David Poile
| David Poile | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Hockey Hall of Fame, 2024 (Builder) | |||
|
Poile on July 14, 2011 | |||
| Born |
February 14, 1950 Toronto, Ontario | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Rochester Americans | ||
| Playing career | 1968–1971 | ||
David Poile (born February 14, 1950) is a American-Canadian former professional ice hockey executive and former professional ice hockey right winger. He served as the president and general manager of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He also played ice hockey himself, playing for the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Poile was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 2024.
Playing career
Before becoming an executive, Poile played three years with the Northeastern Huskies of ECAC Hockey. He had successful time with the Huskies and was able to set the Northeastern record for most hat-tricks with 11.[1]
He was not drafted by an NHL team. During the 1970–71 season, Poile joined the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). He only played here games with the Americans and recorded 3 penalty minutes. After that, he joined the Braintree Hawks of the New England Hockey League (NEnHL). With the Hawks, he scored 44 goals and recorded 40 assists. He ultimately decided to retire from playing professional ice hockey in 1971.
Executive career
In 1972, Poile joined the newly-formed Atlanta Flames as an administrative assistant. He was later promoted to becoming the Atlanta's assistant general manager in 1977. Poile stayed with the team when they relocated to Calgary to become the Calgary Flames.[2]
In 1982, Poile joined the Washington Capitals as their new general manager. The Capitals were able to make the playoffs for the first time in their first year with Poile. On September 9, 1982, Poile made an important trade in Capitals history when he traded Rick Green and Ryan Walter to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Brian Engblom, Doug Jarvis, Rod Langway, and Craig Laughlin. The trade brought in Langway and he helped the Capitals reach the playoffs many times during his career there.[3]
On July 9, 1997, Poile took a job to become the first general manager of the new expansion team, Nashville Predators.[4] In 2001, he was honoured with the Lester Patrick Trophy for providing outstanding service to hockey in the United States.[5] During the 2017 playoffs, the Predators were able to find lots of success. The defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Anaheim Ducks to reach the franchise's first ever Stanley Cup Finals.[6] In the Finals, the Predators eventually lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two.[7] On March 1, 2018, the Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4–2. With this win, Poile became the most winningest general manager in the history of the league.[8] On June 30, 2023, Poile decided to retire as the general manager of the Predators. He was replaced as general manager by Barry Trotz.[9]
On November 11, 2024, Poile was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder category.[10]
Personal life
His father Norman "Bud" Poile was an executive and general manager in the NHL and also played in the league for seven seasons.[11] His uncle Don also played 67 games in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings.[12]
References
- ↑ "David R. Poile (1987) - Varsity Club Hall of Fame". Northeastern Huskies. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Starting From Scratch". The Hockey News. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Reviewing David Poile's Tenure as Capitals General Manager". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "A Look Back: David Poile Reflects on 25 Years of Cherished Predators Memories". Nashville Predators. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Patrick Award winners announced". UPI. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Predators oust Ducks to reach first Stanley Cup Final". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Penguins repeat Stanley Cup with Game 6 win against Predators". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Predators rally again to defeat Oilers in record-breaking victory for David Poile". The Tennessean. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Predators president, GM David Poile to retire, be replaced by Barry Trotz". Sportsnet. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Poile excelled in 'his dream job,' will enter Hall of Fame as winningest NHL GM". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Flyers Cup architect, hockey lifer Poile remembered on 100th birthday". National Hockey League. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Matheson: Don Poile, NHL alumnus and uncle of former Predators GM David Poile, dead at 91". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
Other websites
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or The Internet Hockey Database