1969-1970 Season

The cast was mostly the same but something was missing for the Seals in 1969-70. Perhaps the team took for granted the heard work it took to finish in second place the year before. The Seals did manage to hang onto fourth place in the West Division and make the playoffs for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row they were eliminated in the first round of the post season, this time by the Pittsburgh Penguins in four straight games. Off the ice, a new group, Transnational Communications, took over ownership of the team. Included in the new ownership group were Bill Creasy, a former producer at CBS Sports, NFL announcer Pat Summerall, former New York Giant football player Dick Lynch and Yankee Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford. Although attendance went up, the team had to file for bankruptcy and ownership reverted back to Barry van Gerbig. The Bankruptcy Court decided it was best that the NHL decide who the next owner of the team should be. The final two potential owners were roller derby king Jerry Seltzer and Oakland A's owner Charlie O. Finley. Finley had more connections with NHL owners and was awarded the franchise prior to the start of the 1970-71 season.

Game Date Opponent Result Seals Goalie Opp. Goalie W/T Goal Notes
1. Oct 11 69 @ Pittsburgh T 2-2        
2. Oct 12 69 @ Chicago W 2-1 Gary Smith Denis DeJordy Mike Laughton Mike Laughton scored 2 goals 38 seconds apart as the Seals edged Chicago 2-1. Gary Smith made 38 saves to earn the win.
3. Oct 15 69 @Boston L 6-0 Charlie Hodge Gerry Cheevers Ron Murphy Bobby Orr had 3 assists and Gerry Cheevers made 17 saves for Boston. The Seals were outshot 41-17 in this game.
4. Oct 17 69 Los Angeles W 5-1 Gary Smith     Bill Hicke scored 2 goals in 9 seconds to set a Seals record. 8,351 attended the home opener.
5. Oct 18 69 @ Los Angeles L 5-0 Gary Smith Gerry Desjardins    
6. Oct 21 69 Pittsburgh W 4-3 Charlie Hodge Joe Daley Mike Laughton The Seals had an early 3-0 lead but it took Laughton's goal with 8:17 left in the game to provide the margin of victory. Norm Ferguson, Bill Hicke and Gary Jarrett also scored for Oakland.
7. Oct 24 69 Boston L 4-2        
8. Oct 29 69 Chicago W 3-2       Seals at 4-3-1, the latest into a season they would ever be over .500.
9. Oct 31 69 @ Detroit L 3-1        
10. Nov 04 69 Toronto L 5-2 Gary Smith      
11. Nov 07 69 NY Rangers L 8-1 Gary Smith (1st period) & Charlie Hodge (2nd & 3rd periods) Ed Giacomin Arnie Brown The Rangers scored 6 first period goals and then coasted to an 8-1 win over the Rangers. Bill Fairbairn had 1 goal and 3 assists for New York while Arnie Brown scored twice. Ted Hampson scored for Oakland.
12. Nov 09 69 @ Philadelphia T 2-2 Charlie Hodge Bernie Parent Wayne Muloin Charlie Hodge made 39 saves for Oakland. Ted Hampsona nd Wayne Muloin scored the Seals goals.
13. Nov 10 69 @ Boston L 8-3 Gary Smith (ejected 0:18 of the 3rd period) and Charlie Hodge Ed Johnston John Bucyk John Bucyk had 2 goals and 2 assists and Bobby Orr set up 3 Bruins goals. Boston took 63 shots on goal. Gary Smith was ejected in the 3rd period for hitting referee Ron Wicks in the mouth with his elbow.
14. Nov 12 69 Montreal L 5-0 Charlie Hodge Rogie Vachon Jean Beliveau Claude Provost scored twice for Montreal as the Seals were shutout for the 3rd time this season. Rogie Vachon made 23 saves.
15. Nov 15 69 @ Chicago L 3-2 Gary Smith Tony Esposito Jim Pappin Jim Pappin scored the game winner with 54 seconds left. Seals led 2-1 midway through the 3rd period. Mike Laughton and Ted Hampson scored for the Seals.
16. Nov 19 69 @ Minnesota W 4-2 Charlie Hodge Cesare Maniago Gary Jarrett Gary Jarrett and Ted Hampson each had a goal and an assist. The Seals ended a 7 game winless streak (0-6-1).
17. Nov 22 69 @ Montreal L 4-2 Charlie Hodge Gump Worsley John Ferguson Ralph Backstrom had 2 assists for Montreal. Brian Perry and Carol Vadnais scored for Oakland, Bill Hicke had 2 assists.
18. Nov 23 69 @ NY Rangers L 5-2 Chris Worthy Ed Giacomin Vic Hadfield Rangers rookie Juha Widing scored twice to lead the Rangers. Brian Perry and Bill Hicke scored for Oakland.
19. Nov 26 69 @ St. Louis L 4-1 Gary Smith Ernie Wakely Barclay Plager Gary Sabourin scored twice and added an assist for the Blues. Gary Smith made 41 saves in a losing cause for Oakland.
20. Nov 29 69 @ Pittsburgh L 5-3 Charlie Hodge Al Smith Keith McCreary Bob Woytowich had a goal and 2 assists to lead and Ken Schinkel added a goal and an assist to pace the Penguins attack. Doug Roberts and Gerry Ehman had 2 points each for the Seals.
21. Nov 30 69 @ Detroit W 1-0 Gary Smith Roger Crozier Gary Jarrett Gary Smith made 36 saves for the shutout. Jarrett's game winner came with just over 5 minutes left in the game.
22. Dec 02 69 Los Angeles L 4-3 Gary Smith      
23. Dec 03 69 @ St. Louis L 3-1 Gary Smith Jacques Plante Red Berenson Larry Keenan set up 2 Blues goals. Ted Hampson scored the only Seals goal.
24. Dec 05 69 Philadelphia T 2-2   Bernie Parent   Carol Vadnais set a Seals record with 11 shots on goal in one game. He scores one goal for the Seals.
25. Dec 06 69 Los Angeles L 5-3 Gary Smith      
26. Dec 10 69 St. Louis T 3-3 Gary Smith      
27. Dec 12 69 Pittsburgh W 4-1       Win ends a 5 game winless streak (0-3-2).
28. Dec 17 69 Minnesota W 3-1 Gary Smith Fern Rivard Earl Ingarfield Earl Ingarfield scored twice, Gary Jarrett also scored for Seals. Gary Smith made 28 saves for the Seals. Danny Grant scored for Minnesota.
29. Dec 19 69 Chicago L 4-0 Gary Smith Tony Esposito    
30. Dec 21 69 @ NY Rangers L 3-1 Gary Smith Ed Giacomin Bob Nevin Norm Ferguson scored the only Seals goal. Harry Howell skated against the Rangers for the first time in his NHL career after playing a team record 1,160 games for New York. Juha Widing, Bob Nevin and Brad Park scored for the Rangers.
31. Dec 25 69 @ Philadelphia L 3-1 Gary Smith Doug Favell Dick Cherry Simon Nolet had a goal and an assist for the Flyers. Gary Smith made 42 saves in the loss. Gerry Ehman scored the only Seals goal.
32. Dec 27 69 Minnesota W 5-3 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago Earl Ingarfield Earl Ingarfield scored 3 goals and added an assist. Carol Vadnais had a goal and an assist as well.
33. Dec 28 69 @ Detroit L 5-3     Garry Unger Garry Unger scored a hat trick for Detroit. Ted Hampson scored twice for Oakland.
34. Dec 31 69 @ Toronto T 1-1 Gary Smith Bruce Gamble Dick Mattiussi Gary Smith made 40 saves for the Seals. Dick Mattiussi's tying goal was scored with just 4:14 remaining in the game.
35. Jan 03 70 @ Montreal L 5-1 Gary Smith Phil Myre Jacques Lemaire Jacques Lemaire scored twice while Yvon Cournoyer had a goal and an assist for Montreal. Carol Vadnais scored the lone Oakland tally.
36. Jan 04 70 @ NY Rangers L 5-2 Gary Smith Ed Giacomin Vic Hadfield Vic Hadfield scored twice for New York. Carol Vadnais had a goal and an assist for the Seals.
37. Jan 07 70 Boston L 6-1 Gary Smith Ed Johnston John Bucyk John Bucyk and Phil Esposito each scored twice for Boston. Bucyk's second goal was the 300th of his NHL career. Bill Hicke scored for Oakland. Seals 0-4-1 in last 5 games.
38. Jan 10 70 @ Philadelphia T 2-2 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Bob Dillabough Carol Vadnais scored before Dillabough put in a rebound of a Bert Marshall shot to tie the score at 2-2. Jim Johnson had a goal and an assist for Philadelphia.
39. Jan 11 70 @ Boston L 6-3 Gary Smith Ed Johnston Wayne Cashman Phil Esposito had a hat trick and added an assist to pace the Bruins. Seals winless streak now at 7 games. Earl Ingarfield had a goal and an assist for the Seals.
40. Jan 13 70 Philadelphia L 3-1 Gary Smith Doug Favell Simon Nolet Simon Nolet scored twice and Bobby Clarke had 2 assists for the Flyers. Norm Ferguson scored for the Seals.
41. Jan 15 70 Minnesota T 1-1 Gary Smith Fern Rivard Lou Nanne Earl Ingarfield scored for Oakland, Lou Nanne for Minnesota. The Seals were 3 points behind Pittsburgh in the race for the final playoff spot in the West Division.
42. Jan 17 70 @ Montreal W 3-0 Gary Smith Rogie Vachon Earl Ingarfield Gary Smith made 21 saves to earn the shutout. Earl Ingarfield extended his point scoring streak to 10 games, a club record.
43. Jan 18 70 @ Chicago L 3-1 Gary Smith Tony Esposito Dennis Hull Dennis Hull and Stan Mikita each had a goal and 2 assists for Chicago. Carol Vadnais scored for Oakland. Earl Ingarfield's point scoring streak ended at 10 games.
44. Jan 21 70 @ Pittsburgh T 3-3 Gary Smith Al Smith Tracy Pratt The Seals led 3-0 but settled for a 3-3 tie. Gerry Ehman had a goal and an assist for the Seals. Ken Schinkel scored twice for the Penguins.
45. Jan 23 70 Toronto W 6-3 Gary Smith Bruce Gamble   Earl Ingarfield scored a hat trick for the Seals.
46. Jan 25 70 @ Minnesota W 4-1 Gary Smith Fern Rivard Mike Laughton Mike Laughton scored a hat trick and Don O'Donoghue had 3 assists for the Seals. Gary Jarrett had 2 assists for the Seals. Gary Smith played spectacularly in goal for Oakland, stopping 42 shots.
47. Jan 28 70 St. Louis L 6-1 Gary Smith      
48. Jan 30 70 NY Rangers L 2-1 Gary Smith Terry Sawchuk Ron Stewart Howie Menard scored the only Seals goal. Gary Smith was spectacular in goal, making 37 saves but it wasn't enough for the Seals.
49. Feb 01 70 Detroit L 3-2 Gary Smith Roger Crozier Bruce MacGregor The Seals led 2-1 with 7:36 left when Bert Marshall scored. Bruce MacGregor's winner came with 3:05 left in the game. Norm Ferguson also scored for Oakland.
50. Feb 04 70 . Montreal W 5-2 Gary Smith Rogie Vachon Norm Ferguson The Seals score 5 3rd period goals to top the Habs. Carol Vadnais scored twice and Doug Roberts added 3 assists.
51. Feb 06 70 @ St. Louis W 2-1 Gary Smith Glenn Hall & Ernie Wakely Norm Ferguson Norm Ferguson scored 2 goals in 53 seconds to lead the Seals to their first ever win in St. Louis. Gary Smith made 35 saves as the Seals took over sole possession of 4th place in the west.
52. Feb 07 70 @ Toronto L 5-1 Gary Smith Bruce Gamble    
53. Feb 11 70 Minnesota W 2-1 Charlie Hodge Cesare Manaigo Harry Howell The Seals won a big game against a team they were fighting for the 4th and final playoff spot in the West. Ted Hampson and Harry Howell scored for the Seals, Bill Collins had the only goal for the North Stars.
54. Feb 13 70 NY Rangers W 4-2 Gary Smith Ed Giacomin Mike Laughton The Seals scored 4 3rd period goals to earn the win. Earl Ingarfield and Mike Laughton each had a goal and an assist.
55. Feb 17 70 Boston T 3-3 Gary Smith Gerry Cheevers   The Seals scored 2 goals in the 3rd period to earn the tie.
56. Feb 20 70 St. Louis L 3-1 Gary Smith      
57. Feb 21 70 Pittsburgh W 6-3        
58. Feb 25 70 @ Toronto L 4-1 Gary Smith Marv Edwards Brit Selby Dave Keon scored a goal and an assist for the Leafs. Toronto took 47 shots on Gary Smith. Carol Vadnais scored for the Seals.
59. Feb 26 70 @ Detroit L 7-1 Gary Smith and Charlie Hodge Roy Edwards Dale Rolfe Garry Unger had 3 points to lead the Red Wings. Detroit scored 5 first period goals. Bill Hicke scored for Oakland to break Roy Edwards' shutout bid with 5:01 left in the game.
60. Feb 28 70 @ Pittsburgh L 3-2 Gary Smith Al Smith Bryan Hextall Carol Vadnais and Don O'Donoghue scored for the Seals.
61. Mar 03 70 Toronto L 4-1 Gary Smith   Paul Henderson The Seals lost their 4th straight as Paul Henderson scored twice and adds an assist for the Leafs.
62. Mar 06 70 Chicago L 3-2 Gary Smith Tony Esposito Stan Mikita Pit Martin scored twice for Chicago. Carol Vadnais and Bill Hicke scored for Oakland.
63. Mar 07 70 @ Los Angeles L 5-3 Gary Smith     6th straight loss for Seals.
64. Mar 08 70 Los Angeles T 2-2 Gary Smith Denis DeJordy Dick Duff Ted Hampson and Joe Hardy scored for the Seals. Jim Peters also scored for the Kings. Both Denis DeJordy and Gary Smith played strong games in goal.
65. Mar 11 70 Pittsburgh T 2-2        
66. Mar 15 70 Philadelphia W 2-1 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Gerry Ehman Gerry Ehman scored the winner with 3:13 left in the game. Bill Hicke also scored for Oakland. The Seals snapped an 8 game winless streak (0-6-2). Simon Nolet scored for Philadelphia.
67. Mar 18 70 Montreal T 2-2 Gary Smith      
68. Mar 20 70 Detroit W 3-2 Gary Smith Roy Edwards Bill Hicke Bill Hicke scored twice in the 3rd period as the Seals won. Harry Howell added 2 assists and Gary Smith had 33 saves. Seals now unbeaten in 5 games (2-0-3), their longest unbeaten streak of the year.
69. Mar 22 70 @ Philadelphia L 3-2 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Jean-Guy Gendron Bill Hicke and Brian Perry scored for the Seals. The loss hurt Oakland's quest for the 4th and final playoff spot in the West.
70. Mar 24 70 @ Minnesota T 2-2 Gary Smith Cesare Maniago Mike Laughton Wayne Muloin and Mike Laughton scored for the Seals. The tie kept them 1 point ahead of Minnesota in the race for the final playoff spot. Bill Goldsworthy and Tommy Williams each had a goal and an assist for Minnesota.
71. Mar 25 70 Philadelphia W 3-2 Gary Smith Bernie Parent Joe Hardy Joe Hardy's goal with 12 seconds left gave the Seals a big win. Earl Ingarfield and Doug Roberts each added 2 points for Oakland. Bill Sutherland scored twice for the Flyers.
72. Mar 27 70 St. Louis W 3-2 Gary Smith   Harry Howell Bill Hicke and Ted Hampson each had 2 points for the Seals.
73. Mar 29 70 Minnesota L 8-3 Gary Smith and Charlie Hodge Gump Worsley Claude Larose Bill Collins and Claude Larose each scored twice for Minnesota who was now only 1 point behind the Seals in the standings. Gary Jarrett and Mike Laughton each had 2 points for Oakland.
74. Apr 01 70 @ St. Louis T 2-2 Gary Smith Glenn Hall Larry Keenan Larry Keenan tied the game with just 2:10 left in the 3rd period. The point lifted the Seals into a 4th place tie with Minnesota. Earl Ingarfield and Carol Vadnais scored for Oakland.
75. Apr 03 70 Los Angeles W 4-1 Gary Smith     Gary Jarrett ties Carol Vadnais' team record by registering 11 shots on goal. Like Vadnais, Jarrett scored 1 goal in 11 shots.
76. Apr 04 70 @ Los Angeles L 4-1        

1970 PLAYOFFS

Game # Date Location Result Seals Goalie Penguins Goalie Winning Goal Notes
1. Apr 08 70 @ Pittsburgh L 2-1 Gary Smith Les Binkley Nick Harbaruk Nick Harbaruk's goal midway through the 3rd period is the game winner. Gerry Ehman scored the only goal for the Seals.
2. Apr 09 70 @ Pittsburgh L 3-1 Gary Smith Les Binkley Wally Boyer Gary Jarrett gave the Seals a 1-0 lead by goals by Nick Harbaruk and Wally Boyer gave Pittsburgh the lead for good. Pittsburgh led the best of 7 series 2-0.
3. Apr 11 70 Oakland L 5-2 Gary Smith Les Binkley   The Penguins took a commanding 3-0 series lead. Ken Schinkel had a hat trick for Pittsburgh. Earl Ingarfield and Ted Hampson scored for the Seals.
4. Apr 12 70 Oakland L 3-2 (OT) Gary Smith Les Binkley Michel Briere The Seals held leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn't hold on. Penguins rookie Michel Briere ended the Seals season by beating Gary Smith at 8:28 of overtime. Carol Vadnais scored both goals for Oakland. This was to be the last playoff game in franchise history.

SEALS SEASON LEADERS 1969-70
(Franchise Records in Bold)

Games Played Ted Hampson, Carol Vadnais, Gerry Ehman, Mike Laughton and Doug Roberts 76
Goals Carol Vadnais 24
Assists Ted Hampson 35
Points Ted Hampson 52
Penalty Minutes Carol Vadnais 212
Power Play Goals Earl Ingarfield 9
Short Handed Goals Ted Hampson, Joe Hardy, Wayne Muloin and Bob Dillabough 1
Game Winning Goals Mike Laughton and Gary Jarrett 4
Game Tying Goals Earl Ingarfield, Mike Laughton, Carol Vadnais and Gary Jarrett 2
Shots on Goal Carol Vadnais 245
Shooting PCT* Earl Ingarfield 16.2%
Best +/- * Earl Ingarfield -7
Worst +/- * Doug Roberts -37
Games by Goalie Gary Smith 65
Wins by Goalie Gary Smith 19
Goals Agnst Ave** Gary Smith 3.11
Shutouts Gary Smith 2

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: Bill Hicke & Bert Marshall
General Manager: Frank Selke, Jr.
Coach: Fred Glover

Record: 22-40-14 58 points-4th in the Western Division
Lost Quarterfinal Round to Pittsburgh 4 games to 0.

Record at:
Home: 15-16-7
Road: 8-25-3

vs. West 14-15-11
vs. East 8-25-3

Month Record
October 4-4-1
November 2-9-1
December 3-7-3
January 3-8-3
February 5-6-1
March 4-5-1
April 1-1-1

All Star Game Representatives: Carol Vadnais--0 Goals, 0 Assists 0 Penalty Min.
Harry Howell-- 0 Goals, 0 Assists 0 Penalty Min.

Power Play 45/324 13.9%
Penalty Killing 49/258 81.0%

Seals tie an NHL record by allowing 12 short handed goals in one season (Toronto, 1957-58 and 1964-65).

Ticket Prices: Rinkside $5.50. Loge $5.00. Mezzanine $4.50 General Admission (sold only the day of the game) $3.50.

Home Attendance: 236,555 for 38 home games. Average: 6,225 per game.

MAJOR TRANSACTIONS

Date Transaction
June 1969 Seals acquire Harry Howell from NY Rangers for cash.
September 1969 Seals sign Joe Hardy as a free agent.
September 1969 Seals trade Gerry Odrowski to San Diego of the WHL for cash.
Dec. 15, 1969 Seals acquire Howie Menard from Chicago for Gene Ubriaco.