The National Hockey League has been around for more than 100 years now. Almost 200 men have served as General Managers in the League in that time frame. Some of them have had dynastic reigns: Frank Selke with Montreal and Toronto and Sam Pollock in Montreal. There are many accomplished men who have had teams that were almost always competitive: Detroit's Jack Adams, Toronto's Conn Smythe - who served as the Maple Leafs' principal owner, giving him great power as General Manager, to be certain. In more modern times, Boston's Harry Sinden and Glen Sather, of the Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers have stood out as well.
The job has changed greatly over the years, and David has evolved along with it, both on and off the ice. The implementation of the salary cap in 2005 has complicated the GM's task. To assemble an NHL team today involves coordinating world-wide scouting efforts. Take a look at the rosters of NHL teams today, if you don't believe me. There is constant evaluation and re-evaluation as a player goes through his career. When a player is drafted, the job is not done. That player must be developed, either by staying a while longer with his amateur team in North America or Europe, or in the minor leagues, as the Predators have done since their start with the Milwaukee Admirals. That player may become a part of the drafting team, or perhaps an asset who may be dealt to improve the team.
You can tell how much attention David pays to that aspect of the team from this chat after the Predators' third season:
The general managers serve as the conscience and guardians of the game, working individually and together to improve and grow the game through rule changes and enhancements. All the while, their first priority is to maximize the chances of their individual teams; drafting, developing and acquiring players to form clubs capable of competing for the ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup.
David has been the architect of the Predators from their inception to becoming the 2017 Western Conference Champions. He's received many honors, including the Lester Patrick Award for contributions to hockey in the United States, four times a finalist for GM of the Year and the GM of the Year Award winner in 2017, GM of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Team and a long-standing member of the U.S. National Team selection group.
He is the only GM in NHL history to lead two teams to 500 wins or more (594 with Washington and now 726 with the Predators). Now I take you back to the theme introduced earlier: David Poile was born to be an National Hockey League General Manager. Thursday night's 4-2 victory in Edmonton, where his dad was with the WHL's Flyers, helped David to surpass the total of 1,319 regular-season wins compiled by Glen Sather in Edmonton and New York. This is a record that should stand the test of time!