| Allen and Lukowich among NHL alumni |
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| Local Content - Local Sports |
| Written by publisher |
| Thursday, 04 March 2010 16:02 |
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By Benjamin Gordon Defenceman Peter Allen and the left-winger Morris Lukowich are two NHL alumni who will be joining squads at the Maple Creek Community Arena April 9 and 10 for the 4-on-4 Celebrity Hockey Tournament. Allen was born on March 6, 1970 in Calgary, Alta and began his amateur hockey career with Calgary College of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference. From there he went on to play four seasons at Yale University from 1989 to 1993 where he played 99 games and scored 11 goals. No NHL team expressed interest in Allen at this time other than for the supplemental draft in 1991 in which he was picked by the Boston Bruins. Before Allen could take up his spot playing for the Bruins, he undertook an extended tour after graduating from Yale that took him to numerous cities and nations. Before he had returned, his contract with Boston expired and he signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995, however the majority of his time during the 1994-95 season was occupied with playing for the Canadian national team, finishing the year with a bronze medal winning team at the World Championships. Allen’s next year was spent mostly in the IHL with the Cleveland Lumberjacks, except for the eight NHL games that he played with the Penguins where he was unable to score any points. After four more years of minor league play Allen decided to get back on the national team and competed for a second time at the Worlds in 2000 before he retired from his hockey career. Morris Lukowich, born June 1, 1956, hails from the community of Speers, Sask. and started his minor career very near to Maple Creek with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the WCJHL. Lukowich shone brightly on the all-star team of 1976 after his impressive record of 142 points in 72 games. Lukowich’s future as a professional hockey player was more or less guaranteed when both the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Houston Aeros of the WHA secured rights to him in their respective drafts of 1976. As both clubs had offered Lukowich similar sums he had to make a decision and eventually decided to sign with the Aeros. The choice paid off when the left-winger racked up the goals over the next three seasons, the third spent with the Winnipeg Jets. Lukowich remained with the Jets as they moved into the NHL in 1979 and played there until 1985. His time in the NHL was marked by success appearing on the all-star team of 1980 and 1981 and playing with Team Canada at the World Championships of the same year. The next season was his best in the league with a record of 92 points in 77 games. After this his numbers began to decline and he concluded his time in the NHL with Boston and Los Angeles until he left the league in 1987 and rounded out his career with play in Europe. |
