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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 796
EAN num: 9781425910280
ISBN number: 1425910289
Label: AuthorHouse
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 336
Printing Date: February 15, 2006
Publishing house: AuthorHouse
Sale Popularity Level: 167851
Studio: AuthorHouse
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Product Description:
The saga of the Oakland/California Seals nine-year journey through the NHL is a strange, funny and sad tale that is nearly forgotten and has never been told...until now. Off the ice, the history of the Seals is practically a tale of how not to run a franchise. The team joined the NHL in 1967 as part of the 'Second Six' expansion teams and stayed in Oakland until moving to Cleveland in 1976. The Seals had seven different ownership groups in nine years and chaos reigned throughout the process. This book shows you the inner workings of a hockey club that was always on the brink of bankruptcy and/or relocating and takes you behind the scenes of many of the mistakes made by NHL owners and executives during the early years of expansion. It also chronicles the crazy days of ownership by Charlie Finley, a man who admittedly knew nothing about hockey but knew he wanted to run his team his way. Hilarity and disaster resulted. On the ice, the Seals met with little sucess but were never dull. In nine years, the team had to put up with white skates, few fans and a cast of characters that were unique This book allows the players and coaches to tell their own story. More than 110 interviews were conducted with former Seals players, owners, coaches and employees to get a clear picture of what it was like to play in the NHL in the 60s and 70s. The rise of the WHA, continuing expansion and more hilarious stories of what really happens to an NHL team on the road and in the locker room. Hockey fans will love this true tale of the Seals.hockey's most colorful team.
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Rated by buyers 
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This is a very well written and very well researched book on the Seals. It is a must have for anyone who enjoys the National Hockey League in general and the Seals in particular. The author beautifully captures the spirit of the team and the players. I highly recommend this book.
Rated by buyers -
What I liked about this book was that it showed what life was really like for NHL players in the 60s and 70s and was was full of funny stories from the Seals franchise that I heard about but knew nothing about (I became a Hockey/Islander fan in 1980 so I didn't know much about hockey before then. I am sure it would be a fun trip down memory lane that any hockey fan would love.
Rated by buyers -
I've been watching hockey since 1972, and my memories of the sadly inept west coast teams (Los Angeles, Vancouver and, of course, California/Oakland) of that era (early '70s) is still quite vivid.
Because there is so little available on these teams, Brad Kurtzberg's book is nothing less than a breakthrough. Its detail is astounding, as Kurtzberg has paid meticulous care to including even the most obscure factoids.
Truly, this is a hockey fan's dream. Although I'm a New York-based Ranger fan, I simply could not get enough of the material in this book. It's quite obvious that an inordinate amount of time was required to research the facts, locate the individuals profiled, and arrange this material into a sensible form that flowed. The author has done an excellent job in all aspects.
Although the Seals did not survive, their memory certainly has, and Brad Kurtzberg's book is a gigantic step in ensuring that this underachieving franchise of NHL days gone is never, ever forgotten.
Highly Recommended.
Rated by buyers 
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Growing up in South City, playing street hockey with a tennis ball with the occasional pee wee game down in San Mateo, I never would have thought that anyone would care enough about the Seals to actually write a book about them. Geez, it's enough to make me want to wander out to the Cow Palace to remember when, or maybe not. Now if someone could write something about the Spiders, then that might be fun read. I miss the IHL and 10 dollar tickets.
Rated by buyers -
Brad Kurtzberg has produced a compelling history of the Seals -- and of the NHL in the late 60s and early 70s.
The interviews with players were insightful and candid. The overall theme of many Seals players was "he could have been great but he was crazy off the ice."
It's amazing how prevalent alcohol abuse was in this era. It's shame so many players wasted their talent and lives due to a complete lack of discipline. In fact, after reading the bios of "Sheecat" Sheehan, Jim Neilson, Joey Johnston, Tommy Willams, etc., you may feel like you have a hangover.
The book also details how the Seals compiled a solid roster by 1971-72 but hit rock bottom the subsequent year when the likes of Paul Shmyr, Gerry Pinder, Tom Webster, et al fled to the new World Hockey Association.
The author clearly worked diligently to conduct numerous interviews and the result is the only true history of this miserable but interesting franchise.
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