This Day in Hockey History – July 9, 1997 – Naming a GM for an Unnamed Team

Almost as soon as Nashville received an NHL franchise on June 25, 1997, they hired a general manager on July 9. Since then, David Poile has been Nashville’s only general manager, and as such, he truly has built the team from scratch.

Poile came with a hockey background; his father Bud played right wing for seven NHL seasons and won the 1947 Stanley Cup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bud then spent time coaching in various leagues until the 1967 expansion. He became the Philadelphia Flyers’ first GM and then switched to the Vancouver Canucks in 1970. He finished out his career as vice-president and president of other leagues and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1990.

Meanwhile, David Poile graduated from Northeastern University, where he had captained the hockey team, led the scoring, and been named MVP twice. In 1972, he became an administrative assistant for the Atlanta (later Calgary) Flames, and over his ten years with the Flames, he was promoted to assistant GM. On August 30, 1982, Poile became GM for the Washington Capitals, and his decisions led them to 14 consecutive postseasons and a record of 561-414-123. At the same time, Poile served on the GM committee, leading the drive towards the 1991 instant replay rule. He was recognized for this work when he was named Man of the Year by Inside Hockey and twice named NHL Executive of the Year for The Sporting News. However, the Capitals fired him as soon as they missed the playoffs in 1997.

It turned out to be good timing when Nashville was given a brand new franchise that summer. One of the first orders of business was hiring Poile. The franchise’s president, Jack Diller, told the press that Poile “not only has some of the highest credentials in professional hockey but a great excitement about helping build a new franchise from the ground up.” Poile issued the statement, “I’ve been involved with hockey on many levels, but the chance to build a new team in Nashville is a unique opportunity. Fan support comes from the team working and serving the community. Nashville is a center of growth for families and entertainment and this team will strive to bring the two together.”

Poile’s first task as Nashville’s GM was to hire the coach, and he hired Barry Trotz on August 6. Trotz coached the team until 2014, when Poile replaced him with Peter Laviolette. It was not until November 13 that Nashville announced that the public vote made their team name the Predators. They had already designed a sabre-toothed cat as the logo because a partial Smiloden skeleton was unearthed in Nashville back in 1971.

In the 22 years since Poile took over management of the Predators, he had provided them with stability and shrewd trades. Since 2004, they have only missed the playoffs four times. They finally made the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.

In 2001, Poile followed in his father’s footsteps by receiving the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to U.S. hockey (having served as GM for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2014 and a few World Championship teams). Poile was also the only General Manager of the Year Award finalist in all three of its initial years (2010, 2011 and 2012). He finally won the award in 2017. As of March 2018, Poile is the winningest NHL general manager. He is the only one to have reached the milestones of 1,000 games and 500 victories for two different franchises. Considering his ongoing career, unsurprisingly, Poile has the longest active tenure of any NHL GM.

Additional Sources:

• http://predators.ice.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=36994
• Mike Commito, Hockey 365: Daily Stories from the Ice(Toronto: Dundurn, 2018), kindle edition.
• Stephen Laroche, Changing the Game: A History of NHL Expansion(Toronto: ECW Press, 2014), 382-385.
• “Poile is ready to start building,” Nashville Tennessean, 10 July 1997, p. C1.