Dave Poulin

Dave Poulin

Born: December 17, 1958
Age: 65
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Biography

David James Poulin (born December 17, 1958) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals.

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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 ]


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