The Cow Palace%2C new home of the San Francisco Bulls
A look inside the Cow Palace at the ice%2C before the paint.
Free reign of the
Cow Palace was available to all who attended. Those interested in purchasing a season ticket plan could see for themselves the sightlines from any available seat. Plenty of team sales representatives were also on hand to answer questions and make the seat selections official. Youth hockey demonstrations, face painting, and a visit by the Road Crew from Radio Disney AM 1310 were just a few of the featured attractions. Those who attended were also able to meet and take photos with the newly named SF Bulls mascot, Rawhide.
Rawhide took time to visit and pose with new fans.
The San Francisco Bulls are the most recent professional hockey team to call the
Cow Palace home, but not the first. Prior to the Bulls, the San Francisco Spiders of the IHL played there. In spite of the Spiders popularity and respectable attendance, the team existed only a single season in 1995-96. The NHL San Jose Sharks also played on the
Cow Palace ice for a two year span, from 1991-93, while their permanent HP Pavilion home was being built in
San Jose. The San Francisco Shamrocks of the Pacific Hockey league (PHL) called the
Cow Palace home from 1977-79. The Shamrocks won the PHL championship in their very first season. Sadly that first season of success was followed by a disbanding of the team in January 1979 part way through their second year .
San Francisco Bulls Jersey on display in the new team store.
The very first professional hockey team to call the
Cow Palace home was the San Francisco Seals of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Seals played on
Cow Palace ice from 1961-67. The NHL expansion in 1967 began an extended period of uncertainty and change for the Seals. Included in that were changes to ownership, front office and team management as well as a few name changes. In 1976, the team left the
San Francisco bay area for
Cleveland, Ohio and were again renamed the Cleveland Barons. A short time later, the Barons folded and merged with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.
Pat Curcio%2C Bulls President%2C GM%2C and Coach skated before the new fans arrived.
SF Bulls President, General Manager and Head Coach Pat Curcio hopes to assemble a physical group along with a mix of skill players. Good goaltending is of course a requirement for being successful. It is important to remember that the San Francisco Seals were the first ever WHL team to win back-to-back Lester Patrick Cup Championships during the 1962-63 and 1963-64 seasons. The SF Bulls would obviously like to continue with that tradition of successful professional hockey in
San Francisco and the
Cow Palace. Much remains to be done, but we look forward to more firsts as the Bulls progress towards their season opener in October. Let’s Go Bulls! Photos by:
Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.comRelated
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