Shaun Van Allen

Shaun Van Allen (born August 29, 1967 in Calgary, Alberta) is a retired professional hockey player who played in the NHL from 1991 to 2004.

Professional career
Van Allen was drafted 105th overall in the 1987 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers after a standout junior hockey career with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League. He spent five seasons in the Oilers system with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nova Scotia Oilers, and Cape Breton Oilers but failed to catch on with the big club in Edmonton who were extremely deep in talent at the time. While in Cape Breton, Van Allen enjoyed much personal and team success. It was there that he met his wife, and in 1991-92 he won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the American Hockey League's leading scorer. In the 1992-93 season, Cape Breton, led by Van Allen, captured the Calder Cup title as American Hockey League Champions.

Once the 1992-93 season had concluded, the abundance of talent in Edmonton led to his release by the Oilers, although he was not out of work for long. In July 1993 Van Allen signed as a free agent with the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and quickly became an NHL regular until his retirement in 2005. He spent three seasons in Anaheim and became a versatile forward, able to contribute on the score sheet as well as kill penalties.

On October 1, 1996, Van Allen was acquired by the emerging powerhouse Ottawa Senators along with defenceman Jason York, and began perhaps his most successful period in the NHL. He spent four productive seasons in Ottawa before unrestricted free agency led him to the Dallas Stars, with whom he signed a two year contract with in July 2000. He spent parts of two seasons in Dallas before he was acquired by the Montreal Canadiens in the early stages of the 2001-02 season. After completing the 2001-02 season with Montreal, Van Allen returned to his former team, the Ottawa Senators, as a free agent. He was a regular in the Ottawa lineup in a defensive role until the beginning of the 2004-05 season, when the 2004–05 NHL lockout wiped the season out entirely. Van Allen announced his retirement as an NHL player in 2005.

He played in 794 NHL games, scoring 84 goals and 185 assists.

Other
Van Allen is widely regarded as being a native of Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, but he was actually born in Calgary, Alberta. His family later relocated to Shaunavon.