20th Season: Five Defining Characteristics of GM David Poile

When he was honored at Bridgestone Arena for becoming the winningest general manager in NHL history, Predators GM David Poile turned the spotlight everywhere but on himself.
In a short speech prior to the Preds' home game against Anaheim, Poile thanked - in no particular order - his family, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, mentor Cliff Fletcher, his players, his coaches, his front-office staff, and on and on.
He's made it clear while collecting 1,325 wins over 36 seasons that he prefers talking about others as opposed to recounting his own accomplishments.

So to get a clearer picture of the League's only general manager to record more than 500 victories with two teams - 594 with Washington and 731 with the Predators - it's necessary to speak with those who've influenced him and those he's influenced.
Here's a look at Poile through the eyes of the steady stream of visitors who recently paid homage to him in Nashville, when Poile was honored for the record-setting number of victories he's helped produce:

Humble Beginnings:
In 1972, the expansion Atlanta Flames were a team in name only, still looking to build a roster before their first season.
Fletcher, Atlanta's first general manager, didn't know Poile all that well, as Poile had only recently graduated from Northeastern University. But the combination of Poile's pedigree - his father, Bud Poile, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame - and a single phone interview were enough to convince Fletcher to hire Poile as a front-office assistant.
"One of the owners came to me and said, 'Hey, how come you're not interviewing (anyone else)?,'" Fletcher said. "I said, 'Look, he's lived the hockey environment his whole life. His father played in the NHL, he was a coach and now he's an NHL GM.'
"I said, 'We're looking for a young guy to come in and learn the business. I don't think anybody could be any better.'"
Poile's first office was a trailer in a parking lot in downtown Atlanta, where he worked for an organization that at the time consisted of just five people. But the spartan surroundings didn't stop Poile from making an immediate impression.
"He did a terrific job," said Fletcher, who would eventually promote Poile to assistant general manager.
"He was so detailed and so structured and so committed. We hit it off and he did one heck of a job. We were together for 10 years."

Fearless First Move:
When Washington Capitals President Dick Patrick began searching for a new general manager in 1982, he sought advice from a handful of legendary hockey names - family members Lynn "Muzz" Patrick and Craig Patrick, as well as Scotty Bowman and Emile Francis.
They all voiced similar praise for Poile, who was then the Flames' assistant general manager.
"Really hard-working, reliable, diligent," Dick Patrick recalled hearing from them. "He's not going to be the life of the party every night, but he's going to get the job done."
Poile quickly became the talk of the NHL, however, when he engineered a blockbuster trade just over a week into his new gig. In a deal that included six players, Poile acquired future Hall of Fame defenseman Rod Langway from Montreal and sent center Ryan Walter - who just happened to be former Washington owner Abe Pollin's favorite player - to the Canadiens.
"I didn't expect that," Patrick said. "But he came in and wasn't shy. He didn't wait around for half a year to get his feet wet. He jumped right into it."
The Capitals would make the playoffs for the first time that season and in each of the following 13 years as well.
"I don't know of another young GM that would have had the gumption to do that," Fletcher said of the trade. "When he did that, I said, 'He doesn't need any help. He's going to be fine.'"

A Likeable Guy:
For all of his accomplishments - the NHL-record amount of wins, the 24 years he's guided teams to the playoffs, the run to last year's Stanley Cup Final - Poile has always been defined by his humility.
New Jersey Devils Assistant General Manager Tom Fitzgerald, the Predators' first captain, recalls Poile delivering some early advice to him. He warned Fitzgerald not to be concerned if other players began to get more attention than him.
"He said, 'Don't take that the wrong way (if it happens), because this is about checking your ego at the door and putting the team first. This is not about me, but about we,'" Fitzgerald said. "So, no, he definitely doesn't have an ego himself. That's good because sometimes when you do… it gets in the way and you start stumbling over it."
Poile isn't the kind of general manager that feels he has to constantly exert his influence over a hockey team, evidenced by the fact he's only had five head coaches in those 34 seasons: Bryan Murray, Terry Murray and Jim Schoenfeld in Washington; Barry Trotz and Peter Laviolette in Nashville.
"Some teams have had five coaches in six years and he's had five coaches his whole career," Fletcher said. "That just speaks for itself, with the continuity and consistency in his organizations. That (shows) people have confidence working with him because they work well together."

The Fiery Side:
Poile may be soft-spoken and mild-mannered in casual conversation. But those who know him best say the easygoing personality masks a competitive fire that - perhaps because he so rarely shows it - tends to be memorable when seen in person.
"Honestly I've only heard about it, but it's legendary," Fitzgerald said with a chuckle. "David Poile is probably the most competitive general manager I've been around. But you have to have that competitiveness. David has it, and he's fiery at times… from what I hear."
Poile isn't necessarily a screamer when he's upset, but has a way of delivering a no-nonsense message in a very calm - but very firm - way.
Just ask Devils General Manager and former Predators Assistant GM Ray Shero.
Shero's choice of coaching staff for the Preds' American Hockey League affiliate in Milwaukee didn't work out as planned many years ago, resulting in Poile making a change.
Shero was also in charge of picking the Milwaukee replacement, which meant that weeks later he was giving Poile an update on the coaching search.
"I told him that I was leaning toward one guy, and he kind of pauses, looks up at me from his notes and says, 'Just make sure you get this one right,'" Shero said. "I'm like, 'Holy (crap), really? Holy (crap).'
"Hopefully I did (get it right) because I hired Peter [Horachek], who then came here as an assistant. But David definitely has that firmness about him."

Passion for the Sport:
When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman presides over the League's annual gathering of general managers' meetings, the goal is to analyze the game as it is and suggest ways in which it might be bettered.
The 68 year-old Poile approaches each of the meetings with the zeal of a rookie manager.
"He is without a doubt the most frequent contributor of agenda items for the GM's meetings," Bettman said. "He's really all about what's good for the game and the values of the game that are so important to the community."
Do his frequent proposals mean Poile is making outlandish suggestions?
"No, it's really discussion points," Bettman said. "It's about what's good for the game and focusing people on the things that need to be focused on.
"The managers, as a group, tend to be the guardians of the way the game is played, and David has always been at the forefront. He's extraordinarily respected by his colleagues. And by the League office. And by me."
Poile's enthusiasm for the sport has helped him evolve and change with the times over parts of five decades.
"David is always forward thinking," Fletcher said. "He's not stuck in the past, which is really good."
Added Fitzgerald: "The game is a lot different now than in 1998 when I started here, so that says a lot about his understanding and knowledge of the game.
"I'm not sure he thought he would be here as long as he was when he first came in 1997. But when you have success, you can stay as long as you want. I'm sure the door is going to be open here for a long time."