UMD Athletics

Hockey Forward
(1987-90)

Twice received the Goldie Wolfe Award as UMD’s Most Inspirational Player (1988-89 and 1989-90) and was a three-time member of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Academic Team ... Finished first among the 1989-90 Bulldogs in scoring with a career-high 39 points in 35 games while serving as an alternate team captain ... Transferred to UMD after playing part of one season (1985-86) at the now-defunct t U.S. International University ... Proceeded to skate for two years with American Hockey League's Cape Breton Oilers before launching his National Hockey League career in 1992-93 ... Wound up taking part in 699 NHL regular season games and another 127 playoff outings with four clubs -- Edmonton (which owned his draft rights), Philadelphia, Colorado and St. Louis -- over the next 11 seasons ... Picked up five points during Colorado’s 2001 Stanley Cup title crusade ... Received the National Hockey League’s King Clancy Award in 2000-01 for his exemplary community service and humanitarian contributions ... Competed for the U.S. National Team at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in both 1993 and 1998 ... Retired from the professional playing ranks after skating for one year in Japan (Nikko Ice Pucks) and a pair of seasons with Vaxjo HC (Sweden) ... Was the recipient of UMD Hockey's Community Service Award during its first two years of existence (1988-89 and 1989-90) ... Graduated from UMD in 1990 with a B.S. degree in communication ... Oversees the Shjon Podein Children's Foundation whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children facing extraordinary difficulties in their lives ... Is the namesake of the Shjon Podein Community Service Award which has been presented annually since 2003 to a UMD student-athlete who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the field of play and has made noteworthy humanitarian contributions in the Duluth and UMD communities ... Was born and raised in Rochester, Minn.