HERSHEY, Pa. — For someone whose playing career started in 1986 and has been coaching from the bench since 1996, Scott Allen's time in the Keystone state certainly holds a special place in his heart.
"Both my girls, who are now 24 and 20 years old, they were both born in Pennsylvania. So from a personal side to it's been a special, special place," remarked Allen.
And long before joining the Bears coaching staff in 2019, Hershey's had a special place in his stomach.
"I don't mess around. I'm full on board with everything. There is not a product that Hersheys makes, I'm a chocolate fanatic," said Allen with a smile. "I do like the dark chocolate. I do love almonds. But I don't shy away from any of the Hershey chocolates."
When Spencer Carbery left for Toronto, the Capitals organization turned to Allen, but taking over as head coach of the Hershey Bears wasn't an instant yes.
"If I don't take this, I'm going to regret it at some point and that's certainly not what I want to do. Again, It's the Hershey Bears. I probably shouldn't have even blinked an eye at it," recalled Allen. "I did have to put some thought into it. I wanted to digest. I wanted to make sure it was going to be the right thing for myself and my family."
Growing up in Massachusetts, Allen was a Bruins fan when they were the NHL affiliate of Hershey, so there's an immediate connection with Chocolatetown's hockey past.
"You know what, I used to always look forward to going there as a visiting coach, because I'm a big believer in the history of the game. Not to mention the opportunity to hit the media room and fill out bag with the Hershey Kisses for the ride home on the bus."
But when it comes to looking at the Bears future, and how he differs from Carbery's approach, if it's not broke, don't fix it.
"You know, that was a difficult question that was asked of me in the interview process, 'What twist am I going to put, my own personal Twist, on his team?' And I honestly couldn't answer the question and I can't answer that for you now. We have very similar beliefs and strong beliefs in how we try to prepare everybody, right on through to the entire staff, and all the players and make sure, come puck drop, everybody's ready," said Allen.