 As a youth, he played in four consecutive Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments from 1984 to 1987, with the Quebec Fleur-de-lis minor ice hockey team.He played for the Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens after being selected ninth overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft from the Saint-Hyacinthe Laser.Poulin's son, Sam was a first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019.