Poile's retirement will leave void at future GM meetings

MANALAPAN, Fla. -- When David Poile called recently to say he was retiring as the general manager of the Nashville Predators, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman gave him a playful jab.

"I said, 'Oh, no. The general managers meetings are only going to be a third as long,'" Bettman said Monday. "And we had a good laugh."
Each year, the NHL asks the GMs to suggest agenda items for the GM meetings, where they spend three days discussing the state of the game and potential changes to it.
Over the years, Poile has suggested, in his words, "a lot."
Some of his ideas have made the agenda; some haven't. But Bettman said, "Anything that's been done has had his fingerprints on it."
The 73-year-old is making his final appearance at the GM meetings this week. His contributions at the annual event will be a significant part of his legacy when he retires and becomes an advisor June 30, turning over the Predators GM job to Barry Trotz.
"He is knowledgeable, he is thoughtful, he is passionate, he is committed, and he's always put the health and well-being of the game first," Bettman said. "There's no manager who is more highly respected, whose opinions are listened to and considered by everybody.
"His track record speaks for itself, and his longevity and success are unprecedented."
Poile is the son of Bud Poile, the first GM of the Philadelphia Flyers and the Vancouver Canucks. David Poile was the GM of the Washington Capitals from 1982-97 and became the first GM of the Predators in 1998.
He holds the NHL GM records for regular-season games (3,057) and wins (1,524), and he led Nashville to the Stanley Cup Final and was NHL GM of the Year in 2017.
He helped the Capitals stay in Washington and the Predators thrive in Nashville despite challenges, and he has been a key voice at the NHL GM meetings on issues big and small.
"I love the game of hockey, and I love the managers meetings specifically," Poile said. "I do care about the game a lot. I got that from my dad, who is the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder. He always sort of told me to leave things in a better place than when you first started. I hope that I've done some of that in my career."
Poile said he has been teased about his agenda items by lots of people, including Bettman, but that has never deterred him.
"It's a little bit of throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks and to make sure that our meetings are vibrant, that we're here to work," Poile said. "And not everything is a good idea, but you throw things out there, get different people's opinion, so that you can continue to work to make sure that the game is in a good place."
Poile also has been a mentor to his colleagues, from those who have been NHL GMs for decades to newcomers.
Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland called Poile "certainly a guy that I've looked up to," and he laughed as he put that in perspective. The 67-year-old became an NHL GM with the Detroit Red Wings in 1997, after Poile had been an NHL GM for 15 years. He has 1,964 games and 1,082 wins in the regular season, eighth and fifth among NHL GMs, respectively, but he's still 1,093 games and 442 wins behind Poile.
"He's had a massive impact on our League, on the general managers meeting, on our agenda," Holland said. "In my opinion, he's worried about what's best for the League. He's not looking for what's best for his team."
Mike Grier, in his first season as a GM with the San Jose Sharks, said Poile has helped him over the past year.
"Whether we're talking casually or we're talking about players, he's offered up free advice to me -- how to go about the job, how to deal with ownership and different things like that," Grier said. "So I really appreciate the time he's taken, and I think he's done that with a lot of people."
St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong said the GM meetings will be different in the future without Poile.
"He's been the constant for everybody that's walked into that room," Armstrong said. "He's had such a great career. He's done so much for the game. He's passionate about improving the game every year. It's up to the next generation to learn from what he did and take it forward. But he's certainly going to be missed, not just at these meetings but just for his overall guidance for all managers."
Asked what he would do at this time next year, Poile paused for a moment.
"I don't know," he said. "Everybody says, 'Well, how does it feel?' I have no idea, because we're busy, busy."
Maybe, just maybe, he'll go to a resort by the beach for vacation, not hockey.
"I'm going to be an advisor," he said. "I don't know exactly what that means, how much work that entails. But certainly, there is a little bit of a selfish side. Personally, if I'm to do this, I'd like to have some freedom to do some things with my family, specifically with my wife, that we've talked about for a number of years.
"All I've been told is that, 'Don't judge your retirement by the first six months.' So, we'll see how it goes."