Amateur While playing for the Edmonton Maple Leafs in the
Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), Bladon was indefinitely suspended after breaking the jaw of an opponent on October 22, 1968. In protest of the suspension, the Maple Leafs threatened to pull out of the AJHL entirely. After the Maple Leafs appealed the suspension, the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association agreed to reinstate Bladon. He scored in his return to the Maple Leafs lineup on December 17 against the
Red Deer Rustlers. Bladon was transitioned from forward to
defenceman in the 1969-70 AJHL season due to the death of team captain and defenceman Lorne Owens. Although he graduated high school in 1970, Bladon chose not to pursue higher education. Bladon was one of four Maple Leafs players promoted to their parent club, the
Edmonton Oil Kings of the
Western Canada Junior Hockey League (WCJHL), for the 1970–71 season. Through his first 10 games as a defenceman for the Oil Kings, Bladon scored four goals and six assists. He was praised by the Oil Kings general manager for his
slapshot and was predicted to go in the first round of the
1972 NHL amateur draft. and was drafted by the
Philadelphia Flyers in the second round. He signed a three-year contract with the Flyers on June 23, 1972. Bladon was named to their opening night roster for the
1972–73 season. Flyers' head coach
Fred Shero later said that Bladon was playing under more pressure than any other rookie because he was used in "every situation." By mid-February, Bladon ranked high among the NHL's rookie scoring leaders with eight goals and 23 assists. Despite going through a scoring drought, Bladon tied
Rick Foley's franchise record for points by a defenseman in early March. He finished his rookie season with 11 goals and 42 points, surpassing
Bobby Orr's NHL record for assists by a rookie defenseman. Following their 1974 Stanley Cup win, Bladon signed a long-term contract extension with the Flyers. On December 11, 1977, Bladon became the first defenceman in NHL history to record eight points in a single game. He scored four goals and four assists in the Flyers' 11–1 win over the
Cleveland Barons. His record stood for nearly a decade before being tied by
Paul Coffey of the
Edmonton Oilers in 1986. Following the 1977–78 season, Bladon,
Orest Kindrachuk, and
Ross Lonsberry were traded to the
Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for their first-round selection in the
1978 NHL amateur draft. As a free agent in July 1980, Bladon was acquired by the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for future considerations. However, he refused to report to the Oilers minor league team after playing only four periods. After receiving a release from the team, Bladon earned a tryout with the
Detroit Red Wings. ==Personal life==