Long-time Burke pal Poulin signs on

In hindsight, tracing the connections, Dave Poulin's surprise arrival as part of the Maple Leafs front office should have been anticipated. There were too many links for it not to seem pre-ordained. When Poulin played in the NHL, his agent was a young lawyer named Brian Burke. When Poulin, who later became a coach and athletic administrator at the University of Notre Dame, looked to expand his Hockey resume, he worked as a part-time scout for the Anaheim Ducks. They happened to be managed by Burke, and Poulin was afforded influence in Ducks' personnel decisions beyond what his limited formal role might suggest. And it became obvious as Burke introduced Poulin yesterday as the Leafs' vice-president of Hockey operations - basically the No.3 man in the Toronto hierarchy - that the GM had already been using his former client as a sounding board for some of his recent moves. "Brian and I have kept in close touch over the years," said the 50-year-old. So it seemed only a matter of time before Poulin would evolve from working for the Fighting Irish to working for the Irishman. There are more fanciful connections as well. Poulin was born in Timmins, where historically there was equal pull to become a Montreal fan, but the youngster rooted for the Leafs. He then moved to the west end of Toronto in 1967 - a year that resonates with Leaf fans - playing minor Hockey for the Mississauga Reps, then the Dixie Beehives. Poulin saw his first NHL game at Maple Leaf Gardens as Toronto faced the expansion Penguins and recalls a pre-game stunt in which real Penguins waddled on the ice. The Gardens was also the site of his first NHL game after signing as an undrafted free agent with Philadelphia. His big-league debut marked former captain Darryl Sittler's return to Toronto as a Flyer and, Poulin recalls, "three minutes into it, he assisted on my first career goal. So I have a lot of great memories from here." "The first NHL game I saw was here; the first one I played was here." Poulin went on to play another 723 NHL games in a solid career for Philadelphia, Boston and Washington. As testament to his leadership, he captained all three teams. He also won a Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward and a King Clancy Memorial Trophy for leadership qualities on and off the ice. But of all the associations Poulin has with Toronto and Burke, the most important is philosophical. He believes in constructing a team the same way Burke does - build out from goaltending and defence, your top six forwards are very skilled, your bottom six are role players, and toughness is vital. Don't forget, Bobby Clarke was on the Flyers' squad that signed Poulin and the Bruins also played a physical brand of Hockey. When asked what his role will be, Poulin said "helping the Toronto Maple Leafs win." Burke broke that down further, saying that both the director of pro scouting and the director of amateur scouting will report to Poulin. Dave Nonis, as assistant GM, will remain as Burke's right-hand man, but the expectation is that a smart Hockey man like Nonis will be lured away next summer when his contract allows him to leave. So Poulin represents a succession plan. He takes over the spot vacated by Joe Nieuwendyk, who was hired away by the Dallas Stars. "I'm absolutely thrilled to be here," said Poulin, who recalls scouting current Leafs Mike Komisarek and Mike Van Ryn as teenagers while he was recruiting for Notre Dame. "To me, it's all about winning and getting better every day."