Keith Allen (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Courtney "Keith" Allen is a Canadian former professional ice hockey
defenceman and former National Hockey League
(NHL) head coach and general manager. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
, Canada
. He is now the executive vice president of the Philadelphia Flyers
.
in 1940–41, and then joined the Washington Eagles
of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League
for the 1941–42 season, followed by a year with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League
. During the Second World War, he played on the Saskatoon Navy hockey team, and then played the 1945–46 season in the Western Canada Senior Hockey League
with the Saskatoon Elks.
In 1946, Allen joined the Springfield Indians
of the American Hockey League, for whom he played the next five seasons. The Indians moved to Syracuse in 1951, becoming the Warriors, and he was a steady presence in the lineup for the next two and a half seasons. In February 1954, Warriors owner Eddie Shore
tried to assign Allen to the Springfield Indians of the Quebec Hockey League, but he (along with several other players) balked and he was suspended. He was sold to the Detroit Red Wings
two weeks later. He played 10 games with Detroit in the 1953–54 season and appeared in the playoffs, getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup
. Allen played another 18 games for the Red Wings in 1954–55, which would be the end of his NHL playing career.
He spent most of the 1954–55 seasonin the Western Hockey League
with the Edmonton Flyers
—Detroit's farm team, whose roster included future Hockey Hall of Fame
inductees Johnny Bucyk
, Norm Ullman
, Glenn Hall
, Al Arbour
, and player-coach Bud Poile
. He then played one season with the Brandon Regals before being hired by the Seattle Americans as player-head coach in 1956. He retired as a player in 1957 to become a full-time coach.
with the Seattle Americans/Seattle Totems, with only one losing season in eight years. With the NHL expansion in 1967, Allen was hired as the first head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers
, with his former coach and teammate Bud Poile as general manager. In their inaugural season, the Flyers finished first in their division with the best record among the six new teams. They fell to third place in their division in the 1968–69 NHL season, and Allen then became the Flyers' general manager. There, he would help construct the famed "Broad Street Bullies" that led the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cup
s in 1974 and 1975, earning the nickname "Keith the Thief". He would also help start the AHL
's Maine Mariners
, one of the most successful franchises in that league's history.
Allen was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
as a Builder in 1992. He is currently the executive vice president of the Flyers.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman and former National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) head coach and general manager. He was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He is now the executive vice president of the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Playing career
Allen played junior hockey for the Saskatoon QuakersSaskatoon Quakers
The Saskatoon Quakers were an ice hockey team that was based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The team existed from 1945 until 1959, and again from 1965-1971, playing in various senior and minor-professional leagues during that time. The Quakers represented Canada in 1934 World Ice Hockey...
in 1940–41, and then joined the Washington Eagles
Washington Eagles
The Washington Eagles were an American minor pro ice hockey team from Washington, D.C. that played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1939 to 1942. During those three seasons the Eagles played 186 games with an overall record of 102 wins, 67 losses and 17 ties....
of the Eastern Amateur Hockey League
Eastern Hockey League
-Eastern Amateur Hockey League :The league was founded in 1933 as the Eastern Amateur Hockey League . The league was founded by Thomas Lockhart, who served as its commissioner from 1933 to 1972...
for the 1941–42 season, followed by a year with the Buffalo Bisons of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
. During the Second World War, he played on the Saskatoon Navy hockey team, and then played the 1945–46 season in the Western Canada Senior Hockey League
Western Canada Senior Hockey League
The Western Canada Senior Hockey League was an ice hockey league that played six seasons in Alberta and Saskatchewan, from 1945 to 1951. It was founded as a four team league featuring teams in Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Saskatoon...
with the Saskatoon Elks.
In 1946, Allen joined the Springfield Indians
Springfield Indians
The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with...
of the American Hockey League, for whom he played the next five seasons. The Indians moved to Syracuse in 1951, becoming the Warriors, and he was a steady presence in the lineup for the next two and a half seasons. In February 1954, Warriors owner Eddie Shore
Eddie Shore
Edward William Shore was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, iconic for his toughness and defensive skill.Shore won the Hart Trophy as the...
tried to assign Allen to the Springfield Indians of the Quebec Hockey League, but he (along with several other players) balked and he was suspended. He was sold to the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
two weeks later. He played 10 games with Detroit in the 1953–54 season and appeared in the playoffs, getting his name engraved on the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
. Allen played another 18 games for the Red Wings in 1954–55, which would be the end of his NHL playing career.
He spent most of the 1954–55 seasonin the Western Hockey League
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
with the Edmonton Flyers
Edmonton Flyers
The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963, playing in various senior and minor professional leagues during that time...
—Detroit's farm team, whose roster included future Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
inductees Johnny Bucyk
Johnny Bucyk
John Paul "Chief" Bucyk is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Having played most of his career with the Boston Bruins, he has been associated in one capacity or another with the Bruins' organization since the late 1950s.-Early life:Bucyk...
, Norm Ullman
Norm Ullman
Norman Victor Alexander Ullman is a former ice hockey forward.-Playing career:Norm Ullman began his career with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WCJHL, before moving to the Edmonton Flyers of the WHL...
, Glenn Hall
Glenn Hall
Glenn Henry "Mr. Goalie" Hall is a former professional ice hockey goaltender. During his National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Black Hawks, and St. Louis Blues, Hall seldom missed a game and was a consistent performer, winning the Vezina Trophy three times, and the...
, Al Arbour
Al Arbour
Alger Joseph "Radar" Arbour is a retired Canadian ice hockey player and a coach and executive in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, and player-coach Bud Poile
Bud Poile
Norman Robert "Bud" Poile was a professional ice hockey player, coach, general manager, and league executive.-Overview:Poile was born in Fort William, Ontario and played junior hockey for the Fort William Rangers...
. He then played one season with the Brandon Regals before being hired by the Seattle Americans as player-head coach in 1956. He retired as a player in 1957 to become a full-time coach.
Coaching/management career
From 1956 to 1965, Allen was a head coach in the Western Hockey LeagueWestern Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
with the Seattle Americans/Seattle Totems, with only one losing season in eight years. With the NHL expansion in 1967, Allen was hired as the first head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, with his former coach and teammate Bud Poile as general manager. In their inaugural season, the Flyers finished first in their division with the best record among the six new teams. They fell to third place in their division in the 1968–69 NHL season, and Allen then became the Flyers' general manager. There, he would help construct the famed "Broad Street Bullies" that led the Flyers to consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s in 1974 and 1975, earning the nickname "Keith the Thief". He would also help start the AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Maine Mariners
Maine Mariners
The Maine Mariners were an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Portland, Maine, USA at the Cumberland County Civic Center.-History:...
, one of the most successful franchises in that league's history.
Allen was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
as a Builder in 1992. He is currently the executive vice president of the Flyers.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1940-41 | Saskatoon Jr. Quakers | SJHL | 10 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1941-42 | Washington Eagles Washington Eagles The Washington Eagles were an American minor pro ice hockey team from Washington, D.C. that played in the Eastern Hockey League from 1939 to 1942. During those three seasons the Eagles played 186 games with an overall record of 102 wins, 67 losses and 17 ties.... |
EAHL | 60 | 13 | 11 | 24 | 27 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1942-43 | Buffalo Bisons Buffalo Bisons (AHL) The Buffalo Bisons were an American Hockey League ice hockey franchise that played from 1940 to 1970 in Buffalo, New York. They replaced the original Buffalo Bisons hockey team, which left the area in 1936 after its arena collapsed... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
55 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1943-44 | Saskatoon Navy | SSHL | 15 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1944-45 | Saskatoon Navy | SJHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1945-46 | Saskatoon Elks | WCSHL Western Canada Hockey League The Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.-History:... |
33 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 1946-47 | Springfield Indians Springfield Indians The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existence for a total of 60 seasons from 1926 to 1994, with... |
AHL | 61 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1947-48 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 51 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1948-49 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 69 | 3 | 28 | 31 | 28 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 1949-50 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 69 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1950-51 | Springfield Indians | AHL | 70 | 8 | 34 | 42 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1951-52 | Syracuse Warriors | AHL | 67 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1952-53 | Syracuse Warriors | AHL | 64 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1953-54 | Syracuse Warriors | AHL | 47 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953-54 | Sherbrooke Saints | QHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1953-54 1953-54 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 1954-55 1954-55 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1954-55 | Edmonton Flyers Edmonton Flyers The Edmonton Flyers are a defunct ice hockey team that was based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The team existed from 1940 until 1963, playing in various senior and minor professional leagues during that time... |
WHL Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada... |
34 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 1955-56 | Brandon Regals | WHL | 69 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1956-57 | Seattle Americans | WHL | 41 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| AHL totals | 552 | 30 | 165 | 195 | 202 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 28 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||