  the california golden seals were a team in the national hockey league (nhl) from 1967â76. initially named california seals, the team was renamed oakland seals partway through the 1967â68 season, and then to california golden seals in 1970. the seals were one of six teams added to the league as part of the 1967 nhl expansion. based in oakland, california, they played their home games at the oakland-alameda county coliseum arena. however, the seals were never successful at the gate, and eventually moved to cleveland to become the cleveland barons in 1976. ==history== ===founding===  in 1966, the nhl announced that six expansion teams would be added as a new division for the 1967â68 season, officially because of a general desire to expand the league to new markets, but just as importantly to squelch the western hockey league's threat to turn into a major league. the san francisco seals were one such team from the whl. the nhl awarded an expansion team to barry van gerbig for the san francisco bay area. van gerbig decided to purchase the whl club with the intent of bringing them into the nhl as an expansion team the following season. van gerbig had planned to have the team play in a new arena in san francisco, but the new arena was never built. he decided to move the team across the bay from the cow palace to oakland to play in the new oakland-alameda county coliseum arena (now known as oracle arena). he renamed the club the california seals. this was done in an attemp
Bankruptcy_in_the_United_States California_Golden_Seals Defunct_National_Hockey_League_teams Sports_clubs_disestablished_in_1976 Sports_clubs_established_in_1961 Sports_in_Oakland,_California