Hockey brought Dale Tallon, far left, to Chicago, where he has been a fixture as a player, broadcaster and now the Blackhawks' assistant general manager.

Tallon's talent was dimmed by injury
By John McGourty | NHL.com
Oct. 1, 2004

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. The United States lost the space shuttle Challenger to the failure of an inexpensive, non-mechanical part. Years of diplomatic efforts were destroyed and World War I began following the assassination of a minor royal figure in a remote Balkan city. A raindrop joins another and another and another to make a mighty river than can cut down a mountain.

Yes, little things mean a lot. Dale Tallon, the assistant general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, would be considered one of the great defensemen of his era, along with Bobby Orr, Brad Park, Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson and Serge Savard had he not broken one of the smallest bones in his body, a bone in his wrist. A hockey player with a balky wrist is like a two-fingered guitarist, seriously compromised. One of the most highly regarded prospects of the 1970s, Tallon was reduced to average-player status and ended his 10-year NHL career in disappointment at age 29.

Tallon signed one of the top rookie contracts in NHL history to that time when he joined the Vancouver Canucks in 1971. He made it known he had another option, a possible career as a pro golfer, after winning the Canadian Junior Championship in 1968. He was to gain further leverage, as did many NHL players, with the formation of the World Hockey Association the next year. Tallon used that leverage to force a trade to the Chicago Blackhawks, but his career was compromised after only one season in Chicago when he broke that bone in his wrist.

Tallon was named assistant general manager of the Blackhawks earlier this year after serving in a variety of roles during the past four decades. "Character counts" quickly became the team's chief operating principle and it's been reflected in the off-season signings of Curtis Brown, Matthew Barnaby and Jassen Cullimore.

Your playing career got off to a terrific start -- No. 2 pick in the draft, All-Star team your first two years, selected to Canada's 1972 Summit team in your second season -- while it was exciting, it must also have been tremendous pressure on a young man.

"Not really. I'd always been in that situation in golf and hockey. Actually, I think my versatility, my ability to play defense or center, hurt me. I probably spread myself too thin. That, combined with injury situations, compounded itself into seasons that weren't as good as other seasons.

"I blew my knee out at the end of my second season with the Canucks, rehabbed and got back into shape. With Team Canada in 1972, it was the same type of deal. The coaches didn't know where I should play, but after we played Sweden and Czechoslovakia in a pre-tournament exhibition, most players said I should play defense.

"In Chicago, they wanted me at center, then defense. It looked like I was turning a corner, but then I broke a small bone in my wrist and I battled it for years. It really affected my play.

"I was glad to go to the Blackhawks. I asked to be traded but Vancouver couldn't trade me for three years due to rules existing then. The expansion teams were barred from trading their top picks for three years in those days because the Canadiens had stockpiled draft picks and young players while trading older players to the expansion teams.

"There was a lot going on then, with the World Hockey Association competing with the NHL. I was unhappy with the direction of the Vancouver management then. I liked the owners, but they were going through financial and legal problems. I didn't see where they were going. There was no direction.

"After playing with Team Canada, I was able to get traded to the Blackhawks because I had made some friendships with players like Pat Stapleton, Bill White. Stan Mikita and Dennis Hull. When I came to Chicago, they were looking for a big center because they had small centers like Stan. Then, they moved me back to defense. I had a good year, but then I broke my wrist and it never healed. That's why my production went down."

You joined the Oshawa Generals two years after another pretty good defenseman, Bobby Orr, left there to play for the Boston Bruins. Was there pressure following Orr at Oshawa?

"I was the first pick, ever, in the midget draft and I went to Oshawa. The next year, I got traded to the Toronto Marlboros for five players, including 'Battleship' Bob Kelly and Rick Kessel. You know, everywhere I went, there was always some other issue, like following Orr. In Chicago, they gave me No. 9 after Bobby Hull left. In Vancouver, they wanted to take Gilbert Perreault, the overwhelming No. 1 pick that year. The Canucks thought they won the roll to get first pick, but it turned out Buffalo won. The Sabres took Perreault and Vancouver settled for me! So, I got used to those situations. I didn't feel any real pressure in Oshawa. I was a kid, happy to be there. I put more pressure on myself. As you get more mature, you're better able to handle it. Actually, I was glad people thought that much of me."

The trade to Chicago for Jerry "King Kong" and Gary "Suitcase" Smith seems to have worked out very well for you. You've been with the Blackhawks ever since.

"I've always wondered what would have happened if I stayed there in Vancouver. That was my goal, but once I came to Chicago, I loved the city and I was happy to be a member of the Blackhawks. You're right, it has worked out quite nicely. This is my 28th year in this organization."

You're reputed to be the best golfer in the history of the NHL. You won the Canadian junior golf championship on the home course of top Canadian pro Dave Barr, who was among those you beat. Do you regret not pursuing a career in professional golf?

"Dave really wasn't in contention that year. Doug Roxburgh was the favorite over Dave on Dave's home course. Doug won the Canadian Junior title two years later and is in the Royal Canadian Golf Association Hall of Fame.

"You always look back and wonder, what if? I always had aspirations to play professional golf. But, I think the only time I questioned my decision was when I was hurt and in a hospital bed. In 1970, nobody was making much money playing golf. I think I could have been successful. I've had some flashes of good golf. I think if I dedicated myself, I would have been good, but I would have had to work full time at it instead of having other distractions.

"I love both sports, but I probably love hockey more. To play in the NHL is the dream of every kid who grew up in northern Canada. I always thought I could do golf after my hockey career and I knew I couldn't do it the other way. There's no way you could go play golf and come back to the NHL at age 26. I've been the club pro at Highland Park Country Club for several years and a Class A PGA member for the past 10 years. Last year, I qualified for the PGA Senior Championship and played at Aroniminck Country Club in Pennsylvania.

"With this opportunity with the Blackhawks, golf is on the back burner and I'm happy about that. Now, golf is just for pleasure."

You set the NHL scoring record for rookie defensemen. Whose record did you break? You also set the Blackhawks' scoring record for defensemen. Whose record was that?

"It was Orr's rookie record. Barry Beck broke my record and then Larry Murphy broke Beck's record. Some people gave me no credit for the record because they thought I also played forward, but I played all my games at defense that year. I broke Pierre Pilote's record in Chicago and Doug Wilson later broke my record. I saw Pierre recently. I got to know him quite well after I retired because we used to travel together with the 'NHL Old Stars.' We played some old-timer games around the country for charities. I really respect Pierre. He's a classy guy and a really good player, a Norris Trophy winner three years in a row."

You've been with the Blackhawks and lived in Chicago for almost 30 years as player, broadcaster, director of player personnel and assistant GM. There were a couple of different philosophies in Blackhawks management in recent years. What kind of team do Chicago fans want to see?

"Blackhawks fans like in-your-face, hard-nosed, straight-forward hockey. Our goal is to develop a team that can play physical and/or with skill, like the Islanders when they won those Stanley Cups in the early 1980s. They could outmuscle or outskate you, your choice. I think Chicago fans want to see our players forecheck hard, similar to way those two teams, Tampa Bay and Calgary, played in this year's Stanley Cup Finals."

Which current Blackhawks do you expect to see break out in a big way this season?

"I'm looking forward to our young core guys, Mark Bell, Kyle Calder and Steve McCarthy blossom and take control of this team. It's their team now and they have to take a step forward. By adding Curtis Brown, Matthew Barnaby and Jassen Cullimore, it gives us some needed character players. We are on the way back to putting a team together that has those good, solid character guys in the lineup and that includes many players other than the ones I mentioned."

Which prospect excites you the most and why?

"Tuomo Ruutu excites me a lot. I like our core of young defensemen, Anton Babchuk, Cam Barker, Brent Seabrook and James Wisniewski. We have two young goaltenders, Craig Anderson and Michael Leighton, who did well under difficult circumstances last year. That whole core excites me and it will give us depth for a long time."