Cournoyer had 2 assists each.
17. Nov 17 68 @ Boston L 6-3 Chris Worthy Gerry Cheevers Phil Esposito Fred Stanfield scored twice for Boston while John Bucyk had 3 assists. George Swarbrick had a goal and an assist for Oakland. The Bruins took 43 shots on goal.
18. Nov 20 68 @St. Louis L 7-0 Chris Worthy Glenn Hall Barclay Plager Frank St. Marseille had 2 goals and 2 assists. Glenn Hall makes 21 saves to earn the his first shutout of the year and his 4th career shutout of the Seals.
19. Nov 21 68 @ Pittsburgh L 3-1 Chris Worthy Joe Daley Leo Boivin Norm Ferguson scored only Seals goal. Duncan McCallum had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh.
20. Nov 23 68 @ Philadelphia W 2-1 Gary Smith Doug Favell Bryan Watson The Seals got goals from Bryan Watson and Gerry Ehman to end a 4 game winless streak (0-3-1). Gary Smith made 24 saves for the Seals.
21. Nov 24 68 @ NY Rangers L 3-2 Charlie Hodge Ed Giacomin Rod Gilbert Norm Ferguson scores on a penalty shot for the Seals. It is the first penalty shot at the new Madison Square Garden. Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle had 2 points each for the Rangers.
22. Nov 27 68 @ Minnesota T 3-3 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago Doug Roberts The Seals overcame a 3-0 deficit to earn the tie. Gerry Ehman had a goal and an assist while Ted Hampson set up 2 Oakland goals.
23. Nov 29 68 Montreal W 5-4   Rogie Vachon & Tony Esposito   Tony Esposito makes his first appearance in an NHL game, replacing Vachon midway through the game.
24. Dec 01 68 Pittsburgh T 4-4 Gary Smith Les Binkley Jean Pronovost Seals led 2-0 and 4-3. Brian Perry, Bob Dillabough and Mike Laughton each score a goal and add an assist. Jean Pronovost scored twice and Gene Ubriaco had 3 points for Pittsburgh.
25. Dec 06 68 Philadelphia W 4-0 Gary Smith     Seals unbeaten in their last 4 games (2-0-2).
26. Dec 08 68 Minnesota L 4-1 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago Claude Larose Played at Cow Palace. Minnesota ends 9 game winless streak. Mike Laughton scored for the Seals.
27. Dec 12 68 Detroit W 6-0 Gary Smith Roger Crozier   Gary Smith earned his second shotout in 3 games. Norm Ferguson scored twice and added an assist to lead the Seals attack. Gerry Ehman had a goal and 3 points, Ted Hampson assisted on 3 goals as well.
28. Dec 14 68 @ Detroit L 3-1 Gary Smith Roy Edwards Garry Unger Dean Prentice and Garry Unger each had a goal and an assist for Detroit. Gerry Odrowski scored with 4:35 left to break Roy Edwards' shutout bid.
29. Dec 15 68 @ Chicago L 7-4 Gary Smith   Dennis Hull The Seals led 3-0 in the first period on goals by Francois Lacombe, Norm Ferguson and Gary Jarrett. Dennis Hull, Doug Mohns and Stan Mikita had 2 goals each for Chicago. Chico Maki was stopped on a penalty shot.
30. Dec 17 68 @ Minnesota W 3-2   Cesare Maniago Bill Hicke Bill Hicke scored twice for the Seals while Joe Szura scored the other Oakland goal. Claude Larose had a goal and an assist for the North Stars.
31. Dec 18 68 @ Toronto L 5-2 Gary Smith Johnny Bower Floyd Smith Floyd Smith and Bob Pulford scored 47 seconds apart for Toronto to break open a 2-2 game. Mike Laughton had a goal and an assist for the Seals.
32. Dec 20 68 St. Louis L 1-0   Jacques Plante    
33. Dec 22 68 Philadelphia W 2-1 Gary Smith Doug Favell Bill Hicke Only 1,829 fans show up at the Cow Palace. Hicke had a goal and an assist for the Seals while Mike Laughton added 2 assists.
34. Dec 25 68 @ Boston W 3-1 Gary Smith Gerry Cheevers Mike Laughton Bill Hicke and Mike Laughton each had 3 points. The Seals ended a 6 game unbeaten streak for Boston. Gary Smith stopped 36 shots to earn the win.
35. Dec 26 68 @ NY Rangers L 3-1 Gary Smith Gilles Villemure Phil Goyette Gary Jarrett scored the only goal for Oakland. Reg Fleming, Dave Balon and Phil Goyette tallied for New York.
36. Dec 28 68 @ Pittsburgh W 4-3 Charlie Hodge Les Binkley Mike Laughton The Seals overcame a 2-0 deficit to down the Penguins at the Igloo. Charlie Hodge stopped 37 shots to earn the win. Carol Vadnais and Norm Ferguson had a goal and an assist each to lead the Seals.
37. Dec 29 68 @ Philadelphia W 2-1 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Carol Vadnais Gary Jarrett extends his point scoring streak to 4 games. Carol Vadnais scores the winner from 55 feet out early in the 3rd period. Vadnais and Bill Hicke each had a goal and an assist..
38. Jan 01 69 @ Toronto L 7-3     Larry Mickey Gary Jarrett and Bill Hicke each had a goal and an assist for Seals. Norm Ullman, Dave Keon and Larry Mickey had 3 points each for Toronto.
39. Jan 03 69 St. Louis L 3-1 Gary Smith Glenn Hall Frank St. Marseille Doug Harvey and Frank St. Marseille scored first period goals for St. Louis. Gerry Ehman scored for Oakland.
40. Jan 05 69 Los Angeles T 0-0 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins None Gary Smith's 3rd shutout of the season.
41. Jan 09 69 @ Montreal L 8-4 Gary Smith (5 goals, replaced at 1:03 of 2nd period) and Charlie Hodge Rogie Vachon Claude Provost Ted Hampson scored a goal and 2 assists. Habs scored 7 straight goals to dominate game after Seals led 2-1. Jean Beliveau had a goal and 3 assists for Montreal while Yvon Cournoyer scored twice and added an assist.
42. Jan 11 69 @ Pittsburgh W 4-2     Joe Szura Norm Ferguson scored 2 goals for the Seals while Joe Szura and Bob Dillabough each scored a goal and added an assist.
43. Jan 12 69 @ Detroit L 5-1 Charlie Hodge Roy Edwards Frank Mahovlich Frank Mahovlich scored 4 goals to lead the Red Wings. Gerry Ehman scored for Oakland with just 1:23 left in the game to end Roy Edwards' shutout bid.
44. Jan 15 69 Chicago W 4-3        
45. Jan 17 69 NY Rangers L 3-1 Gary Smith Don Simmons Don Marshall Phil Goyette scored a goal and adds 2 assists for New York. Bill Hicke scored the only goal for the Seals.
46. Jan 19 69 Pittsburgh W 6-3 Charlie Hodge Les Binkley & Joe Daley Mike Laughton Mike Laughton and Bill Hicke each had 2 goals and 2 assists while Brian Perry had 3 assists to lead the Oakland attack.
47. Jan 23 69 @ Montreal W 5-3 Gary Smith Rogie Vachon Bob Dillabough Gary Smith made 34 saves as the Seals overcame a 2-0 deficit. Carol Vadnais, Brian Perry, Gerry Ehman and Bert Marshall each had 2 points for Oakland.
48. Jan 25 69 @ Detroit L 5-3 Gary Smith Terry Sawchuk Ed Hatoum Seals blew a 2-0 lead and surrendered 4 third period goals. Norm Ferguson had a hat trick for Oakland. Gordie Howe scored his 1,800 career NHL point (regular season and playoffs combined).
49. Jan 26 69 @ St. Louis L 3-1 Gary Smith Jacques Plante Frank St. Marseille Brian Perry scores the only Seals goal. Frank St. Marseille had a goal and an assist for St. Louis.
50. Jan 29 69 Boston T 3-3   Gerry Cheevers    
51. Jan 31 69 Toronto W 5-4        
52. Feb 01 69 @ Los Angeles L 8-5   Gerry Desjardins    
53. Feb 05 69 Montreal W 5-1 Gary Smith      
54. Feb 08 69 @ Toronto W 4-1 Chris Worthy Johnny Bower Ted Hampson Rookie Chris Worthy made 39 saves to lift the Seals to victory at the Maple Leaf Gardens. Ted Hampson scored a goal and added an assist for Oakland.
55. Feb 09 69 @ Boston T 3-3 Gary Smith Gerry Cheevers Ken Hodge Earl Ingarfield had a goal and an assist for Oakland. Gary Smith made 43 saves. The Seals blew a 3-1 3rd period lead.
56. Feb 12 69 NY Rangers W 3-2 Chris Worthy Ed Giacomin Gerry Ehman The Seals defeated the Rangers for the first time in 9 games. Chris Worthy made 35 saves. Mike Laughton and Francois Lacombe scored the other Oakland goals.
57. Feb 15 69 @ Pittsburgh T 4-4 Chris Worthy Joe Daley Ted Hampson Ted Hampson's goal with 1:30 left earned the Seals the tie. Seals were unbeaten in last 5 games (3-0-2). Hampson finished with a goal and an assist and Carol Vadnais assisted on 2 goals for the Seals.
58. Feb 16 69 @ Philadelphia L 3-2 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Andre Lacroix Larry Hale scored twice for the Flyers who ended a 9 game winless streak. Ted Hampson and Earl Ingarfield scored for the Seals.
59. Feb 19 69 Chicago W 5-2   Dave Dryden and Denis DeJordy   Brian Perry scores a hat trick for the Seals.
60. Feb 21 69 St. Louis W 3-2 Gary Smith Glenn Hall   The Seals defeated the Blues for the first time ever after going 0-12-3 in their first 15 games against St. Louis. The game was played at the Cow Palace.
61. Feb 23 69 Los Angeles L 4-3 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins Ted Irvine Ted Hampson scored twice and had an assist, Dick Mattiussi had 2 assists for Oakland. The Kings ended a 5 game losing streak.
62. Feb 26 69 Minnesota W 6-5        
63. Feb 27 69 Boston L 9-0 Chris Worthy Ed Johnston Ed Westfall Ed Westfall, Ken Hodge and Phil Esposito each had 3 points for Boston. Esposito tied Stan Mikita's all-time record with 97 points in a season. The 9-0 defeat was the worst home loss to date for Oakland.
64. Mar 02 69 Philadelphia T 4-4 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Gary Dornhoefer The Flyers scored 3 third period goals to overcome a 4-1 deficit. Dornhoefer's tying goal came with just 7 seconds left. Bill Hicke scored his 20th goal of the season for the Seals.
65. Mar 05 69 @ Minnesota L 5-2 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago J.P. Parise Claude Larose and J.P. Parise each scored twice for the North Stars. Norm Ferguson and Bert Marshall lit the lamp for the Seals.
66. Mar 08 69 @ St. Louis L 5-2 Gary Smith Glenn Hall Red Berenson The Blues clinched the West Division title with win over second place Seals. Norm Ferguson and Bill Hicke score for Oakland, Red Berenson and Tim Ecclestone each scored twice for St. Louis.
67. Mar 09 69 @ Philadelphia L 5-3 Chris Worthy Bernie Parent Dick Cherry Andre Lacroix and Dick Sarrazin each had 3 points for the Flyers. Seals led 3-2 midway through the third period. Norm Ferguson led Seals scorers with a goal and an assist.
68. Mar 12 69 @ Chicago W 4-1 Gary Smith Denis DeJordy Ted Hampson The Seals scored 3 goals in 2:31 late in the 3rd period to win at Chicago. Francois Lacombe had 2 assists for Seals while Gary Smith made 38 saves, many of the spectacular to earn the win.
69. Mar 13 69 Toronto L 3-1        
70. Mar 16 69 Pittsburgh W 7-2 Gary Smith Joe Daley Norm Ferguson 13 different Seals figured in the scoring. Norm Ferguson became the first 30 goal scorer in Seals history. Earl Ingarfield and Gary Jarrett had a goal and an assist to lead Oakland scorers.
71. Mar 18 69 @ Los Angeles L 3-2     Ted Irvine Ted Irvine scored all 3 goals for the Kings.
72. Mar 19 69 Detroit T 4-4 Gary Smith      
73. Mar 22 69 @ Los Angeles W 4-0 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins   Gary Smith earned his 4th shutout of the season.
74. Mar 23 69 Los Angeles W 5-4 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins and Wayne Rutledge Norm Ferguson Norm Ferguson scored twice while Ted Hampson and Earl Ingarfield each had 2 points as the Seals edged the Kings 5-4. The win clinched second place for the Seals in the West division.
75. Mar 26 69 St. Louis L 5-3   Glenn Hall    
76. Mar 29 69 Minnesota W 7-2       Carol Vadnais and Ted Hampson each collected 4 assists for the Seals.

1969 PLAYOFFS

Game # Date Location Result Seals Goalie Kings Goalie Winning Goal Notes
1. Apr 02 69 Oakland L 5-4 (OT) Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins and Wayne Rutledge Ted Irvine Ted Irvine scored just 19 seconds into overtime as the Kings edged the Seals 5-4. Gene Ubriaco scored the tying goal for Oakland with just 2:38 left in the 3rd period. Earl Ingarfield scored the first ever playoff goal for Oakland.
2. Apr 03 69 Oakland W 4-2 Gary Smith Wayne Rutledge Gary Jarrett Ted Hampson scored twice and Earl Ingarfield tallied 2 assists as the Seals evened the series at 1-1.
3. Apr 05 69 Los Angeles W 5-2 Gary Smith Wayne Rutledge and Gerry Desjardins Earl Ingarfield 5 Seals scored two points including Gary Jarrett, Mike Laughton, Earl Ingarfield, Gerry Ehman and Ted Hampson. The Seals led the series 2-1.
4. Apr 06 69 Los Angeles L 4-2 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins Larry Cahan Howie Menard scored a goal and an assist and Bob Wall set up 2 goals as the Kings evened the series at 2-2. Earl Ingarfield and Ted Hampson each had a goal and an assist for Oakland.
5. Apr 09 69 Oakland W 4-1 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins Bob Dillabough Bob Dillabough scored twice while Bert Marshall and Joe Szura each had 2 assists as the Seals took a 3-2 lead in the series.
6. Apr 10 69 Los Angeles L 4-3 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins Bill Flett "Cowboy" Bill Flett had a goal and an assist as the Kings edged the Seals 4-3 to force a seventh and deciding game in their first round playoff series.
7. Apr 13 69 Oakland L 5-3 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins Lowell MacDonald Ted Irvine scored twice as the Kings upset the Seals 5-3 to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Earl Ingarfield had a goal and 2 assists to lead the Oakland attack. 9,384 fans attended the game.

SEALS SEASON LEADERS 1968-69
(Franchise Records in Bold

Games Played Ted Hampson, Carol Vadnais, Norm Ferguson and Doug Roberts 76
Goals Norm Ferguson 34
Assists Ted Hampson 49
Points Ted Hampson 75
Penalty Minutes Carol Vadnais 151
Power Play Goals Ted Hampson 9
Short Handed Goals Gerry Odrowski 3
Game Winning Goals Mike Laughton 5
Game Tying Goals Ted Hampson 2
Shots on Goal Carol Vadnais 274
Shooting PCT* Mike Laughton 19.4%
Best +/- * Gerry Odrowski +4
Worst +/- * Bert Marshall -24
Games by Goalie Gary Smith 54
Wins by Goalie Gary Smith 21
Goals Agnst Ave** Gary Smith 2.96
Shutouts Gary Smith 4

Note:
*Shooting PCT and Best and Worst +/- based on minimum of 40 games played.
**Goals Against Average based on minimum 20 games played.


Team Captain: Ted Hampson
Alternate Captains: Gerry Odrowski, Bert Marshall, Bryan Watson, Gary Jarrett
General Manager: Frank Selke, Jr.
Coach: Fred Glover

Record: 29-36-11 69 points-2nd in the Western Division
Lost Quarterfinal Round to Los Angeles 4 games to 3.

Record at:
Home: 17-14-7
Road: 12-22-4

vs. West 15-18-7
vs. East 14-18-4

Month Record
October 2-5-2
November 4-8-2
December 7-6-1
January 5-7-2
February 6-4-2
March 5-6-2
April 0-0-0

All Star Game Representatives: Carol Vadnais--0 Goals, 0 Assists 2 Penalty Min.
Bill Hicke 0 Goals, 0 Assists 0 Penalty Min.
Ted Hampson 0 Goals, 0 Assists 0 Penalty Min.

Power Play 44/286 15.4%
Penalty Killing 42/226 81.4%

Ticket Prices: Rinkside $5.50. Side Lodge $5.00. End Lodge $4.50. Balcony $3.50. (children under 16 ½ price).

Home Attendance: 172,481 for 38 home games. Average: 4,584 per game.

Ted Hampson won the Masterton Trophy to become the only Seals player to win a major NHL award.

Major Transactions

Date Transaction
May 14, 1968 Seals send Larry Popein to the NY Rangers for cash
May 14, 1968 Seals trade Terry Clancy to Toronto for cash
May 21, 1968 Seals acquire Norm Ferguson, Francois Lacombe, Stan Fuller and the rights to Lyle Bradley from Montreal in exchange for Wally Boyer, ,Michel Jacques and their first round picks in the 1968 and 1970 entry drafts
May 27, 1968 Seals trade Bob Baun and Ron Harris to Detroit for Gary Jarrett, Doug Roberts, Howie Young and Chris Worthy
June 1968 The Seals acquire the NHL rights to Wayne Muloin when the sign an affiliate agreement with Providence of the AHL
June 6, 1968 Seals acquire Brian Perry from Providence of the AHL in the inter-league draft
June 10, 1968 Seals obtain Bryan Watson and cash from the Montreal Canadiens for the Seals first round pick in the 1972 entry draft (The Habs select Michel Larocque)
June 12, 1968 Seals obtain Carol Vadnais from Montreal in the intra-league draft. Charlie Burns is claimed by Pittsburgh while Montreal claims Larry Cahan
August 1968 Seals acquire Len Ronson from Montreal for cash
September 13, 1968 Seals trade Ron Boehm to the NY Rangers for cash
October 2, 1968 Chicago claims Howie Young off waivers from the Seals
November 1968 Seals send Len Ronson to San Diego of the WHL for cash
November 29, 1968 Seals trade Billy Harris to Pittsburgh for Bob Dillabough
January 30, 1969 Seals acquire Earl Ingarfield, Gene Ubriaco, and Dick Mattiussi from Pittsburgh for Bryan Watson, George Swarbrick, and Tracy Pratt.