Robert Paul Allen (born November 14, 1978) is an American former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...

who played in the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

for the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

and the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

Playing career

As a youth, Allen played in the 1991 and 1992

Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament (french: Tournoi international de hockey pee-wee de Québec) is an annual minor ice hockey event in Quebec City. The tournament was founded in 1960 to coincide with the Quebec Winter Carnival, ...

s with a

minor ice hockey Minor hockey is an umbrella term for amateur ice hockey which is played below the junior age level. Players are classified by age, with each age group playing in its own league. The rules, especially as it relates to body contact, vary from c ...

team from Beverly, Massachusetts. Allen played for Boston College, from which he was selected fifty-second in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the

. He was subsequently traded to the

on the 2002 trade deadline, in exchange for Sean Brown. He spent the majority of his Oiler career in the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

, although he did play one game for Edmonton in 2002–03. On July 22, 2004 he signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils. Allen never played with the Devils due to the

NHL Lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...

. He was assigned to the Albany River Rats, of the AHL. On July 17, 2006, Allen was signed as a free agent by hometown team, the Boston Bruins, to a one-year deal. Allen was assigned to start the 2006–07 season with Boston's AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. He spent the first half of the season with Providence before playing his first NHL game in 5 years with the Bruins on January 17, 2007 against the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...

. Allen's physical play earned him a spot with the Bruins for the remaining half of the season. On July 6, 2007, after testing free agency Allen re-signed with the Bruins to a one-year contract for the 2007–08 season. Allen only managed to play in only 19 games over the season with the Bruins as he was hampered by a back injury. Prior to the 2008–09 season Allen was diagnosed with two herniated discs in his back and has been unable to play since.

Personal

Allen was born in

Weymouth, Massachusetts ("To Work Is to Conquer") , image_map = Norfolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Weymouth highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in Norfolk County in Massa ...

raised in

Hull, Massachusetts Hull is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, located on a peninsula at the southern edge of Boston Harbor. Its population was 10,072 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Pl ...

, attended

Cushing Academy Cushing Academy is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school for boarding and day students in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, United States. It serves approximately 400 students in grades 9–12 and a postgraduate year. History Cushing ...

and currently lives in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore (Massachusetts), South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, t ...

with his wife Natalie, a teacher at the

Hingham High School Hingham High School is a co-ed public high school serving grades 9 through 12 for the town of Hingham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on Union Street near Hingham Center. This school was ranked number 985 on ''Newsweek''s 2005 list o ...

, and their son their daughter.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Bobby 1978 births Albany River Rats players American men's ice hockey defensemen Boston Bruins players Boston Bruins draft picks Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Edmonton Oilers players Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players Ice hockey players from Massachusetts Living people People from Hull, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Weymouth, Massachusetts Sportspeople from Plymouth County, Massachusetts Providence Bruins players Toronto Roadrunners players AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans NCAA men's ice hockey national champions