The Kingston Whig-Standard
June 29, 1998
By Patrick Kennedy

Nine members belonging to the Glenburnie-based Allen clan piled inside a rented van and journeyed to Buffalo, N.Y. this weekend in search of a new favorite National Hockey League team.

Early Saturday afternoon they found one in the Vancouver Canucks.

One even managed to land work with the big-league shinny outfit, perhaps long-term employment with promises of a king's ransom in riches.

The new hired hand is, of course, Bryan Allen, the towering, tenacious rearguard plucked by the Canucks in the first round (fourth overall) at the 1998 NHL draft.

"Vancouver? I never followed the Canucks,'' the touted teenager admitted last night from his sister Laurie's Kingston apartment.

"It was a West Coast team and besides, I had my [Toronto] Maple Leafs down here. But that's all changed now.''

Allen was accompanied by his parents, Nigel and Sharon, sisters Kerry and Laurie and the latter's 15-month-old daughter, Lilie, one set of grandparents and an aunt and uncle from Hogtown. Friends also attended, "too many to mention, because I'll leave one or two names out,'' he said.

OUT FOR DINNER

Following the draft, the Canucks - including a pair of assistant coaches and the head coach of the team's American Hockey League affiliate Syracuse Crunch - took the immediate Allen clan out to dinner. That was followed by a lengthy celebration in their room at the Marriott Hotel with several of the player's close friends and allies in attendance: his billet from Oshawa and his personal trainer in Kingston, cyclist Bob Tysen.

Good party? Allen's asked.

"Great party,'' he confirmed. "The sun was up.''

And no doubt the last soiree of that magnitude for a while. Sports teams - the Dennis Rodman Chicago Bulls excluded - aren't in the habit of doling out seven-figure contracts to those with a penchant for cutting loose in the wee hours of the morning.

CHAT WITH KEENAN

Next up, a trip this week to the West Coast to meet the Vancouver media and chat further with his new instructor, coach Mike Keenan. Allen, represented by Ottawa-based player Larry Kelly, has not inked a deal as yet.

"You hear lots of things about him, both negative and positive,'' Allen said of his new benchboss. "Look what he did with [once-struggling defenceman Chris] Pronger, how he developed him into the defenceman he is today.

"On the other side, some guys just can't play for him. I guess they don't call him Iron Mike for nothing.''

At 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, Allen is no shrinking violet. Nor does he shy away from rough stuff in a sport that certainly has its share.

"I've always had it,'' he told a Vancouver Province reporter, referring to a mean streak that clearly didn't lower his worth in the estimation of the professional talent appraisers gathered in Buffalo. "But I grew up with two older sisters, so I had to be that way to survive.''

Though not sure where he was headed, Allen had an inkling Vancouver was a strong possibility. "When it comes right down to it, you really have no idea where you're going, but I talked to Vancouver four times, so I knew they were interested,'' said Allen, who was rated fifth overall by The Hockey News in their composite rankings and third overall in the Central Scouting Bureau's ranking of North American players. "But it's great - going to a Canadian team ... I've never been to Vancouver, but I hear it's a beautiful city and I'm looking forward to it.''

The Canucks were happy to get Allen, even though Regina's Brad Stuart was the blueliner they really wanted. San Jose, after swapping picks with Nashville, nullified that plan by scooping the offensive-minded Stuart third overall.

GM BURKE IS HAPPY

"We expected Stuart to be gone, but we're still very happy with this pick,'' said Canucks GM Brian Burke. "[Allen's] big, he gets around the ice pretty well, he's got a fairly wide mean streak in him and the skills will come along. We've heard people compare him to a Mark Tinordi and if he turns out like that, it would be fine with us. Whether he can play [in the NHL] next year is doubtful, but we think he's going to be a good player for a number of years.''

One of the youngest players in the draft, the 17-year-old had an outstanding rookie major junior season, helping the Generals to a berth in the Memorial Cup. This season was marred by an early-season five-game suspension for a vicious cross-check, a bout with mononucleosis and minor cartilage surgery on his left knee - all of which conspired to allow Stuart to overtake him as the top defenceman drafted.

But Allen continued to be an impact player for them, checking the opposition's best players and intimidating all comers. As a measure of his value to Oshawa, the Generals didn't win one game of the 18 he missed.

Allen, a native of Glenburnie, doesn't need to worry about his sisters picking on him any more - or anyone else for that matter. The big fellow, who's yet to fill out, may even sprout. He'd like to crack next year's lineup with Messier, Bure and company. More realistically, he'll be back with the Generals for another year of seasoning.

The key thing to keep in mind is his relative inexperience and the fact he's still developing. He feels the rap about no offensive up-side is premature.

"I still think I can mature into a better offensive player,'' said Allen, who has a rocket for a shot. "Growing up, I was always one of the youngest players on my team, so I didn't usually play in the offensive situations. This year I did more of that and I think my offence will come along.''



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