Bryan Nigel Allen (born August 21, 1980) is a Canadian former professional
ice hockey defenceman who played in the
National Hockey League (NHL) between 2001 and 2014.
Playing career
Allen was the fourth overall selection in the
1998 NHL Entry Draft
The 1998 NHL Entry Draft was the 36th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 27 at the Marine Midland Arena in Buffalo, New York. A total of 258 players were drafted.
The last active players in the NHL from this draft class were Brian Gionta, Mi ...
to the
Vancouver Canucks. A big, bruising defender with a mean streak, Allen earned comparisons to
Derian Hatcher
Derian John Hatcher (born June 4, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Minnesota North Stars, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers. ...
at the time of his selection.
Allen made the Canucks at age 18 in his first camp, but was unable to reach a contract with the team's management and returned to the
Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s
Oshawa Generals, his junior team. Despite being limited to 37 out of his team's 66 games, his strong leadership style of play earned him OHL First All-Star Team honours. He was also selected to represent
Canada at the
1999 World Junior Championships.
After missing substantial parts of the two previous seasons due to injury, he missed virtually all of the 1999–00 campaign following surgery.
Allen would play most of his first two professional seasons in minor-pro before earning a regular roster spot in the
2002–03 season, appearing in 48 games and scoring 5 goals. With the departure of
Murray Baron
Murray McElwain Roy Baron (born June 1, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Phoenix Coyotes, an ...
in the summer of 2003, Allen became a regular for the Canucks and did a fine job of replacing Baron's size and physical play. He was especially a standout on the penalty kill, logging heavy minutes as the Canucks finished near the top of the NHL in that category. On November 5, Allen was suspended for two games following an incident on November 3 in which he slashed
Detroit Red Wings forward
Henrik Zetterberg
Henrik Zetterberg (; born 9 October 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL), for whom he would serve as cap ...
, breaking his leg.
During the
2004–05 NHL lockout
The 2004–05 NHL lockout was a labor lockout that resulted in the cancellation of the National Hockey League (NHL) season, which would have been its 88th season of play.
The main dispute was the league's desire to implement a salary cap to ...
, Allen suited up for
Khimik Voskresensk
Hockey Club Atlant Moscow Oblast (russian: ХК Атлант Московская область, en, Atlas Hockey Club Moscow Region) was a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Mytishchi, Moscow Oblast. They were members of the Bobrov ...
of the
Russian Superleague
The Russian Superleague (russian: Чемпионат России Суперлига, ''Russian Championship Superleague''), commonly abbreviated as RSL, was the highest division of the main professional ice hockey league in Russia. It was cons ...
(RSL) to stay in game shape. Back in Vancouver for the
2005–06 season, with the departures of
Marek Malík
Marek Malík (born June 24, 1975) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1994 to 2009.
Playing career
After playing with TJ Vitkovice Jr. in the Czech junior league, Malík was d ...
and
Brent Sopel
Brent Bernard Sopel (born January 7, 1977) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played the majority of his career in the National Hockey League (NHL). Sopel was originally selected 144th overall at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft b ...
, as well as long-term injuries to several other defenders, Allen's icetime skyrocketed and he became one of the team's most important defenders, finishing with career highs of 7 goals and 17 points.
On June 23, 2006, Allen was involved in a multi-player trade that sent him,
Todd Bertuzzi
Todd Bertuzzi (born February 2, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as a power forward, he has played in the NHL for the New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers ...
and
Alex Auld
Alexander James Auld (born January 7, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Auld played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Vancouver Canucks, Florida Panthers, Phoenix Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Dal ...
to the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and initially played their home game ...
in exchange for
Roberto Luongo
Roberto Luongo (, , ; born April 4, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers and the Vancouver Canucks. Luongo is a ...
,
Lukáš Krajíček
Lukáš Krajíček (, born March 11, 1983) is a Czech former professional ice hockey defenceman. He has previously played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Philadelphia Flyer ...
and a sixth-round draft pick. The
2006–07 season would be the best of his career to date, as he set career highs with 21 assists and 25 points and established himself as one of the Panthers' top defenders.
A knee injury caused Allen to miss all but two games of the
2008–09 season with the Panthers.
On February 28, 2011, Allen was traded to the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
in exchange for forward
Sergei Samsonov
Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov (russian: Серге́й Ви́кторович Самсо́нов, ''Sergej Viktorovič Samsonov''; born October 27, 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey forward who is now a scout for the Carolina Hurric ...
.
On July 1, 2012 Allen signed a three-year contract as a free agent with the
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Divis ...
. On November 20, 2014 during the
2014–15 season, the final year of his contract, Allen was traded to the
Montreal Canadiens in exchange for forward
Rene Bourque
Rene Gary Wayne Bourque (born December 10, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, Bourque was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent in ...
.
International play
Allen represented Canada at the
World Junior Championships. He recorded one goal and three points in 7 games to help Canada to a silver medal. His goal was a huge one, the tying goal late in the final against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eight ...
, but Russia would ultimately win in overtime.
Allen was expected to be a leader for Canada at the 2000 World Junior Championships, but was unable to play as he was recovering from injury.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honours
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Bryan
1980 births
Living people
Anaheim Ducks players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Russia
Canadian ice hockey defencemen
Carolina Hurricanes players
Florida Panthers players
Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) players
HC Khimik Voskresensk players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Kansas City Blades players
Manitoba Moose players
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
Norfolk Admirals players
Oshawa Generals players
Sportspeople from Kingston, Ontario
Syracuse Crunch players
Vancouver Canucks draft picks
Vancouver Canucks players