April
15, 2005
Poulin Resigns at Notre Dame
 |
| Dave
Poulin led Notre Dame to the school's first NCAA Tournament
appearance in 2004. |
After 10
seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Notre Dame’s Dave
Poulin is stepping down to assume another position in the University’s
athletic department.
Poulin told
his team this morning that he’s moving on to become special
assistant to the senior associate athletic director for athletic
development. One of his new duties is enticing donors to contribute
to a project that would fund the renovation of the Fighting Irish’s
current hockey facility, the Joyce Center Fieldhouse.
"I'm very excited about the challenge ahead of me,”
Poulin said in a prepared statement. “I'm looking forward
to being a big part of Notre Dame's future."
Poulin compiled a 139-197-50 (.425) record behind the Fighting
Irish bench, and ranks second behind Lefty Smith on the school's
all-time wins list. He also guided the Irish to Joe Louis Arena
for the CCHA tournament four times in the last six seasons.
In 2003-04, Poulin led the team to a 20-15-4 record – its
best showing since 1987-88 – and Notre Dame earned an NCAA
Tournament berth for the first time in the program’s 37-year
history. The Fighting Irish struggled to build on that success,
however. They finished last in the CCHA this past season, posting
a 5-27-6 overall mark and a 3-20-5 record in conference play.
"Coaching hockey brought me to Notre Dame – and it
has been tremendous both for me and my family,” Poulin said.
“What stand out for me are the players I've coached and
the relationships I've had.”
A 1982 graduate of Notre Dame, the Timmins, Ont., native ranks
sixth on the school’s all-time scoring list with 196 points
in 135 games. After leaving the Irish, he embarked on a 13-year
National Hockey League career with Philadelphia, Boston and Washington,
winning the league’s Frank Selke Trophy (top defensive forward)
in 1987 and the King Clancy Trophy (leadership on and off the
ice) in 1993. Last year, Poulin was inducted into the Philadelphia
Flyers’ Hall of Fame.
