Now a decent way through our Philadelphia Flyers Hall of Fame coverage, we’re up to the mid to late 1980s with forward Dave Poulin making his rounds. The undrafted centerman played 467 games for the Orange and Black and captained the team from 1984-1989, but his production on the ice helped him stand out.
Poulin’s 394 points rank just outside the top 20 in franchise history, and he had elite defensive ability. As one of the best two-way forwards in team history, it’s understandable that the organization views him so highly. How did it happen?
Poulin’s Journey to the NHL
Being undersized for a center at 5-foot-11 didn’t help his case, so he had to work extra hard to make the NHL. In his 1978-79 campaign at Notre Dame, he scored 59 points in 37 games. In 1979-80, he upped his pace with 43 points in 24 contests. But by his third season, he regressed to 35 points in 35 contests. Still, it was clear he had earned his shot at a better league, as not everyone scores a point per game in every season in college.
After 59 points in 39 matches in his final season with Notre Dame, he went to Sweden in 1982-83 to play for Rogle BK. His 62 points in 32 games were a career-best to that point and earned him some attention in North America. He had 16 points in 16 contests in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Maine Mariners and two goals in two games with, you guessed it, the Flyers in the NHL after being signed by the team late in the season.
Poulin’s journey to the NHL was just getting started. The 24-year-old had much more to prove, and he’d give the Orange and Black their money’s worth.
Instantly Hitting It Off With the Flyers
Poulin became a fairly good player immediately. He had four points in three playoff games in 1982-83, showing that the Flyers had something. Even if the Flyers didn’t have much success, losing their first-round series 3-0 to the New York Rangers, his impact was felt. It was in his first full season that he proved his greatness.
Poulin finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting in 1983-84 when he scored 31 goals and 76 points in 73 contests, finishing third on the team in points. The 25-year-old had proven he was a star and had a genuine future in the NHL. The playoffs didn’t go great for him or the team; he didn’t score a point while the team was swept in the first round. But his fortunes quickly changed.
Bobby Clarke, the franchise’s all-time points leader, retired after that season, and without hesitation, the team named Poulin Clarke’s successor as captain. It was a huge honor, but he also had to prove that he deserved it. Despite having less than 100 games of NHL experience and taking over for arguably the greatest player and captain in team history, he did exactly that.
In 1984-85, Poulin continued to rack up points with 30 goals and 44 assists in 73 games, finishing seventh in Selke Trophy voting (awarded to the best defensive forward), and 15th in Hart Trophy voting as league MVP. He was a veteran in age, sure, but he was young in terms of NHL experience. He missed time in the playoffs but was one of the more impactful players in the Flyers’ run to the Stanley Cup Final. His eight points in 11 games were solid but not enough to get passed Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers, who won the championship in five games.
Related: Flyers’ 1984-85 Team Was a Pristine Display of Youth
In his third full NHL campaign in 1985-86, he scored 69 points in 79 contests, which was his worst full-season total to that point, as was his plus-21 rating. Still, the second-year captain finished eighth in voting for the Selke Trophy. The Flyers didn’t go as far in the postseason, losing in the first round, but the best was just on the horizon.
Poulin’s Peak and Departure
The 1986-87 season was the best of Poulin’s career. His 25 goals and 70 points in 75 games weren’t new, but he had a career-high plus-47 rating, and in just his fourth full season in the NHL, he won the Selke Trophy – he was the second Flyer to win the award after Clarke, while Sean Couturier carried on the torch decades later. In the playoffs, he led the Flyers back to the Stanley Cup Final in a rematch against the Oilers, a series that went the full seven games, but the Flyers fell once again.
Poulin finished seventh in Selke Trophy voting in 1987-88, with 51 points in 68 games. That marked the last time he’d hit the 50-point mark in his career, as the Flyers entered a rebuild soon after, and he was not part of their plans. His last season with the Orange and Black came in 1989-90 when he had 17 points in 28 games before being traded to the Boston Bruins in a one-for-one swap that brought Ken Linseman back to the Flyers.
Poulin never missed the playoffs as a Flyer and cemented himself as one of the best all-around players in team history. There have been countless stars in Flyers lore, but he will never be forgotten. He might not have the flashiest stats, but he was a good captain. Without him, the team likely wouldn’t have sniffed the Final in 1985 or 1987. Despite being undrafted, he built himself an outstanding NHL career.
