Allen played junior hockey for the
Saskatoon Quakers 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 line-up 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 season in 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. ==Coaching/management career==