University of Minnesota Athletics
Harold Paulsen - M Club Hall of Fame
Harold Paulsen
Class of 2010
Hockey: 1939-41
One of the first great players in University of Minnesota hockey history, Harold Paulsen led the Gophers to an AAU national championship and was Minnesota's first hockey All-American.
Paulsen led Minnesota's 1939-40 team in scoring when the squad finished 18-0 and outscored its opponents 138-25. They won two games in Lake Placid, N.Y. to capture the national title, beating Brock Hall of Connecticut 9-1 in the championship game. Paulsen earned All-American honors along with defenseman John Mariucci following the season.
Paulsen captained the Gophers as a senior in 1940-41 when the squad finished 11-3-2. According to multiple accounts, Paulsen was Minnesota's all-time scoring leader upon the conclusion of his career.
Following his career at Minnesota, Paulsen signed a contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, but opted to serve in the Navy during World War II and never played in a National Hockey League game. He was selected to the 1940 U.S. Olympic team before the games were cancelled due to the war. In 2001, Paulsen was selected as one of 50 Gopher Hockey "Legends on Ice."
Upon his return, Paulsen entered coaching and was the high school coach at Roseau and Thief River Falls. In 1949, he resurrected the Michigan State hockey program following a 19-year layoff and coached the Spartans for two seasons. Michigan State did not win a game in its first season and was outscored by 130 goals, but Paulsen guided the Spartans to a 6-11 mark his second year as the team was outscored by only 30 goals.
Paulsen completed a doctorate at the University of Michigan in 1956 and served as the athletic director at Slippery Rock University until 1962 when he moved his family back to Mankato. He taught in the Department of Health and Physical Education at Mankato State University until his retirement in 1988.
A Virginia, Minn. native, Paulsen and his wife, Clara Ann, had three children. He passed away on May 11, 2010 at age 91.