The Vancouver Sun
July 6, 1999
By Iain MacIntyre

With the Vancouver Canucks' two other world-class prospects home in Sweden, Bryan Allen arrived for the team's development camp with a limp. By Monday, he had a cast to go with it.

Allen, the 18-year-old defenceman who is being counted on to play for the Canucks this fall, fractured his right foot last Friday and will be off skates 4-6 weeks. The Canucks' NHL training camp opens on Sept. 5.

As painful as the 1998 first-round draft pick's foot, is the circumstance in which it was injured. Allen said he slipped off the bottom step in front of his family's home in Kingston, Ont., while turning to look at the garage .

Allen had X-rays taken in Kingston that revealed the break and the injury was confirmed Monday in Vancouver by Canuck physician Dr. Ross Davidson.

"I couldn't believe it when the doctor [in Kingston] first came out and said it was broken,'' Allen said as he glumly watched other Canuck prospects work out in Burnaby. "It's hard to say I'm jinxed, but a lot of things have happened.''

Allen, a 6'5'', 210-pound defencemen projected to become a Derian Hatcher-type NHLer, has had several injuries the last two years.

He had surgery two seasons ago to repair cartilage in his left knee, then sprained his right knee last summer, delaying his start at the Canucks' training camp.

Then, after one superb exhibition game in September, Allen's NHL pre-season was ended by a shoulder injury. He also aggravated a sore left knee during the world junior tournament at Christmas time, missing several Ontario League games.

"This one is one of the hardest to comprehend,'' Allen said of his latest injury. "It's one of the hardest to accept. I was coming down our front stairs, turned to look at the garage and went over. I knew something was wrong, but I just thought I twisted it. But a couple of hours later, it still hurt.

"It's tough, but I guess it happens. I'm glad it's now, rather than September. Everything should be okay. Definitely it's something you never know about when something's broken in your body. I just do whatever the doctor tells me to do.''

After signing Allen in May to a three-year deal for $975,000 US per season, the Canucks made room for him in their lineup when general manager Brian Burke traded defenceman Bryan McCabe to Chicago for the draft pick that helped Vancouver land both Daniel and Henrik Sedin in the entry draft 10 days ago.

While the Swedish twins have yet to commit to the Canucks and may spend another season in Europe, Vancouver is counting on Allen.

"At the end of six weeks, he'll be 100 per cent,'' assistant general manager Dave Nonis said. "I'm not concerned about him being ready for camp. I feel badly for Bryan; I think he's really disappointed he's not healthy. Obviously, you'd like to have an injury-free summer to get ready for training camp.''

Asked about Allen's long series of injuries, Nonis said: "He might have to change his number or something. He plays hard on the ice and he's had a few injuries because of that. This thing is just a freak accident.''

Allen wasn't the only prospect missing from Monday's dryland workout. Harold Druken, the high-scoring centre signed at the draft deadline, was excused from the mini-camp for personal reasons.



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