Steen was born in Grums, Sweden, and began his career with Grums IK (1975–76). He later played for the elite Leksands IF (1976–80) and Färjestads BK (1980–81). Swedish coach Tommy Sandlin described him as "a particularly intelligent and competent player". He was drafted by the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League in 1978, but never played for the team.\n', '

Steen was drafted by the National Hockey League\'s Winnipeg Jets in 1979, as their fifth-round choice. He was signed two years later by John Ferguson, and went on to become one of the most prolific players in the team\'s history. Steen played a total of 950 regular season NHL games, scoring 264 goals and receiving 553 assists. In a 1987 interview, he said that his focus was on creating plays for others rather than scoring goals himself. A 1990 poll of NHL players named him as the league\'s most underrated player. Steen continued to play for the Swedish national team in World Championship games throughout his NHL career, and won silver medals at the 1981 World Championship in Gothenburg and the 1986 World Championship in Moscow.\n', '

There were discussions about Steen being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in early 1994, but these ultimately came to nothing. His record of playing fourteen seasons with only one team is unusual in modern North American professional sports. Steen retired in 1995, and his jersey number 25 was retired by the Jets. The number is still considered retired by the Jets\' successor team, the Arizona Coyotes. A 2005 article in the National Post newspaper listed him as the second greatest player in the history of the Winnipeg Jets franchise, after Dale Hawerchuk. Unlike many professional hockey players, Steen was known throughout his career for his thoughtful responses to interview questions.\n', '

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