Dale Tallon’s four-season run as the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks has come to an end.
Tallon will be replaced by Stanley Bowman, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman whom was named after the Stanley Cup. The 58-year-old Tallon will remain in the organization with the same title as Scotty Bowman - senior adviser, hockey operations-- the team announced this morning.
“ I have been with this organization in several different capacities since coming over as a player in 1973 and although my position has changed, my goals have not,” Tallon said. “In my new role as senior adviser, hockey operations I will continue in any way that will help make this a better product on the ice. I’ve seen Stan come up through our ranks and I’m confident he is the right person to step in. This is what is best for the Chicago Blackhawks.”
The stunning development comes less than two months after the Blackhawks advanced to the Western Conference final for the first time in 13 years and their first playoff appearance since 2002.
In his most recent role, Bowman attended to the day-to-day administration of the Blackhawks’ hockey operations department with his primary responsibilities including all CBA-related matters such as contract negotiations, free agency, salary arbitration, player movement and player assignment. He also tracked the progress of the Blackhawks prospects by working closely with the staff of the club’s minor league affiliate in Rockford, Ill., while also assisting with player evaluation, prospect development and professional and amateur scouting.
Bowman graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1995 and arrived at the Blackhawks in 2001, working extensively on financial budgets and developing programs to track player movement and player evaluation.
“It is an extreme honour to accept this promotion with the Blackhawks, an Original Six franchise,” Bowman said. “Over the last eight years I have been intricately involved in every facet of our Hockey Operations and take great pride in the talent and character that we have assembled. We will not rest until we reach our goal of winning the Stanley Cup and establishing consistent success for the Chicago Blackhawks and our fans."
Various reports indicated that Tallon was relieved of his GM duties because of the near disaster a week ago when the Blackhawks missed a deadline to make qualifying offers to a group of restricted free agents, a blunder that pending a NHL Players' Association grievance could have made them unrestricted free agents.
The Blackhawks scrambled to sign each player, including key performers like defencemen Cam Barker and forward Kris Versteeg. But Tallon was put under further scrutiny because he may have overpaid the players in question to avoid the embarrassing mistake.
There also was speculation last season that Tallon would not last much longer under new Blackhawks president John McDonough because the latter wanted to bring in his own person to run the hockey department and he wasn’t pleased with Tallon’s signing of free-agent goalie Cristobal Huet last summer.
Tallon became the Blackhawks' eighth general manager on June 2005, and was in charge when the NHL club fortified its lineup through the draft with key players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and signed free-agent Marian Hossa this summer.
As a player, Tallon was selected second overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1970 NHL entry draft behind the Buffalo Sabres’ Gilbert Perreault. He joined the Blackhawks organization upon his retirement as a player in 1980 and has been with the team ever since.
Bowman has been an assistant general manager with the Hawks and has been the team’s capologist. Scotty Bowman was brought in last summer as a consultant.
“ We are very proud to promote Stan to his new position of general manager,” McDonough said in a news release put out by the Blackhawks. “He brings a comprehensive knowledge of hockey, along with a tremendous intellect and methodical approach to building a successful team and sustaining success. His involvement with our organization and strong understanding of our roster and our system create a very natural and strong transition.
"Dale will continue to be an important part of our organization, as he has been for many years.”
