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Poile commanded two NHL franchises in his 41 seasons as a GM. The two-time Huskies MVP will be enshrined Monday in Toronto.
More than a half-century after his arrival at Northeastern University, David Poile is entering the Hockey Hall of Fame as the winningest and longest-tenured general manager in the history of the National Hockey League.
Poile, who will be enshrined Monday in Toronto, commanded two NHL franchises in his 41 seasons as a GM, earning 594 victories with the Washington Capitals (1982-97) and 939 with the Nashville Predators (1997-2023).
Though he had an idea that he might be elected to the Hall of Fame, the moment still left him speechless.
“I couldn’t talk,” Poile says of the phone call that delivered the career-defining news. “I tried to. I couldn’t talk.
“It’s been so cool. Hundreds of people have sent me notes or texted or called. And I’ve called hundreds of people in the last few months, basically to thank them.”
Poile was inducted into the Northeastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987. He was Most Valuable Player of the Huskies in his final two seasons, culminating in his team captaincy as a senior in 1969-70. He departed with school records of 82 goals and 11 hat tricks, which is not bad for a walk-on who was uncertain whether he could rise to the Division 1 standard.
“My four years of high school were in California, which was not exactly a hockey hotbed,” said Poile, who drove more than 40 miles for ice time.
Born in Toronto on Valentine’s Day, 1950, Poile moved to the Bay Area when his legendary father, Bud Poile, became coach and GM of the San Francisco Seals in the Western Hockey League. When Bud Poile was hired by the expansion Philadelphia Flyers as GM in 1967, it made sense to David to move East. He chose Northeastern on the recommendation of a teammate in a California men’s hockey league.
“My first practice was a freshman practice, because back then you would play one year with the freshmen and three years with the varsity,” Poile says of his debut at Northeastern. “I don’t want to exaggerate, but there had to be over 100 kids on the ice. I remember coach Jimmy Bell, he had his clipboard on the ice, he was skating around, and then they called your name and you skated like two laps.”
That was the extent of his tryout.
“About an hour later there were about 30 players on the ice and I happened to be one of them,” Poile says. “It was all basically new to me. I was probably in over my head when I got there. I was only 17 and some of these guys were 20 years old. But somehow I found a way.”
Jim Madigan, athletic director and former men’s hockey coach at Northeastern, describes Poile as a “cerebral, skilled playmaker.”
“There wasn’t as strong a commitment to the athletic programs back then, it was a different time, and so we didn’t have strong teams,” Madigan says. “David was one of a handful of really good players at that time.”
Poile has fond memories of competing for the Beanpot at the Boston Garden.
“That was our one chance to kind of redeem ourselves, though we were not successful,” Poile says, recalling the Huskies’ best showing in a 5-4 overtime loss to Harvard and its All-American Joe Cavanaugh in the 1970 consolation game. “It was fun, it was exciting, though you wish we could have won one — but Northeastern seems to be making a steady habit of that recently.”
Poile and other players used to attend Boston Bruins games for free.
“Herb Ralby was a public relations director for the Bruins and he let certain college guys in through the back door, if you will,” Poile says. “I went to as many games as I could. In 1966 I saw Bobby Orr play his first game ever against the Detroit Red Wings and Gordie Howe. I never had a seat. I stood up for every game. I had a place where I would hang out and my dinner was a hot dog — a boiled hot dog.”
Poile’s career as an NHL executive began in 1972 with the expansion Atlanta Flames. Over the next five decades he would be honored with multiple executive of the year awards. In 2001 he received the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to U.S. hockey — 12 years after the same award had been presented to his father.
“He’s classy, elegant, a real gentleman and someone who was always looking out for what’s best for the National Hockey League — and not just what’s best for David Poile,” says Madigan, who credits Poile with offering longtime support to Northeastern’s hockey program.
“David as a GM wanted everyone to work hard, and he wanted consistency and continuity,” Madigan says. “He wasn’t someone that was going to be impulsive. He was not afraid to make tough decisions and difficult trades. His decisions were always well thought-out. He was well organized and he liked continuity and consistency because he thought that was best for his organization.”
“As a general manager for 41 years, I had six coaches,” Poile says. “I’m really proud of that. I always felt that we’re going to win as an organization and lose as an organization — that’s players, that’s management, that’s coaches, that’s the head coach.”
The ultimate award in hockey has enabled Poile to take stock just one year after his retirement.
“Going to Northeastern, I was moving away from home for the first time at 17 years of age, having roommates for the first time, playing at a higher level of hockey,” Poile says. “When I think about all of the experiences that I had, it was altogether a phenomenal education.”