As he approaches his 40th birthday in August, Mike McHugh still looks like he could put on a University of Maine hockey jersey and tear up and down the wing with reckless abandon like he did during his playing days.

The Bowdoin native and father of two soccer-playing daughters (Riliegh and Courtney) is back at Alfond Arena this week as a sales representative for HydroWorx International, a Middletown, Pa.-based company that produces aquatic therapy and fitness pools.

One is being installed in the new Shawn Walsh Hockey Center, complete with treadmill, and McHugh is overseeing the process. McHugh’s territory is the southeast U.S. but he took special interest in this pool because it was being installed at his alma mater.

His is one of those feel-good stories. He was a walk-on in the 1984-85 season and was given a chance to play by a first-year coach: the late Shawn Walsh.

Four years later, McHugh was chosen the Hockey East and New England Player of the Year and a second team All-American. A two-year captain, McHugh is 12th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 152 points in 149 games. He went on to have a productive minor league career and played in 20 NHL games.

“It’s weird being back,” said McHugh, who hasn’t been to Orono in four years. “I drove through Orono and some things were the same and some were different. I saw my old apartment. It brought back some memories.”

Maine won just 16 games in McHugh’s first two seasons but the 1986-87 team (24-16-2) became the first Black Bear team to make the NCAA Tournament and the following year the 34-8-2 Bears made their first Frozen Four appearance.

“I knew I could play [when I came to Maine] but I had some proving to do. Shawn and [assistant] Jay Leach gave me that opportunity and from there, we moved along. The last couple of years, we were very good. My senior year, we definitely had a chance to win it [all]. We just didn’t get it done [losing to Lake Superior State 6-3 in the semifinals].

“But from that point on, the program was able to get some notoriety. And better recruits kept coming. It was nice to be a part of launching it,” added McHugh, who keeps in touch with several of his former Bear teammates.

McHugh said he “loved going to school here and playing at the Alfond Arena.”

McHugh has been impressed that the program has sustained its prominence after the death of Walsh in 2001.

“I’m very proud of the program. The coaching staff that took over has done a great job. Shawn would be very proud of this facility and the program. It’s still a top five program and competes for the national championship every year. Kids want to come here. If you want to get a good education, play some great hockey and go on to the NHL, this is definitely one of the places to do it,” said McHugh.

McHugh had wanted to be an NHL general manager until he began rehabbing a knee injury in the therapeutic pool in Hershey, Pa., during his final pro season (1997-98).

“I fell in love with the product and the technology,” said McHugh who accepted a job offer from the three-year-old company.

“We’re the number one supplier of these therapeutic pools in the world. These pools help prevent injuries and speed up the rehab. It’s nice to see Maine adding one,” said McHugh whose company’s pool will help Maine sustain an elite status he helped to create.

Larry Mahoney can be reached at 990-8231, 1-800-310-8600 or by email at lmahoney@bangordailynews.net.