Former Florida Panthers have failed to investigate allegations against GM Dale Talone

The National Hockey League announced on Thursday that allegations of racial, religious and racial slurs against former Florida Panthers general manager Dale Talone could not be settled in an independent investigation.

The NHL launched an investigation into 70-year-old Talon in late August, alleging that Talon used “racially charged language” inside the Toronto hub during the 2020 playoffs. Talon was fired by the Panthers earlier that month.

Seafart Shaw LLP, an outsourced organization appointed by the league, conducted interviews with more than a dozen sources in the Panthers organization and reviewed all available information before reaching a decision.

“The allegations have not been confirmed or proven, and are contrary to Talon’s past actions and his efforts in support of diversity and inclusion programs,” the league said in a statement. “As a result, based on the investigation, the NHL has determined that there was no breach of NHL policy or protocol.”

The league said there would be no further comment on the matter.

Ruin-Noranda, Q., Talone appeared second in the 1970 NHL Amateur Draft and 638 career games over 10 seasons from 1970 to 1980 with the Vancouver Canc ,s, Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 1998, Talon joined the Black Hawks front office and became the team’s GM in 2005, a role he held until 2009. The following year, Talon joined the Panthers front office as GM and remained there until he was fired in the summer.