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, 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. 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 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==