Richard “Chick” Balon – Athlete
Richard moved from his hometown of Wakaw to Prince Albert in 1955 to play bantam hockey. Chick joined the Prince Albert Mintos of the Saskatchewan junior hockey league in 1956 to play with his brothers Dave and Rudy. Chick blasted onto the junior scene capturing rookie of the year honours in 1956-57. By 1959-60, Chick was the scoring champion with 55 goals and 64 assists for 119 points in 53 games.
Chick turned professional in 1959 when the Mintos season ended and retired 21 years later. He spent his first five professional seasons toiling for Canadian teams in Trois Rivieres, Que., Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont., Vancouver, B.C., and Sudbury, Ont.
During the 1963-64 season, Chick moved south of the 49th parallel and played for the Fort Wayne Komets, Toledo Blades, Dayton Gems, Milwaukee Admirals and Baltimore of the International Hockey League. The centreman was part of four IHL championship teams (Fort Wayne, Toledo and Dayton) and was an all-star four times.
Chick played 1,094 professional games, scored 358 goals and collected 483 assists for 841 points, as well as 1,088 penalty minutes.
He joins his brother Dave Balon in the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame.
The Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Richard “Chick” Balon in the athlete category.
