Dave Poulin

Dave Poulin
Just Say No. National Hockey League.jpg
Poulin (right) with Nancy Reagan and Rod Langway in 1988
Born (1958-12-17) December 17, 1958 (age 66)
Timmins, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Rögle BK
Philadelphia Flyers
Boston Bruins
Washington Capitals
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1982–1995
Coaching career
Biographical details
Alma materNotre Dame
Playing career
1978–1982Notre Dame
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1995–2005Notre Dame
Head coaching record
Overall139–197–50 (.425)
Tournaments0–1 (.000)

David James Poulin (born December 17, 1958) is a Canadian professional ice hockey executive and former player. A centre, Poulin played 13 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals. In his post-playing career, Poulin has coached college hockey, been an Assistant General Manager with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has been an analyst on NHL television broadcasts. Currently he is Senior Vice-President, Hockey Operations for the Ottawa Senators of the NHL.

Playing career

Poulin went undrafted in the NHL Entry Draft and played with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the University of Notre Dame from 1978–1982. He was named to the Second All-Star Team in 1982. Following his NCAA career, he moved 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.

Philadelphia Flyers

In 1982–83, Poulin made the leap to the NHL after a brief stint with the Maine Mariners of the American Hockey League. On the second-last day of the season, Poulin made his debut at Maple Leaf Gardens, scoring two goals in a 6-3 Philadelphia victory.

The following season, Poulin was put on a line with 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, as he was 25 years old before taking a regular shift in the NHL. Those attributes aided in his being named team captain on the eve of the 1984–85 season, replacing Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke,[1] who had dealt former teammate Darryl Sittler to the Detroit Red Wings 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.[1] Poulin also played at the Rendez-vous '87 event[1] 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 centre Ken Linseman.

Boston Bruins

In his first season with the Bruins, Poulin, along with former teammate Brian Propp, made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals 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 and finish as runner-up for the Frank J. Selke 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 from professional play.

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.[1] On July 23, 2009, Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke introduced Poulin as the club's new Assistant General Manager. In January 2013, Poulin began also serving as the GM of the Toronto Marlies.

On July 22, 2014, the Maple Leafs announced that they had fired Poulin.[2] He has since joined TSN as a hockey analyst on radio and TV.[3][4] He is also a freelance contributor to the Toronto Star newspaper.

On December 31, 2023, Dave Poulin was hired by the Ottawa Senators to the role of Senior Vice-President, Hockey Operations.[5][6][7]

Awards and honours

Award Year
All-CCHA Second Team 1981-82 [8]
NHL All-Star Game 1986, 1988
NHL Frank J. Selke Trophy 1986-87
NHL King Clancy Memorial Trophy 1992-93

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 CCHA 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

All-Star Games

Year Location   G A P
1986 Hartford 0 0 0
1987 (Rendez-vous '87) Quebec 1 1 2
1988 St. Louis 0 0 0
All-Star totals 1 1 2

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (CCHA) (1995–2005)
1995–96 Notre Dame 9–23–4 6–20–4 t-9th
1996–97 Notre Dame 9–25–1 6–20–1 10th
1997–98 Notre Dame 18–19–4 12–14–4 t-6th CCHA first round
1998–99 Notre Dame 19–14–5 15–11–4 4th CCHA first round
1999–00 Notre Dame 16–18–8 11–10–7 5th CCHA Semifinals
2000–01 Notre Dame 10–22–7 7–15–6 11th
2001–02 Notre Dame 16–17–5 12–12–4 t-7th CCHA Quarterfinals
2002–03 Notre Dame 17–17–6 13–12–3 t-5th CCHA Quarterfinals
2003–04 Notre Dame 20–15–4 14–11–3 5th NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals
2004–05 Notre Dame 5–27–6 3–20–5 12th CCHA first round
Notre Dame: 139–197–50 99–145–41
Total: 139–197–50

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Dave Poulin To Be Inducted Into Philadelphia Flyers Hall Of Fame". Notre Dame Athletics. Feb 23, 2004. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. ^ McGran, Kevin (July 22, 2014). "Maple Leafs shake up front office, hire stats guru Kyle Dubas, 28, as assistant GM". Toronto Star. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  3. ^ "Leafs Lunch: Dave Poulin". 2016-02-12. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  4. ^ TSN ca Staff (2023-12-31). "Senators appoint Steve Staios as GM and president, add Dave Poulin and Ryan Bowness to hockey ops". TSN. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  5. ^ Warne, Steve (2023-12-31). "Senators Name Steve Staios as Permanent GM; Hire Former TSN Analyst Dave Poulin". The Hockey News Ottawa Senators News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  6. ^ "Senators name Steve Staios as GM, removing interim tag, and add Dave Poulin, Ryan Bowness to staff". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  7. ^ "Senators name Steve Staios as GM, removing interim tag, and add Dave Poulin, Ryan Bowness to staff". AP News. 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-01-03.
  8. ^ "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  9. ^ "2015-16 Notre Dame Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Retrieved 2017-07-02.[permanent dead link‍]
Sporting positions
Preceded by Philadelphia Flyers captain
1984–89 		Succeeded by
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy
1987 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy
1993 		Succeeded by