1967–68 Oakland Seals season


The 1967–68 Oakland Seals season was their first season in the National Hockey League. 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 Gordie Fashoway. The team began the season as the California Seals, but on November 6, 1967, the name was changed and the team became known as the Oakland Seals.

Offseason

Expansion draft

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

Amateur draft

RoundPickPlayerNationalityCollege/junior/club team
13Ken HicksBrandon Wheat Kings
212Gary WoodFort Frances Royals
318Kevin SmithHalifax Colonels

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

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

Player statistics

Skaters

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes
†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 ; W = Wins; L= Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average

Transactions

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

Trades

Playoffs

The Seals did not qualify for the playoffs

Roster

Awards and honors