COMMENTARY
Gleason: Bowman is set to tackle a challenge
Stan Bowman's two young sons attended his first news conference as general manager of the Blackhawks but apparently they didn't find it all that riveting. Will, 6, and Camden, 4, both fell asleep midway through the announcement that their father was hired for one of the premier jobs in the NHL.
Bowman was quite different from his sons when he was growing up in Williamsville. His parents have lived there since 1979, when his father coached and managed the Sabres. He spent his childhood listening to Scotty Bowman talk on the telephone, snooping on conversations while becoming fascinated with the inner workings of the league.
Thirty years later, he's the one making the calls.
It's a terrific but terrifying gig. The Blackhawks are one of the best young teams in the NHL and reached the conference finals last season. But Bowman replaces the widely popular Dale Tallon, who groomed him as an assistant GM while turning around the franchise. It's a tall order.
"You can't be afraid," Bowman said by telephone from Chicago. "It's a challenge, but you can't look at it as being fearful of failing. It's going to be a test, but it's something that I've wanted to do. You can't back away from that."
Bowman, 36, has never been one to back away from a challenge. He graduated from Notre Dame with a degree in finance and had a good job before pursuing his dream to work in the NHL. He has twice beaten Hodgkin's lymphoma and has been in remission for 15 months since undergoing stem-cell transplant surgery.
The trick now will be keeping the Blackhawks in good health.
Bowman barely had time to sit in the big chair Tuesday before realizing he was in the hot seat. His first news conference didn't seem so much like a celebration announcing his promotion but a cross-examination about his qualifications amid questions about Tallon being reassigned (see: demoted) to senior adviser after a successful season.
Tallon's blunder was missing a deadline for getting contract offers to restricted free agents, notably Kris Versteeg and Cam Barker. They signed, but the gaffe cost the 'Hawks more money. Bowman as the assistant GM held himself accountable, but Tallon took most of the blame and, ultimately, the fall.
Critics suggested Scotty Bowman, hired last summer as a senior adviser, pulled strings to get his son promoted. In fact, he didn't know the move was coming until Stan told him. Scotty Bowman's first reaction was calling Tallon.
"Tough business," Scotty Bowman said. "They never called or consulted with me. [President] John McDonough never called me and said, "I'm thinking of making this change.' I'm glad he didn't call me because it would have been tough. Dale knows that."
Fair or not, Bowman will be known as the Son of Scotty until he stands on his own merits. The Blackhawks already are over the $56.8 million salary cap. Contracts for South Buffalo native Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith expire after next season.
And that means Bowman faces several difficult decisions, some of which will be unpopular. Sabres fans can stop fantasizing about Kane coming to Buffalo.
"No way," Bowman said. "He loves it here, and he's a critical part of our team. We'll take care of it."
Time will tell. It could take months for fans to digest, years for them to accept, that Tallon is gone and Bowman is running the show. If he does it right, Bowman just might win the trophy after which he was named, the trophy his father won nine times as a coach.
Maybe that will get his kids' attention.
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