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1971–72 California Golden Seals
Division6th West
1971–72 record21–39–18
Goals for216
Goals against288
Team information
General manager Fred Glover
Garry Young
CoachFred Glover
Vic Stasiuk
Captain Carol Vadnais
Bert Marshall
ArenaOakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena
Team leaders
Goals Gerry Pinder (23)
Assists Dick Redmond (35)
PointsGerry Pinder (54)
Penalty minutes Paul Shmyr (156)
Wins Gilles Meloche (16)
Goals against averageGilles Meloche (3.32)
←  1970–71
1972–73 →

The 1971–72 California Golden Seals season was the team's fifth in the NHL. The Seals missed the playoffs again, but posted a solid improvement over the previous season and finished sixth in the West Division.

Offseason

In the amateur draft, the Seals did not have a first-round pick. For their first pick, the fifteenth pick overall, in the second round, the Seals chose Ken Baird. At owner Charlie Finley's direction, the team adopted their infamous white skates this season, which were widely ridiculed.

Regular season

Final standings

West Division [1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Chicago Black Hawks 78 46 17 15 256 166 +90 107
2 Minnesota North Stars 78 37 29 12 212 191 +21 86
3 St. Louis Blues 78 28 39 11 208 247 −39 67
4 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 26 38 14 220 258 −38 66
5 Philadelphia Flyers 78 26 38 14 200 236 −36 66
6 California Golden Seals 78 21 39 18 216 288 −72 60
7 Los Angeles Kings 78 20 49 9 206 305 −99 49

Record vs. opponents


Schedule and results

No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 T October 8, 1971 4–4 Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 0–0–1
2 T October 10, 1971 3–3 Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 0–0–2
3 L October 13, 1971 4–5 Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 0–1–2
4 L October 15, 1971 6–9 Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 0–2–2
5 L October 17, 1971 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 0–3–2
6 L October 20, 1971 2–4 Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 0–4–2
7 L October 22, 1971 1–5 Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 0–5–2
8 W October 24, 1971 6–3 @ Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 1–5–2
9 W October 27, 1971 6–4 @ Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 2–5–2
10 W October 28, 1971 2–0 @ Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 3–5–2
11 T October 31, 1971 2–2 Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 3–5–3
12 W November 3, 1971 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 4–5–3
13 L November 5, 1971 1–8 New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 4–6–3
14 W November 7, 1971 8–1 Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 5–6–3
15 L November 11, 1971 2–5 @ Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 5–7–3
16 L November 13, 1971 1–5 @ St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 5–8–3
17 L November 14, 1971 1–4 @ Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 5–9–3
18 L November 16, 1971 2–7 @ Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 5–10–3
19 W November 18, 1971 7–5 @ Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 6–10–3
20 L November 20, 1971 1–5 @ Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 6–11–3
21 L November 21, 1971 1–12 @ New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 6–12–3
22 W November 24, 1971 6–1 Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 7–12–3
23 L November 26, 1971 1–2 Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 7–13–3
24 W November 28, 1971 5–3 Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 8–13–3
25 L November 30, 1971 2–5 @ St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 8–14–3
26 L December 1, 1971 1–4 @ Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 8–15–3
27 W December 3, 1971 2–1 Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 9–15–3
28 L December 5, 1971 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 9–16–3
29 T December 8, 1971 1–1 @ Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 9–16–4
30 T December 10, 1971 4–4 St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 9–16–5
31 W December 12, 1971 4–2 Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 10–16–5
32 T December 17, 1971 3–3 Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 10–16–6
33 T December 19, 1971 3–3 Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 10–16–7
34 L December 22, 1971 1–4 Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 10–17–7
35 W December 25, 1971 3–1 @ Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 11–17–7
36 L December 26, 1971 2–6 @ Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 11–18–7
37 L December 29, 1971 2–3 @ Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 11–19–7
38 L December 31, 1971 3–6 @ Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 11–20–7
39 T January 2, 1972 4–4 @ Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 11–20–8
40 L January 4, 1972 1–4 @ Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 11–21–8
41 W January 5, 1972 6–2 Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 12–21–8
42 T January 7, 1972 4–4 Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 12–21–9
43 L January 9, 1972 3–10 @ Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 12–22–9
44 W January 12, 1972 2–0 Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 13–22–9
45 W January 14, 1972 5–3 Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 14–22–9
46 L January 15, 1972 3–4 @ Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 14–23–9
47 T January 18, 1972 1–1 @ Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 14–23–10
48 L January 19, 1972 0–2 @ Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 14–24–10
49 L January 21, 1972 0–5 New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 14–25–10
50 W January 23, 1972 3–1 Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 15–25–10
51 W January 28, 1972 3–0 Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 16–25–10
52 W January 30, 1972 2–0 @ Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 17–25–10
53 L February 2, 1972 1–5 Vancouver Canucks ( 1971–72) 17–26–10
54 T February 4, 1972 2–2 Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 17–26–11
55 L February 6, 1972 2–8 @ Detroit Red Wings ( 1971–72) 17–27–11
56 W February 9, 1972 3–2 Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 18–27–11
57 L February 12, 1972 0–3 @ Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 18–28–11
58 L February 15, 1972 3–6 @ Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 18–29–11
59 T February 16, 1972 1–1 @ Montreal Canadiens ( 1971–72) 18–29–12
60 T February 18, 1972 2–2 New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 18–29–13
61 T February 20, 1972 4–4 St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 18–29–14
62 L February 23, 1972 6–8 Boston Bruins ( 1971–72) 18–30–14
63 L February 26, 1972 0–3 @ Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 18–31–14
64 T February 27, 1972 4–4 @ Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 18–31–15
65 L March 1, 1972 1–4 @ New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 18–32–15
66 T March 3, 1972 4–4 Chicago Black Hawks ( 1971–72) 18–32–16
67 W March 8, 1972 6–3 Buffalo Sabres ( 1971–72) 19–32–16
68 L March 11, 1972 1–2 @ Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1971–72) 19–33–16
69 W March 12, 1972 7–3 @ New York Rangers ( 1971–72) 20–33–16
70 W March 15, 1972 5–2 Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 21–33–16
71 T March 17, 1972 2–2 St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 21–33–17
72 T March 19, 1972 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 21–33–18
73 L March 21, 1972 2–4 @ Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 21–34–18
74 L March 22, 1972 1–4 @ St. Louis Blues ( 1971–72) 21–35–18
75 L March 25, 1972 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers ( 1971–72) 21–36–18
76 L March 29, 1972 4–5 @ Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1971–72) 21–37–18
77 L March 31, 1972 1–2 Minnesota North Stars ( 1971–72) 21–38–18
78 L April 1, 1972 4–9 @ Los Angeles Kings ( 1971–72) 21–39–18

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
Gerry Pinder 15 74 23 31 54 59
Bobby Sheehan 24 78 20 26 46 12
Dick Redmond 4 74 10 35 45 76
Ivan Boldirev 23 57 16 23 39 54
Carol Vadnais 5 52 14 20 34 106
Norm Ferguson 17 77 14 20 34 13
Stan Gilbertson 10 78 16 16 32 47
Joey Johnston 22 77 15 17 32 107
Wayne Carleton 9 76 17 14 31 45
Walt McKechnie 8 56 11 20 31 40
Paul Shmyr 3 69 6 21 27 156
Gary Croteau 18 73 12 12 24 11
Ernie Hicke 20 68 11 12 23 55
Gary Jarrett 12 55 5 10 15 18
Bert Marshall 19 66 0 14 14 68
Reggie Leach 7 17 6 7 13 7
Marshall Johnston 2 74 2 11 13 4
Tom Williams 7 32 3 9 12 2
Craig Patrick 14 59 8 3 11 12
Rick Smith 3 17 1 4 5 26
Don O'Donoghue 11 14 2 2 4 4
Ron Stackhouse 21 6 1 3 4 6
Tom Webster 8 7 2 1 3 6
Bob Stewart 6 16 1 2 3 44
Ken Baird 6 10 0 2 2 15
Gilles Meloche 27 56 0 2 2 6
Del Hall 6 1 0 0 0 0
Al Simmons 26 1 0 0 0 0
Jim Jones 21 2 0 0 0 0
Frank Hughes 16 5 0 0 0 0
Pete Laframboise 11 5 0 0 0 0
Lyle Carter 1 15 0 0 0 2
Gary Kurt 30 16 0 0 0 0

†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Seals. Stats reflect time with the Seals only. ‡Traded mid-season

Goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; TOI = Time on ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

    Regular season   Playoffs
Player # GP TOI W L T GA SO GAA GP TOI W L GA SO GAA
Gilles Meloche 27 56 3121 16 25 13 173 4 3.32 -.--
Lyle Carter 1 15 721 4 7 0 50 0 4.16 -.--
Gary Kurt 30 16 838 1 7 5 60 0 4.29 -.--

Playoffs

They didn't qualify for the playoffs

Transactions

The Seals were involved in the following transactions during the 1971–72 season:

Trades

May 20, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Joey Johnston
Walt McKechnie
To Minnesota North Stars
Dennis Hextall
May 22, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Bobby Sheehan
To Montreal Canadiens
cash
August 31, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Marshall Johnston
To Montreal Canadiens
cash
September 4, 1971 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Boston Bruins
Doug Roberts
September 7, 1971 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Hicke
September 9, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Kerry Bond
Gerry Desjardins
Gerry Pinder
To Chicago Black Hawks
Gary Smith
October, 1971 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Montreal Canadiens
Jocelyn Hardy
October, 1971 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Montreal Canadiens
Mike Laughton
October, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Lyle Carter
John French
To Montreal Canadiens
Randy Rota
October 6, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Ray Martyniuk
To Montreal Canadiens
Tony Featherstone
October 18, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Gilles Meloche
Paul Shmyr
To Chicago Black Hawks
Gerry Desjardins
October 22, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Tom Webster
To Detroit Red Wings
Ron Stackhouse
November 17, 1971 To California Golden Seals
Ivan Boldirev
To Boston Bruins
Rich Leduc
Chris Oddleifson
February 23, 1972 To California Golden Seals
Reggie Leach
Rick Smith
Bob Stewart
To Boston Bruins
Don O'Donoghue
Carol Vadnais
March 5, 1972 To California Golden Seals
cash
To Boston Bruins
Tom Williams

Additions and subtractions

Additions
Player Former team Via
Jim Jones Boston Bruins free agency (1971–06)
Gary Kurt Cleveland Barons ( AHL) Intra-league Draft (1971–06–07)
Stan Gilbertson Boston Bruins Intra-league Draft (1971–06–08)
Frank Hughes Toronto Maple Leafs Intra-league Draft (1971–06–08)
Del Hall St. Clair College ( OUAA) free agency (1971–10)
Wayne King Niagara Falls Flyers ( OHA) free agency (1971–10)
Craig Patrick Montreal Voyageurs ( AHL) free agency (1971–10–06)
Subtractions
Player New team Via
Bob Sneddon Detroit Red Wings Reverse Draft (1971–06)

Draft picks

Amateur Draft

Round Pick Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team
2 15. Ken Baird   Canada Flin Flon Bombers ( WCHL)
3 29. Rich Leduc   Canada Trois-Rivières Ducs ( QMJHL)
4 43. Hartland Monahan   Canada Montreal Junior Canadiens ( OHA)
5 57. Ray Belanger   Canada Shawinigan Bruins ( QMJHL)
6 71. Gerry Egers   Canada Sudbury Wolves ( NOJHL)
7 85. Al Simmons   Canada Winnipeg Jets ( WCHL)
8 99. Angus Beck   Canada Charlottetown (Junior A)
8 104. Rod Lyons   Canada Halifax (Junior)

Farm teams

See also

References

  1. ^ "1971–1972 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.