Steve Currier's Blog

Hi everyone! Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all of you American visitors to the site. I hope you had plenty of opportunities to gather with family and friends to celebrate this very important holiday. Here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, but we’re definitely aware of the American version of the holiday since Amazon can’t stop reminding us of their Black Friday sales, and there are hockey games in the middle of the work day (so annoying when you’re at the TV-less office and not at home).

While our American friends were digging in to their turkey suppers and cracking open a few Thanksgiving beers, my wife and I had a nice opportunity Thursday night to attend a talk by Canadian radio legend Terry O’Reilly. The Ottawa Writers’ Festival does this kind of thing every year and many big-name Canadian authors like Rick Westhead of TSN and Alan Doyle of Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea come through for the event. For those of you who don’t know Terry O’Reilly, no, I’m not talking about the legendary Tasmanian Devil of Boston Bruins fame, but rather a marketing and advertising veteran who has hosted his own CBC shows/podcasts, The Age of Persuasion and Under the Influence, for about two decades now. They are both incredibly fascinating shows about marketing, but they go far beyond that. He tells stories about all sorts of people and companies who took risks, suffered setbacks, but ended up altering the way we look at things or stumbling upon golden inventions that made them very rich and famous. If you have any interest in marketing, history, or pop culture, I strongly recommend that you check them out. O’Reilly was in Ottawa to give a talk about his latest book, Against the Grain, which is a series of stories about people who resisted outside pressure to eventually change the world.

He loves hockey as well, and has told many stories on his podcasts about Gordie Howe, Gerry Cheevers, Maurice Richard, and Roger Neilson, among others. After his talk, he stuck around to sign copies of his latest book, and my wife snapped a shot of Terry and I. In case you’re wondering, yes, we are in a church. No reason in particular why the event was held here, except that the church is obviously very supportive of the Ottawa Writers’ Festival, but it was a pretty, comfortable setting, very literary-ey, and I can only hope to do some sort of similar event one day when one of my books comes out.

Anyway, enough about me, and on to this week’s Seals article. This week, I’d like to take everyone back to January 1969 to a game in which the Seals, who were in the middle of a fairly successful season, took on the mighty Bobby Hull and the Chicago Black Hawks, and came out on top. The Seals had been particularly successful that year against the East Division, and the Hawks were Oakland’s most regular victim (5 wins in 6 games!). On this night Gerry Ehman, 36, had the game of his life shadowing Hull into submission, while Carol Vadnais brought the offense playing one of the best games of his young burgeoning career. You can read all about the Seals’ big night right here.

Enjoy the long weekend, folks, and take some time to relax. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope you have all had a great week. I, for one, had the opportunity to indulge in one of my passions: learning about the history of this great sport. Reading and writing are of course favorite activities of mine, but I also thoroughly enjoy shooting the breeze with retired players, and asking all those questions that I have burning in my brain for some time.

I had a nice conversation yesterday with WHA great Ron Ward, who just happens to hail from my hometown of Cornwall, Ontario. I sent him an interview request a few weeks ago, so I could ask him a few questions about a legendary game in which Ward’s Cleveland Crusaders came back from a six-goal deficit to defeat the Toronto Toros, 10-9. I’ve written a chapter about this game in my new book, Mucking in the Corners, which is due for release next October. We had a very pleasant conversation, as is always the case when you get to talk old-time hockey with someone who has retired from the game. I absolutely love doing these interviews. I wasn’t planning on doing any for this book, but the more I reflected on it, I just couldn’t resist reaching out to a couple of players who feature prominently in the book. Ward’s insight into the forgotten, but immensely interesting game was truly appreciated. He revealed details to me that I never could have found in newspapers and magazines, like what the players were thinking as they were down 8-2 in the second period, and how a couple of guys (one of which was former Seal Paul Shmyr) rallied everyone in the dressing room and sparked the huge comeback. I can’t wait for all of you to read the book, and I will continue to keep you updated on its progress, so stay tuned!

While I had a pleasant chat with a local hockey legend, the Seals also hoped, way back in their early NHL years, to have a local step up to keep the floundering team in Oakland. This was no easy feat as Barry van Gerbig could not seem to attract any Bay Area money, so people came out of the woodwork to rescue the ailing franchise. This week, I’ve added a new article detailing the 1969 sale of the Oakland Seals to a group of New Yorkers that included Trans-National Communications, Seymour and Northrup Knox, Whitey Ford, Pat Summerall, Dick Lynch, and probably a few other lesser-known people. As is usually the case when a convoluted ownership group purchases a sports franchise, things didn’t go so well, and in a little over a year, the group was looking to sell the Seals. This time, they managed to find (sort of) local ownership, but when you think about how Charlie Finley nearly destroyed the team, things actually got worse. You can read this week’s article, courtesy of Bob Marceau, right here.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! This week, we’re going back to 1969, and to a night when the mighty Chicago Black Hawks were in Oakland to take on the surging Seals. For some reason or another, the Hawks were the Seals’ prey all season long sputtering to an unflattering 1-5 record, a partial reason why Chicago missed the playoffs that year, a very rare occurrence indeed. This was a team led by all-time greats Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, and which also featured such standouts as Dennis Hull, Pat Stapleton, Pit Martin, and Jim Pappin, among others. Despite scoring the second most goals in the league, the Hawks finished just one game over .500. Sure, 77 points would have placed them second in the West Division, but they wouldn’t be part of that group for another year and a half, so last in the East is where the Hawks ended up.

On the night of February 19, 1969, the Hawks were not at their best, while the Seals certainly were. To be precise, the line of Brian Perry, Norm Ferguson, and Mike Laughton was simply awesome, putting up five goals (all five goals in the Seals’ 5-2 win) and three assists. Most of you probably don’t realize that Brian Perry was on an absolute tear in the second half of this season, putting up an incredible nine goals and 28 points in his final 28 games, but this game against Chicago may have been his finest moment as an NHL player. As for the rest of the Seals there wouldn’t be many moments like this where they simply dominated an opponent (an Original Six team no less!), but no one really knew that at the time. Check out this week’s very unique and truly interesting game recap here. Thanks to Bob Marceau for suggesting this week’s article!

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! With the World Series now in full swing, and just about everyone believing the Toronto Blue Jays have zero chance of beating the L.A. Dodgers, there has been a lot of talk about how a positive attitude can overcome superior talent, and how teams on a hot streak are unbeatable. I think we all saw last night how a superior team can fall flat on its face, and while it is just one game, there is no reason to believe the Jays can win three more. Are the Jays on an upswing after their dramatic wins in Games 6 and 7 versus Seattle, and are just going to ride momentum all the way to the championship?

Momentum is indeed a funny thing. There may be no other area in life in which momentum plays a bigger role than in sports. When is the last time you remember someone at your office talking about how the latest project succeeded because the team had built up so much momentum it felt it was going to meet the deadline? Never, that’s when. In sports though, broadcasters and journalists can never stop talking about how this team or that team is favored to win because they’ve been on a hot streak. Personally, I don’t believe momentum actually plays a role in determining which team is going to win a game. Sure, players may feel a little more confident in their abilities, but the fact of the matter is every game is a reset. No matter how well you are playing, you can’t avoid bad breaks or bad officiating. In professional sports, every team has a puncher’s chance on any given night. Upsets happen even though the favorite team may be on a hot streak, and all streaks, good or bad, come to an end sooner or later. Momentum, in my opinion, is just an indicator of how things have been going in the past, and has no bearing on events that haven’t happened yet.

This week, I’ve posted a couple of fun Lee Susman cartoons for your enjoyment: the first from January 1969, about the Seals’ struggle to develop any kind of momentum in developing its fan base, and the second, from six days later as the Seals were preparing to take on the sizzling Boston Bruins, who looked like they were never going to lose again. You can check out these cartoons right here. Thanks again to Bob Marceau for providing them!

Have yourselves a great rest of the weekend, and Go Jays, Go! Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad it is the weekend. With last weekend’s trip to the Eastern Townships to celebrate Thanksgiving, and then staying up until 2am packing furniture for our big ground-floor renovations, and then basically spending the next five days cooking on hot plates in the garage, I am glad to be able to relax a bit. If you’ve ever done massive kitchen and living room renovations, you know quite well what a pain in the rump it is. I’m realizing that my “blue” DISC Test dominant personality trait is at odds with the disorder that is permeating my house. That said, we’ve been waiting months for these renovations to get started, so, as they say, short term pain for long-term gain. I’m not happy about it, but I can live with eating on paper plates, searching through bins for peanut butter, washing dishes in the bathtub, and choosing between using the microwave and the toaster so as not to trip our garage power bar. So yeah, times have been… I don’t want to say tough, but rather weird and uncomfortable, and I just want it to end despite the fact that at the end of this ordeal we’re going to have a beautiful new ground floor.

During the Seals early NHL years, there were times when they must have thought to themselves if they were ever going get over the hump and beat the St. Louis Blues, the kingpins of the West Division. The Seals started their NHL history with a 1-17-4 streak versus the Blues, so meetings with St. Louis were often an ordeal. It was no secret the Blues had the toughest, meanest team in the expansion division. Yet, the Seals were able to score 6 dukes versus the Montreal Canadiens during that time, and they were the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions. Sports are weird like that sometimes. Today, we’re going back to February 6, and the Seals are in St. Louis, a place where they had never won, but all that was about to change. You can read all about the game, and its lead-up right here. Thanks once again to Bob Marceau for sending me these articles for your enjoyment.

Until next time, stay gold! And if you’re reading this Monday morning, and the Toronto Blue Jays have won game 6, go Jays go!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone has had a great weekend! I’m not sure about the weather you’ve been experiencing of late, but it has been like August all over again down here in Eastern Ontario. This last little blast of summer has been delightful, to say the least, and a great way to segue into the new NHL season. Only a few days away, folks!

The first few weeks of the new hockey season are always great. Every team has a chance at the playoffs, and there are always a few little surprises and breakout performances, such as this week’s feature. This week, we’re going back to 1968-69, the Seals’ best-ever NHL season. Unlike the Seals’ maiden NHL season, the boys from the Bay Area managed a winning record against five of the eleven other teams in the league, most notably the defending Cup champs from Montreal. Throughout the season, the Seals proved to be formidable opponents, averaging four goals a game against the Habs. On November 16, 1968, they didn’t reach that number, but they successfully held Montreal below it as well, battling to a gritty 3–3 draw. That night, goaltender Chris Worthy made just his third NHL start — all within a five-day span from November 12 to 16 — and delivered another solid performance. In those three games, Worthy allowed just seven goals, but his work against Montreal, may have been the best night of his young career. Thanks to Bob Marceau for sending me this week’s article, which you can read right here.

Since I’m going to be out of town next weekend, I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful (Canadian) Thanksgiving, and I’ll be back with an update when I get back. Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope you’ve all had a great week, and are enjoying the weekend. It has been a very busy couple of weeks, which would explain my erratic updates, but now that our summer holidays are over, the kids are back in school, our wedding anniversary has been celebrated, my new manuscript has been submitted, and the Eastern Ontario Writers’ Festival has passed, I should have more time to dedicate to this site.

I’m enjoying the time off after a busy lead up to last weekend’s EOWF. It was a nice opportunity to rub shoulders with other writers, make a few new connections, and spread the word about my books. I really need to find a way to do more of these types of events, since it’s always enjoyable to meet with readers and talk hockey for a few minutes, but for some reason it’s hard finding them in my area.

You would think that having an entire table to myself would be more than enough, but I actually didn’t have enough room to display all of my props, and I had to pick and choose what visuals would be the most attractive.

Now that I’m back to business, I’m taking us back to the very early days of the Seals’ NHL life. As many of you know, during those early days the Seals pinned their hopes on goaltender Charlie Hodge, arguably the best player the Seals picked up in the June expansion draft. He was a former Vezina Trophy winner, and a multiple Stanley Cup winner as well, so he had the credentials, but never received the proper due since he was always sharing the crease with Hall of Famers like Gump Worsley, Rogie Vachon, and Jacques Plante. God knows, Hodge didn’t have it easy in Oakland. The team didn’t have much of an offense, averaging about two goals a game, so if the Seals stood any chance of winning, Hodge had to stand on his head. His .905 save percentage, 2.87 goals against average, and three shutouts are a testament to his brilliance that year. This week’s new article is about the Seals’ first number-one goaltender and the Seals’ early days, and you can read it here. Thanks to Bob Marceau for sending me this week’s article, and so many others which I’ll be posting from time to time.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! There will be no new Seals material posted to the site this weekend since I will be busy preparing for the Eastern Ontario Writers’ Festival, but I did want to post an important new message. I’ve mentioned the festival before, but I wanted to share a few details in case any of you live in the Ottawa area and are looking to hobnob with over 40 local authors. There will also be draws and giveaways, and of course plenty of books for sale. So, if you’ve worn out your copies of my books (I’m flattered, by the way), feel free to stop by and pick up new copies, and I’ll even sign it for free. Can’t get a better deal than that, am I right?

Date: Saturday, September 13, 2025 

Hours: 1-5 pm

Location: Casselman Public Library at 764 Brébeuf, Casselman, Ontario (about 30 minutes east of Ottawa)

Parking: Lots of free parking in front of the library, across the library at the J.R. Brisson / De Guire Hall Arena and behind the library (École élémentaire catholique de Casselman).

For more information on which authors will be appearing, and what genres they specialize in, please click on the EOWF’s Instagram link.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! This week, we’re going back to January 15, 1971. The Seals are just coming off a 1-1 tie with Toronto, a game in which Gary Smith made an incredible 50 saves. It was the conclusion of a brutal 10 games out of 12 stretch on the road which, in retrospect, killed the Seals’ playoff chances. The Seals’ first game back at home was against the New York Rangers, a team that was on the rise, and loaded with all-stars. But the Rangers were not the Seals’ sole focus that night. Fred Glover announced earlier that day that the Seals were abandoning their intention of broadcasting any more games on TV for the remainder of the season. Head on over to the articles section to read this week’s article, provided courtesy of Bob Marceau. Thanks again, Bob!

On a sadder note, you’ve probably already heard the news by now that Hall-of-Fame goaltender Ken Dryden has passed away following a battle with cancer. I mention this because Dryden had a few links to the Seals. Both of these anecdotes are in my Seals book. I remember reading in the Hockey News during the 1973-74 season, when Dryden was off following a contract dispute with the Canadiens, that the Seals were rumoured to be trying to acquire him in exchange for Gilles Meloche. I’m not sure how credible this story is, but it is fascinating to think how such a trade could have altered both franchises. I also remember a story Gary Simmons told me about a time when he and Dryden were chatting, and Dryden admitted to Simmons that if he ever got traded to California (or perhaps it was Cleveland), he would consider retiring. I’m not sure how serious such a threat would have been, but it goes to show just how much of an uphill battle it was for Simmons, Meloche, and other Seals goalies to guard the cage, and the kind of respect the very best goaltenders in the league had for their California brethren.

Until next time, stay gold!

Hi everyone! Well, the dog days of summer are coming to an end, and the kids are gearing up to go back to school. The hot, sticky weather is being ushered out and replaced with nippy winds and heavy rain. Training camp is just around the corner. My 2025-26 Hockey News preview magazine is somewhere in the mail. I don’t know about any of you, but I am looking forward to hockey season starting up again. I like watching Sportscentre and all in the mornings, but it has definitely been lacking something the last two months or so. I’m especially looking forward to this season since my Montreal Canadiens are looking stronger than at any time in the last twenty years. Ok, they may not be contenders quite yet, but I really feel that this team has more potential for greatness than any other since 1993. Time will tell if that potential is ever realized, but for now, I will keep hoping.

This year’s Canadiens remind me somewhat of the 1971-72 Golden Seals, who had the youngest team in the NHL, and potential for greatness at every position. I have always wondered how the franchise would have ended up had the World Hockey Association not raided its roster. This week, I’ve posted an article from January 30, 1972 from the Oakland Tribune‘s John Porter. The Seals were in Vancouver for the first game of a home-and-home series, and were coming off an impressive 3-0 win over the Maple Leafs at the Coliseum. Little did anyone know that this Vancouver game would be the high point of the Seals’ season. Thanks to Bob Marceau for sending me this week’s article!

Until next time, stay gold!