Blackhawks Promote Stan Bowman To General Manager

From chicagoblackhawks.com: (link)

The Chicago Blackhawks have promoted Stan Bowman to General Manager and have reassigned Dale Tallon to the position of Senior Advisor, Hockey Operations.

“We are very proud to promote Stan to his new position of General Manager,” Blackhawks President John McDonough said. “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.”

Bowman, 36, becomes the ninth General Manager in Blackhawks history after most recently serving as Assistant General Manager, Hockey Operations, for the previous two years. The 2009-10 season will mark the Montreal native’s ninth with the Blackhawks, which includes two seasons as the Director of Hockey Operations (2005-07) and four seasons as the Special Assistant to the General Manager (2001-05).

“ It is an extreme honor 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."

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, 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. He was born in Montreal where his father, legendary National Hockey League fixture and Blackhawks Senior Advisor Scotty Bowman was coaching at the time. Stan and his wife Suzanne have two sons, Will and Camden.

Tallon, 58, has been a member of the Blackhawks organization for over 30 years, which includes five as a player and 10 in the front office. He spent four years as the club’s director of player personnel and two as assistant general manager (2003-05) before being named the eighth general manager in franchise history on June 21, 2005. The Noranda, Quebec, native also had two stints as the color analyst for the team on both television and the radio.

“ 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.”