Dale Tallon: The Man Drafted Second Behind Gilbert Perreault In 1970

He was chosen second overall at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. Going ahead of Dale Tallon was Gilbert Perreault to the Buffalo Sabres. Both teams joined the National Hockey League as expansion franchises for the 1970-71 season. Both excelled in their first campaigns but it was Perreault that would take the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year.

Dale did have some outstanding seasons in the NHL. However, ultimately his career would fizzle out in 1979-80. The Stanley Cup and individual accolades evaded him during his playing career. As the general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, he would finally get a championship in 2009-10, the last year before moving south to the Florida Panthers.

Junior and Minor Pro

NHL Career

Hockey Card Collection

Rookie Card

Career Stats

Dale Tallon – Junior and Minor Pro

Dale Tallon, from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, played three years of major junior hockey in Ontario before turning pro. His first season, 1967-68, was spent with the Oshawa Generals where fans were looking for another Bobby Orr. After a decent rookie season, Tallon was traded to the Toronto Marlboros for five players.

He spent his final two seasons of junior with the Marlboros. In 1969-70, the team reached the finals before bowing to the Montreal Junior Canadiens. Montreal was led by none other than Gilbert Perreault. Tallon finished tenth in the league with 79 points but was denied the Max Kaminsky Trophy as top defenseman. The award, instead, went to Ron Plumb of the Peterborough Petes.

Over his three years, Dale scored 68 and assisted on 103 for 171 points over 152 regular season games. In the playoffs, he added 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points in 24 games.

His time in the minors was limited. During the 1974-75 season, he spent seven games in the Central Hockey League with the Dallas Black Hawks. In the final year of Tallon’s career, 1979-80, he played six games in the American Hockey League with the Syracuse Firebirds.

Dale Tallon – NHL

As mentioned, Dale Tallon was the second overall pick at the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft, selected by the Vancouver Canucks. He went on to play 642 regular season National Hockey League games between 1970-71 and 1979-80 with the Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins. Over that time, he scored 98 goals and assisted on 238 for 336 points.

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Dale Tallon Collection

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In 33 Stanley Cup playoff games, Tallon recorded two goals and ten assists for 12 points. The furthest he got to a championship as a player came in 1973-74. The Blackhawks reached the semi-finals but were ousted in six games by Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins. In eleven games, he contributed four points.

On May 14, 1973, Dale was traded from the Canucks to Chicago for Jerry Korab and Gary Smith. With the Blackhawks in 1975-76, Tallon had his best season in the NHL. Playing the full 80 game schedule, he scored 15 and assisted on 47 for 62 points, all career highs. His 62 points were, at the time, a Chicago record for most points in a single season by a blue liner. However, he was denied the Norris Trophy with that award going deservedly to Denis Potvin of the New York Islanders.

On October 9, 1978, Tallon was shipped from Chicago to Pittsburgh, in exchange for a single second round draft pick in the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. In Pittsburgh, his career fizzled quickly and he retired after the 1979-80 season, a year he split time between the NHL and AHL.

Dale Tallon immediately jumped into broadcasting and was with the Blackhawks in that capacity until he moved to the team’s front office for the 1998-99 season. He was general manager with Chicago until the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. Since, he has been GM with the Florida Panthers.

Dale Tallon – Rookie Card

The Dale Tallon rookie card appears as number 225 in the 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee NHL hockey card set. He is, of course, shown with the Vancouver Canucks. Both him and Gil Perreault are included, despite having no previous NHL experience.

His final card is included in the 1978-79 O-Pee-Chee set as number 146. On the front of that card, he is shown as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins but the picture shows him still with the Blackhawks with a ‘now with Penguins’ note.

His 1973-74 O-Pee-Chee card, his first with the Blackhawks, pictures him with a blank red air-brushed jersey. His 1977-78 card features a cameo of Chicago goalie Tony Esposito.

Dale Tallon Career Stats

Season	Team	Lge	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1967-68	Oshawa Generals	OHA	50	12	31	43	88
1968-69	Toronto Marlboros	OHA	48	17	32	49	80
1969-70	Toronto Marlboros	OHA	54	39	40	79	128
1970-71	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	78	14	42	56	58
1971-72	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	69	17	27	44	78
1972-73	Vancouver Canucks	NHL	75	13	24	37	83
1973-74	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	65	15	19	34	36
1974-75	Dallas Black Hawks	CHL	7	1	4	5	14
1974-75	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	35	5	10	15	28
1975-76	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	80	15	47	62	101
1976-77	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	70	5	16	21	65
1977-78	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL	75	4	20	24	66
1978-79	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	63	5	24	29	35
1979-80	Syracuse Firebirds	AHL	6	0	1	1	4
1979-80	Pittsburgh Penguins	NHL	32	5	9	14	18
	NHL Totals		642	98	238	336	568