Playing career

Poulin began his hockey career with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the University of Notre Dame. He played with the Fighting Irish from 1978-1982 and he was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1982. His small size got him overlooked in the NHL Entry Draft so instead he went to Sweden to play for Rögle BK. Poulin's head coach was Ted Sator, who was also a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers in the National Hockey League. Sator was impressed with Poulin's abilities and called for him to be put on board the Flyers' roster. In 1982-83, he made the leap to the NHL after a brief stint with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League. On the second-to-last day of the season, Poulin made his debut at Maple Leaf Gardens, netting two goals in a 6-3 Philadelphia victory.

The following season, Poulin was put on a line with superstar Brian Propp and Tim Kerr. The line became a dangerous offensive line in the league for the bulk of the next three seasons, and in his first full NHL campaign, helped him set a club record (now since passed) for most points by a Flyers rookie with 76. Poulin quickly established himself as a strong leader and a player that could play at both ends of the ice, owing to the fact that he was 25 years old before taking a regular shift in the pros. Those attributes aided in his being named team captain on the eve of the 1984-85 replacing Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, who had dealt former teammate Darryl Sittler to Detroit on the day he was to take the captaincy.

Poulin continued to be a strong presence offensively and defensively during his eight year stay in Philadelphia, and overcame debilitating injuries at key times to help the club win. In 1985, though slowed by knee and rib injuries, he helped a young Flyers club reach the 1985 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers in five games. During Game 6 of the Wales Conference Finals at the Spectrum, Poulin scored a memorable two-man disadvantage short-handed goal which helped close out the Quebec Nordiques. Two years later, Poulin missed chunks of playoff time with fractured ribs, but contributed to a pair of series clinchers—a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders in Game 7 of the Patrick Division Finals, and in Game 6 of the Wales Finals at the Montreal Forum. Once healthy, he could not aid Philly in the 1987 Stanley Cup Finals, as the Flyers lost to Edmonton again, but this time in a seven-game thriller. For his efforts during the regular season, he was awarded the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1986-87 and was named to the 1986 and 1988 NHL All-Star Games. Poulin also played at the Rendez-vous '87 event where he recorded the winner late in the third period of Game 1.

The switch from Mike Keenan to Paul Holmgren as Flyers head coach meant a shift in responsibilities, as Poulin became more of a defensive specialist. By 1989-90, Poulin's play was deteriorating due to injuries and inconsistent play of his teammates, and less than a month after being stripped of the captaincy, was traded to the Boston Bruins for former Flyers center Ken Linseman. In his first season with the Bruins, Poulin, along with former teammate Brian Propp, made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, but Boston lost in five games. He stayed with the team for three more years which saw him win the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 1992-93. He left the team as a free agent following the 1992-93 season and signed on with the Washington Capitals. Poulin lasted another season and a half before retiring.

Post-playing career

Poulin spent 10 years as head hockey coach at his alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. In 2004, Poulin was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. On July 23, 2009, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke introduced Poulin as the club's new Vice-President of Hockey Operations. As of January 2013, Poulin has also served as the GM of the Toronto Marlies.

On July 22, 2014, the Maple Leafs announced they had fired Poulin.

Awards and honours

Award	Year
All-CCHA Second Team	1981-82
NHL All-Star Game	1986, 1988
NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy	1986-87
NHL King Clancy Memorial Trophy	1992-93

• Inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame on February 23, 2004.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1977-78	Dixie Beehives	OPJHL		34	28	31	59	59		—	—	—	—	—
1978-79	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	WCHA		37	28	31	59	32		—	—	—	—	—
1979-80	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	WCHA		24	19	24	43	46		—	—	—	—	—
1980-81	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	WCHA		35	13	22	35	53		—	—	—	—	—
1981-82	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	WCHA		39	29	30	59	44		—	—	—	—	—
1982-83	Rögle BK	Swe-2		32	35	27	62	64		—	—	—	—	—
1982-83	Maine Mariners	AHL		16	7	9	16	2		—	—	—	—	—
1982-83	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		2	2	0	2	2		3	1	3	4	9
1983-84	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		73	31	45	76	47		3	0	0	0	2
1984-85	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		73	30	44	74	59		11	3	5	8	6
1985-86	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		79	27	42	69	49		5	2	0	2	2
1986-87	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		75	25	45	70	53		15	3	3	6	14
1987-88	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		68	19	32	51	32		7	2	6	8	4
1988-89	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		69	18	17	35	49		19	6	5	11	16
1989-90	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		28	9	8	17	12		—	—	—	—	—
1989-90	Boston Bruins	NHL		32	6	19	25	12		18	8	5	13	8
1990-91	Boston Bruins	NHL		31	8	12	20	25		16	0	9	9	20
1991-92	Boston Bruins	NHL		18	4	4	8	18		15	3	3	6	22
1992-93	Boston Bruins	NHL		84	16	33	49	62		4	1	1	2	10
1993-94	Washington Capitals	NHL		63	6	19	25	52		11	2	2	4	19
1994-95	Washington Capitals	NHL		29	4	5	9	10		2	0	0	0	0
NHL totals				724	205	325	530	482		129	31	42	73	132

International

Year	Team	Event		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1987	NHL All-Stars	RV-87		2	1	1	2	0

All-Star Games

Year	Location		G	A	P
1986	Hartford		0	0	0
1988	St. Louis		0	0	0
All-Star totals			0	0	0

[ Source: Wikipedia ]