David Alexander Balon - Born August 2, 1938 in Wakaw, Saskatchewan - Died May 29, 2007 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan was a Canadian ice Hockey left winger and coach.

- Stanley Cup Champion 1965, 1966 with Montreal Canadiens.

- Prince of Wales Trophy Champion 1966 with Montreal Canadiens.

Balon played his junior Hockey for the Prince Albert Mintos of the SJHL, also being lent the Regina Pats during their 1958 Memorial Cup playoff run, losing the championship series in 6 games, where Balon had 6 goals, 4 assists in 16 games.

Balon would turn pro to start the 1958-59 season, playing for the WHL Saskatoon Quakers and Vancouver Canucks.

While playing for the Trois-Rivières Lions in the Eastern Professional Hockey League / EPHL, Balon would make his NHL debut with New York Rangers on January 30, 1960 vs Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 3-2 Toronto win. He played in 4 games in 9 days with 0 points or penalties, and finishing the season with Trois-Rivières Lions.

Over the next two years, Balon would be a frequent call-up from the EPHL Kitchener-Waterloo Beavers, playing in 33 more NHL games, scoring his 1st NHL goal vs Johnny Bower of Toronto Maple Leafs at 6:58 of 2nd period on October 8, 1960 at Maple Leaf Gardens in a 5-2 Rangers win. Balon also played in 6 NHL playoff games, scoring 2 goals, 3 assists in 1962 NHL playoffs. In 1962–63, Balon 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 1964–65, posting 41 points and then helping Montreal to the Stanley Cup Championship. Balon won his second Stanley Cup in 1966 and assisted in Henri Richard’s Cup winning goal in overtime.

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 1968 NHL All-Star Game. Balon had an especially strong playoffs in 1968, 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 9 games.

Balon finished his NHL career, playing in 777 regular season NHL games, scoring 192 goals (35 GWG) and 222 assists with 607 penalty minutes. He played in 78 NHL playoff games, scoring 14 goals (5 GWG), 21 assists with 109 penalty minutes.

Balon played in NHL All-Star Games 1965, 1967, 1968, 1971.

After his retirement, Balon received a proper diagnosis of his condition. He turned to coaching, and spent several seasons as head coach of the Humboldt Broncos of the SJHL.

Balon fell on hard times during the 1980s and 1990s. As his condition worsened, he was left unable to work and forced to live off his relatively small NHL pension. Ultimately, he received assistance from the NHLPA and various alumni organizations thereafter until his death from multiple sclerosis, from which he had suffered for more than 30 years.

Dave Balon was inducted into the Prince Albert Sports Hall of Fame in 1990.

David “Dave” Balon was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 2001