Hawks Re-assign Tallon, Promote Bowman to GM

The Chicago Blackhawks have officially announced that Dale Tallon has been re-assigned to the position of Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations and that Stan Bowman has been promoted to the role of GM.

Bowman, the son of legendary NHL coach and current Blackhawks Senior Advisor Scotty Bowman, has been with the Blackhawks organization for the past eight years. The last two as Assistant General Manager.

Most are speculating that the recent RFA debacle is to blame for Tallon's reassignment, but it is still pretty vague about what actually happened there and who might be to blame. For his part, Tallon manned up and took responsibility for the blunder, which may or may not have been his fault.

“ 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 Advisor, 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.”

Classy, right to the end. Way to go Dale!

One thing is for sure, Dale Tallon inherited a boatload of dung when he took over as GM of the Hawks. He built the franchise into a winner through solid drafting and some deft trades. Did he make some mistakes along the way? Sure he did, but name someone who hasn't made mistakes on the job. I personally think he overpaid to get Campbell and Huet, but lets face it: he had to. Not so long ago, Chicago was seen as undesirable to potential free agents. A product of years of bad ownership. Nowadays, everyone wants to come here to play with the likes of Kane and Toews. A winning team, clearly on the rise, loaded with young talent. A winner that was built by Dale Tallon.

Bowman, known as a numbers guy, now takes the helm of the good ship Blackhawk and will have to navigate through the treacherous waters of the NHL salary cap to find a way to keep the Hawks' most-prized possessions (Kane and Toews) onboard for the long term.