National Post
April 19, 2001
By Tom Hawthorn

VANCOUVER - Bryan Allen blocked a shot and delivered three bodychecks. He coolly worked the puck along the boards. Not bad for an intern's first day on the job.

The Vancouver Canucks, who faced elimination last night by the Colorado Avalanche, are so hobbled by injuries that fresh-faced rookies are being pressed into emergency service.

The Canucks' top scorer (Markus Naslund), top playmaker (Andrew Cassels) and top goalie (Bob Essensa) are all on ice, not on the ice.

Essensa sprained his knee making a save in Monday's game and was replaced in goal for last night's game by Dan Cloutier. His backup was the unheralded Alfie Michaud of the Kansas City Blades.

The Canucks were trying to avoid being swept in their Western Conference quarter-final series with a lineup studded with rookies, call-ups and rookie call-ups.

Some still have acne. Daniel Sedin is growing a beard as sparsely foliated as the tundra of his native Sweden.

They are learning lessons along the way.

Jarkko Ruutu, a pesky Finn, sports a pair of raccoon-like black eyes courtesy of an opponent who tired of his needling.

Pat Kavanagh was admiring his own play when Colorado's Rob Blake decided to initiate the rookie into the etiquette of playoff hockey. Rule No. 1: Thou shalt not cross the opponent's blue line with thine head down.

"I made a little dump-in and went for a little skate," Kavanagh recalled with a laugh. "He came out of nowhere. My friends called me after the game. They said: 'Holy God, you got smoked.' "

Kavanagh, 22, was levelled, his helmet sent flying. The 6-foot-3, 192-pound right-winger made his NHL debut in this series and is happy as a puppy to be playing.

Allen's unenviable task in his NHL playoff baptism was to keep the likes of Peter Forsberg and Joe Sakic off the scoresheet.

His verdict: "I think I held my own. I didn't make any mistakes."

The 20-year-old defenceman was so nervous he had to pretend his debut was a game like any other.

Afterward, he found he had little memory of what had occurred.

"I was so into each shift, so into the game, so into the crowd, it's hard to remember a lot about the game," he said. "It went so fast."

Allen was paired with Drake Berehowsky, a 10-year veteran who kept up a steady patter with his callow partner.

"You can be your partner's eyes out there," Berehowsky said. "Makes the game so much easier."

The pair both play a basic style of defence, avoiding the fancy play for short, snappy outlet passes.

The Canucks drafted the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Allen with their first pick in the 1998 draft.

He enjoyed a six-game cup of coffee with the Canucks this season.

Most teams bring up promising players from the minors to soak up the intense playoff atmosphere. Rarely are they expected to play such key roles.

The Avs are rich with playoff experience. At the start of the series, goaltender Patrick Roy had played almost as many playoff games as the entire Canucks roster.

Canucks coach Marc Crawford said his young players have not been intimidated by the lengthy resumes of the Avalanche stars.

"I appreciate that the Bryan Allens, the Ruutus, the Kavanaghs have gone in and they haven't worried about whether it's a Hall-of-Fame guy, or what stature he has," he said. "They just go out and compete. That's refreshing to see."

After finishing his first NHL playoff game, Allen called home to tell his parents the good news. It was 3 a.m. and they were asleep, but they were happy to learn a son was doing well in his new job.



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