CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Blackhawks abruptly ousted general manager Dale Tallon on Tuesday, less than
two months after the team he helped revive from the bottom of the standings reached the Western
Conference finals.
Tallon, who was reassigned to senior adviser of hockey operations, was replaced by assistant GM Stan
Bowman, the son of legendary NHL coach Scotty Bowman. The elder Bowman was hired last year as a senior
adviser.
A clerical mistake may have hastened Tallon’s departure. Last week, the NHL Players Association filed a
grievance against the team, saying the Blackhawks missed the deadline for sending qualifying offers to
restricted free agents. The Blackhawks ended up signing all their restricted free agents, including
their top rookie from last season, Kris Versteeg.
Tallon denied that the administrative problem and grievance had caused the Blackhawks to overpay the
restricted free agents.
Tallon, 58, has been a member of the organization for more 30 years, including five as a player and 10 in
the front office. He was named general manager in June 2005 and under his guidance, the team drafted
young stars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, made trades for scorers like Martin Havlat and Patrick
Sharp, and signed free agents Nikolai Khabibulin, Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet.
Last season, the Blackhawks started drawing fans back to the United Center and advanced to the playoffs
for the first time in seven years, losing to the Detroit Red Wings in the conference finals.
