Poile says 40th anniversary as NHL general manager is 'hard to believe'

Legendary hockey reporter Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Fischler, known as "The Hockey Maven," shares his humor and insight with readers each Wednesday.
This week Fischler salutes Nashville Predators general manager David Poile for his 40th anniversary as a GM in the NHL.

David Poile spends so much time focused on the present and future that it's difficult for him to comprehend how 40 years have passed since he first became a general manager in the NHL, with the Washington Capitals on Aug. 30, 1982.
"Wow! Forty years; it's hard to believe," the Nashville Predators general manager told me in a telephone interview. "Time flies when you're having a good time."
The good times working in the NHL began at a young age for Poile. His father, Bud Poile, was named the first general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers in 1967; and he promptly hired his son, who was 17 at the time.
"Dad got me a job as 'trainer' at the Flyers first training camp," chuckled David, "and I made my way up the hockey ladder from there."
Poile soon would star at Northeastern University, where he was captain and a top scorer. After college he was hired by Atlanta Flames general manager Cliff Fletcher as an administrative assistant in 1972.
"I did just about everything, including scouting," Poile recalled, "And when the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary before the 1980-81 season, Cliff made me assistant GM. I remember him telling me, 'You've got a great future.'"
Two years later, the Capitals were in the market for a general manager and Poile interviewed with Washington executive Dick Patrick.
"Three weeks went by and I heard nothing from Dick," Poile said. "I was concerned so I phoned and the first thing he said was, 'I was just gonna call you.' That's how I became GM of the Capitals."
At 33, Poile was the youngest general manager in the NHL. When he attended an NHL owners' meeting in Toronto, he "walked into the room and … was scared to death."
But not too frightened to sit down with Montreal Canadiens executive Irving Grundman and hammer out his first deal. Hockey historians, such as author Mike Commito, rated it one of the most one-sided trades in NHL history.
The Capitals traded forward Ryan Walter and defenseman Rick Green to the Canadiens for defensemen Rod Langway and Brian Engblom, as well as gritty, two-way forwards Craig Laughlin and Doug Jarvis.
"I then called Abe [Pollin] the 'Caps' owner to give him the details," Poile said. "At first I heard nothing but silence at the other end. Finally, Abe yells, 'YOU DID WHAT?' Then there was silence and finally, 'I hope you know what you're doing' and then he hung up. I realized that the only name he knew was Ryan Walter."
But the experts knew better.
"It was a veritable coup for the Capitals," wrote Commito.
Langway quickly became "The Secretary of the Defense" and backbone of the Washington blue line. He won the Norris Trophy as the top defensemen in the NHL twice in 11 seasons with the Capitals and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.
"It was the kind of trade I dreamed about making when I took the 'Caps' job," Poile remembered. "We competed every year and became one of the top three teams in the NHL. And it all started with that deal."
In Poile's first season (1982-83), Washington clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in franchise history, the first of 14 straight playoff appearances.
In 1997, Poile accepted a new challenge, becoming general manager of the expansion Predators. Twenty-five years later, Poile is still running the successful franchise in Nashville.
The 2016 NHL All-Star Game in Nashville was widely regarded as one of the most successful in League history. In 2017, ESPN named the Predators the Number One Franchise in all of sports. That same year, Bridgestone Arena became Sellout City as the Predators played to 100.2 percent capacity. A year later Poile and the Predators celebrated their 100th straight sellout.
"David is one of the icons in the history of general managers," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said.
Nashville is a hot hockey town, having hosted the 2003 NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena and the 2022 Stadium Series at Nissan Stadium in February. The Predators will take part in the 2022 Global Series in Switzerland and Czech Republic this season. And Nashville will host the draft again in 2023.
"I'm so happy that I picked Nashville," Poile said. "It all worked out really well."
A member of the USA Hockey Hall of Fame, Poile is the first general manager in NHL history to hold that position for 1,000 games with two different teams.
"Not only have his teams been competitive, but his teams have exhibited the traits that make hockey so great on and off the ice," Bettman said.
The Predators have helped build hockey rinks in and outside of Nashville and been at the forefront of the city's philanthropic efforts.
During four decades in the NHL Poile has been honored with the Lester Patrick Trophy in 2001 and named NHL General Manager of the Year in 2017 when the Predators reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time, losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was voted the Sporting News Executive of the Year in 2007.
On March 1, 2018, Poile became the winningest GM in NHL history when the Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. It marked his 1,320th win, surpassing Glen Sather.
As for his future, all the thoughtful Poile would tell me -- after 40 years on the job -- is this: "I'm getting closer to the Finish Line!"
Then, a pause.
"I'm really proud of all we've accomplished together, on and off the ice, in Nashville and continue to strive each day to bring a Cup home to our great city and fans."