Dave Balon

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Position	Left Wing
Shoots	Left
Height Weight	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg)
NHL Team F. Teams	Retired New York Rangers Montreal Canadiens Minnesota North Stars Vancouver Canucks
Nationality	Canada
Born	August 2, 1938, Wakaw, SK, Canada
NHL Draft	Not drafted
Pro Career	1959 – 1974

David Alexander "Dave" Balon (Born August 2, 1938 in Wakaw, SK) is a retired professional hockey player who spent 14 seasons in the National Hockey League between 1959 and 1973.

1 Playing Career
2 Post-Hockey Career
3 Awards & Achievements
4 External links

[edit] Playing Career

Balon played his junior hockey for the Prince Albert Mintos of the SJHL before turning pro in 1958 and joining the New York Rangers farm system. He would make his NHL debut in the 1959-60 season with a three-game callup to the Rangers. Over the next two years, he would be a frequent callup, seeing 43 more games of NHL action and recording 5 goals and 18 points. In 1962-63, he finally established himself as a full-time member of the Rangers, appearing in all 70 games and recording 11 goals and 24 points.

For the 1963-64 season, Balon was dealt to the Montreal Canadiens in 7-player trade involving Hall of Fame goalies Jacques Plante and Gump Worsley. He would have an outstanding season in Montreal, finishing with 24 goals, good for 3rd on the team, and 42 points. He would have another solid season in 1965-66, posting 41 points and then helping Montreal to the Stanley Cup Championship. Balon win his second Stanley Cup in 1966, but suffered through a terrible season in which he scored only 3 goals.

In 1967, Balon was exposed by Montreal in the Expansion Draft and selected by the Minnesota North Stars. He would return to form with the North Stars, posting career highs in assists (32) and points (47), and was selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game (he played in two previous All-Star games for Montreal in a format where the league champion played a team of All-Stars, but this was his first 'true' selection). He had an especially strong playoffs, scoring 13 points in 14 games and leading the NHL in playoff assists with 9.

Following the season, Balon would be dealt back to his first NHL team, the New York Rangers, in exchange for three players. Balon's first year back in New York was sub-par by his standards, as he finished with 10 goals and 31 points. However, he would establish himself as an elite player in 1969-70, as he finished 7th in the league in goals with 33 and 10th in overall scoring with 70 points. He followed that up with another stellar season in 1970-71, as he bettered his career high with 36 goals (again top-10 in the league), and was voted the 'Most Popular Ranger' on a team with 5 future Hall-of-Famers. His offensive accomplishments were even more impressive in that he was also one of the team's top defensive forwards often assigned to check opposition stars.

After a so-so start to the 1971-72 season, Balon was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks. He would finish the season with respectable totals of 23 goals and 47 points, but wasn't the player he was in New York. As it turned out, he was in the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis, an illness that wouldn't be diagnosed until after his playing career.

In 1972-73, Balon had a shocking loss of form as the illness took its toll on his play. A top-10 offensive player in the league just two seasons prior, Balon slumped to just 3 goals and 5 points in 57 games. Sadly, Balon would be treated harshly by media and fans in Vancouver, who didn't realize the nature of his condition and attributed his suddenly sluggish play to a lack of effort or just his being 'washed-up'.

Balon would have one more go at pro hockey in the 1973-74 season, suiting up for the Quebec Nordiques of the WHA, but was forced to retire after 7 games.

[edit] Post-Hockey Career

After his retirement, Balon would receive a proper diagnosis of his condition. He would turn to coaching at the conclusion of his career, and spent several seasons as head coach of the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL.

Balon would fall on hard times during the 1980s and 1990s. As his condition worsened, he was left unable to work and forced to live off his meagre NHL pension. When Alan Eagleson, the former head of the National Hockey League Players Association, was arrested and imprisoned for stealing from the NHLPA pension fund, Balon's situation came to light and he became a symbol for the people Eagleson hurt through his actions.

Thankfully, Balon has received more help from the NHLPA and various alumni organizations in recent years, and his financial situation is more comfortable, although his lifestyle is still severely inhibited by the crippling effects of MS.

Balon finished his NHL career with 192 goals and 222 assists for 414 points in 776 career games, along with 607 penalty minutes. He played in four All-Star games and won two Stanley Cups.