# 1967–68 Oakland Seals season

The 1967–68 Oakland Seals season was their first season in the National Hockey League (NHL). It began inauspiciously, with the firing of General Manager Rudy Pilous before the expansion draft. The Seals started their inaugural season with Hall of Famer Bert Olmstead as both coach and general manager, assisted by Gord Fashoway.

## Season overview

The team began the season as the California Seals in an attempt to cater to a larger audience, but this did not work; it was changed on December 8, 1967, and the team became known as the Oakland Seals. Despite winning the first two games of the season, the Seals won only 13 more en route to an NHL-worst record of 15–42–17. That gave the Seals 47 points, and they failed to qualify for the playoffs in their inaugural season in the NHL. Bert Olmstead served as the first coach and general manager of the team, though in early February 1968 he gave up coaching to his assistant coach, Gord Fashoway; in 43 games Olstead had a record of 10 wins, 32 losses, and 11 ties.
The team was not strong financially; late in the season the ownership group, led by Barry Van Gerbig began to look at selling. There were several interested groups, though two of them wanted to move the team to Canada, and as the NHL's new television contract called for a team in the San Francisco Bay area that was not possible. Attendance was low, with an average of 4,960 people per game, and the team lost an estimated $1.8 million over the season.

## Offseason
### Expansion draft

| # | Player | Drafted from |
| 1. | Charlie Hodge (G) | Montreal Canadiens |
| 2. | Gary Smith (G) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 3. | Bob Baun (D) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 4. | Kent Douglas (D) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 5. | Bill Hicke (RW) | New York Rangers |
| 6. | Billy Harris (W) | Detroit Red Wings |
| 7. | Larry Cahan (D) | New York Rangers |
| 8. | Wally Boyer (W) | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 9. | Joe Szura (W) | Montreal Canadiens |
| 10. | Bob Lemieux (D) | Montreal Canadiens |
| 11. | J. P. Parise (LW) | Boston Bruins |
| 12. | Ron Harris (D/W) | Boston Bruins |
| 13. | Terry Clancy (W) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 14. | Tracy Pratt (D) | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 15. | Aut Erickson (D) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 16. | Ron Boehm (W) | New York Rangers |
| 17. | Alain Caron (W) | Chicago Black Hawks |
| 18. | Mike Laughton (W) | Toronto Maple Leafs |
| 19. | Bryan Hextall (W) | New York Rangers |
| 20. | Gary Kilpatrick (D) | Chicago Black Hawks |

### Amateur draft

| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | College/junior/club team |
| 1 | 3 | Ken Hicks | Canada | Brandon Wheat Kings (MJHL) |
| 2 | 12 | Gary Wood | Canada | Fort Frances Royals (MJHL) |
| 3 | 18 | Kevin Smith | Canada | Halifax Colonels (MVJBHL) |

## Regular season

On January 13, 1968, 4 minutes into a game against the Minnesota North Stars at the Met Center, Bill Masterton was checked by Larry Cahan and Ron Harris, and fell backwards onto the ice. The force of the back of his head hitting the ice caused significant internal bleeding. Masterton lost consciousness and never regained it: he died two days later.

### Final standings

West Division vte :
| | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts |
| 1 | Philadelphia Flyers | 74 | 31 | 32 | 11 | 173 | 179 | −6 | 73 |
| 2 | Los Angeles Kings | 74 | 31 | 33 | 10 | 200 | 224 | −24 | 72 |
| 3 | St. Louis Blues | 74 | 27 | 31 | 16 | 177 | 191 | −14 | 70 |
| 4 | Minnesota North Stars | 74 | 27 | 32 | 15 | 191 | 226 | −35 | 69 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 74 | 27 | 34 | 13 | 195 | 216 | −21 | 67 |
| 6 | Oakland Seals | 74 | 15 | 42 | 17 | 153 | 219 | −66 | 47 |

### Record vs. opponents
## Schedule and results

| No. | R | Date | Score | Opponent | Record |
| 1 | W | October 11, 1967 | 5–1 | Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 1–0–0 |
| 2 | W | October 14, 1967 | 6–0 | Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 2–0–0 |
| 3 | T | October 18, 1967 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 2–0–1 |
| 4 | L | October 21, 1967 | 1–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 2–1–1 |
| 5 | L | October 22, 1967 | 2–5 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 2–2–1 |
| 6 | L | October 25, 1967 | 1–4 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 2–3–1 |
| 7 | L | October 26, 1967 | 2–8 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) | 2–4–1 |
| 8 | L | October 28, 1967 | 2–5 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) | 2–5–1 |
| 9 | T | October 29, 1967 | 2–2 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 2–5–2 |
| 10 | L | November 1, 1967 | 0–2 | New York Rangers (1967–68) | 2–6–2 |
| 11 | L | November 4, 1967 | 0–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 2–7–2 |
| 12 | T | November 5, 1967 | 2–2 | Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) | 2–7–3 |
| 13 | L | November 7, 1967 | 4–5 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 2–8–3 |
| 14 | L | November 8, 1967 | 1–6 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) | 2–9–3 |
| 15 | L | November 11, 1967 | 1–2 | @ Boston Bruins (1967–68) | 2–10–3 |
| 16 | L | November 12, 1967 | 3–5 | @ New York Rangers (1967–68) | 2–11–3 |
| 17 | W | November 15, 1967 | 4–1 | Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 3–11–3 |
| 18 | T | November 16, 1967 | 1–1 | Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) | 3–11–4 |
| 19 | W | November 18, 1967 | 2–1 | Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) | 4–11–4 |
| 20 | L | November 22, 1967 | 1–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 4–12–4 |
| 21 | T | November 25, 1967 | 2–2 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 4–12–5 |
| 22 | L | November 29, 1967 | 1–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 4–13–5 |
| 23 | W | November 30, 1967 | 3–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 5–13–5 |
| 24 | L | December 2, 1967 | 0–3 | @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) | 5–14–5 |
| 25 | W | December 6, 1967 | 4–2 | Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 6–14–5 |
| 26 | L | December 9, 1967 | 0–1 | St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 6–15–5 |
| 27 | L | December 13, 1967 | 1–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 6–16–5 |
| 28 | W | December 15, 1967 | 4–1 | Boston Bruins (1967–68) | 7–16–5 |
| 29 | L | December 16, 1967 | 0–1 | Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 7–17–5 |
| 30 | L | December 19, 1967 | 1–3 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 7–18–5 |
| 31 | L | December 20, 1967 | 1–2 | St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 7–19–5 |
| 32 | L | December 23, 1967 | 2–4 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) | 7–20–5 |
| 33 | L | December 25, 1967 | 3–6 | @ Boston Bruins (1967–68) | 7–21–5 |
| 34 | T | December 27, 1967 | 0–0 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 7–21–6 |
| 35 | L | December 30, 1967 | 0–2 | @ Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) | 7–22–6 |
| 36 | L | December 31, 1967 | 0–3 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) | 7–23–6 |
| 37 | L | January 3, 1968 | 0–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 7–24–6 |
| 38 | L | January 4, 1968 | 3–9 | @ Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) | 7–25–6 |
| 39 | T | January 6, 1968 | 5–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 7–25–7 |
| 40 | W | January 7, 1968 | 6–0 | Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 8–25–7 |
| 41 | T | January 10, 1968 | 2–2 | St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 8–25–8 |
| 42 | T | January 13, 1968 | 2–2 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 8–25–9 |
| 43 | L | January 14, 1968 | 3–6 | Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 8–26–9 |
| 44 | T | January 17, 1968 | 1–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 8–26–10 |
| 45 | L | January 20, 1968 | 0–3 | New York Rangers (1967–68) | 8–27–10 |
| 46 | W | January 21, 1968 | 3–0 | Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 9–27–10 |
| 47 | W | January 24, 1968 | 4–1 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 10–27–10 |
| 48 | L | January 27, 1968 | 1–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 10–28–10 |
| 49 | L | January 28, 1968 | 2–4 | @ New York Rangers (1967–68) | 10–29–10 |
| 50 | T | February 1, 1968 | 3–3 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 10–29–11 |
| 51 | L | February 3, 1968 | 1–4 | @ St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 10–30–11 |
| 52 | L | February 4, 1968 | 3–4 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 10–31–11 |
| 53 | L | February 7, 1968 | 1–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 10–32–11 |
| 54 | L | February 10, 1968 | 2–5 | Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 10–33–11 |
| 55 | W | February 11, 1968 | 4–3 | Toronto Maple Leafs (1967–68) | 11–33–11 |
| 56 | W | February 14, 1968 | 4–0 | Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 12–33–11 |
| 57 | W | February 17, 1968 | 3–1 | Boston Bruins (1967–68) | 13–33–11 |
| 58 | L | February 21, 1968 | 0–1 | Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) | 13–34–11 |
| 59 | W | February 24, 1968 | 3–1 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 14–34–11 |
| 60 | T | February 25, 1968 | 3–3 | @ Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 14–34–12 |
| 61 | W | February 28, 1968 | 6–3 | Minnesota North Stars (1967–68) | 15–34–12 |
| 62 | T | March 2, 1968 | 6–6 | @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 15–34–13 |
| 63 | T | March 3, 1968 | 1–1 | @ Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 15–34–14 |
| 64 | L | March 6, 1968 | 0–2 | Montreal Canadiens (1967–68) | 15–35–14 |
| 65 | L | March 7, 1968 | 2–9 | @ Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 15–36–14 |
| 66 | L | March 9, 1968 | 1–3 | @ St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 15–37–14 |
| 67 | L | March 10, 1968 | 0–1 | St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 15–38–14 |
| 68 | L | March 13, 1968 | 2–4 | Detroit Red Wings (1967–68) | 15–39–14 |
| 69 | T | March 15, 1968 | 1–1 | @ St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 15–39–15 |
| 70 | L | March 17, 1968 | 1–4 | @ Chicago Black Hawks (1967–68) | 15–40–15 |
| 71 | L | March 20, 1968 | 1–5 | Philadelphia Flyers (1967–68) | 15–41–15 |
| 72 | T | March 23, 1968 | 3–3 | St. Louis Blues (1967–68) | 15–41–16 |
| 73 | L | March 27, 1968 | 4–7 | Pittsburgh Penguins (1967–68) | 15–42–16 |
| 74 | T | March 30, 1968 | 2–2 | Los Angeles Kings (1967–68) | 15–42–17 |

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
| | | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Player | # | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
| Gerry Ehman | 8 | 73 | 19 | 25 | 44 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bill Hicke | 9 | 52 | 21 | 19 | 40 | 32 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Charlie Burns | 20 | 73 | 9 | 26 | 35 | 20 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wally Boyer | 6 | 74 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 44 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Billy Harris | 7 | 62 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ted Hampson$^†$ | 10 | 34 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Larry Cahan | 5 | 74 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 80 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Alain Caron | 12 | 58 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Larry Popein$^†$ | 17 | 47 | 5 | 14 | 19 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
| George Swarbrick | 14 | 49 | 13 | 5 | 18 | 62 | – | – | – | – | – |
| John Brenneman$^†$ | 16 | 31 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Kent Douglas$^‡$ | 19 | 40 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 80 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aut Erickson | 4 | 65 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 46 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bob Baun | 21 | 67 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 81 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gerry Odrowski | 10 | 42 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ron Harris | 15 | 54 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 60 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mike Laughton | 22 | 35 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 38 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tracy Pratt | 2 | 34 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 90 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Joe Szura | 18 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bert Marshall$^†$ | 19 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 18 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Ron Boehm | 11 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Tom Thurlby | 3 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Bob Lemieux | 2 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gary Smith | 30 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Jean Cusson | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Terry Clancy | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Charlie Hodge | 1 | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | – | – | – | – | – |
$^†$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 | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Regular season | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs | Playoffs |
| Player | # | GP | TOI | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA | GP | TOI | W | L | GA | SO | GAA |
| Charlie Hodge | 1 | 58 | 3311 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 158 | 3 | 2.86 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Gary Smith | 30 | 21 | 1129 | 2 | 13 | 4 | 60 | 1 | 3.19 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |

## Transactions

The Seals were involved in the following transactions during the 1967–68 season:

### Trades

| October 3, 1967 | To California Seals Gerry Ehman | To Toronto Maple Leafs Bryan Hextall Jr. J. P. Parise |
| December, 1967 | To Oakland Seals Larry Popein | To New York Rangers cash |
| January 9, 1968 | To Oakland Seals John Brenneman Ted Hampson Bert Marshall | To Detroit Red Wings Kent Douglas |