In the professional sports franchise arms race of the 1970s, there were many casualties, particularly in the world of hockey. One of those was the expansion Kansas City Scouts.
When the National Hockey League (NHL) decided to expand in March 1965, hockey-crazed Minnesota seemed like the perfect market for one of the six new teams. For 25 seasons it was, for the most part. The team, facing many challenges over the years, moved in 1993.
What happened to the Oakland Seals National Hockey League team that played at the Oakland Arena from 1966 to 1976? It’s fascinating tale of hockey from the Bay Area to Cleveland to Minnesota and back to Oakland.
This was a good 1970’s NHL expansion team! No, really. The Atlanta Flames had a winning record in five of their eight seasons as the NHL’s only Deep South outpost. They made the playoffs six out of those eight years. They had a core of outstanding young players and a future Hall-of-Fame executive in the GM chair. But the collective memory of the Atlanta Flames is that they weren’t very good because they were God-awful in the playoffs (objectively true) and Southerners hate ice hockey (possibly true, definitely a well-worn trope).
National Hockey League (1976-1978) Born: July 14, 1976 – The California Golden Seals relocate to Cleveland, OH. Died: June 14, 1978 – Merger with Minnesota
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