FITTING PLACE FOR POILE’S NHL MILESTONE
twist of fate that preds’ GM would break sather’s all-time wins record against oilers
Maybe it was written in the stars that David Poile would become the winningest general manager in NHL history in the city where he grew up.
After all, the Nashville Predators GM spent 10 years in the Edmonton neighbourhoods of Strathearn and Capilano back when his Hockey Hall of Fame dad Bud was coach and GM of the Detroit Red Wings’ top farm team, the Edmonton Flyers.
It’s also the city where former Oilers GM Glen Sather started out. He’s the guy Poile passed with his 1,320th career victory in the Predators’ 4-2 victory over the Oilers Thursday — a win celebrated in proper fashion by his happy players voting for Poile as the star of the game. That meant their boss had to tug on the team award — a musty wolf ’s mask.
“I thought you could see out of it, but you can’t,” said Poile, sheepishly.
Either way, the 68-year-old is the lone wolf atop the NHL’s wins list now with only two stops in his 35 years as a GM, first in Washington and then Nashville, when he put together an expansion team.
He’s been a good, smart and loyal overseer of two franchises. Cruelly, he’s yet to win a Stanley Cup, getting to within a hair of a Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring with the Predators.
But the number that matters almost as much to him is five.
“What I’m most proud of is only having five coaches in all this time,” said Poile.
He had Bryan Murray and his brother Terry and Jim Schoenfeld in Washington and Barry Trotz and Peter Laviolette in Nashville. He hires the right people and let’s them coach.
“Good for David, he’s a nice guy. I like him a lot,” said Sather, who left Edmonton to be the New York Rangers’ GM in 2000 and has since become the club’s president.
“David bugged me for years (about) when I was going to retire because the guy who’s been around the longest was at the top of the general managers’ guide book.
“When I retired, David was the first guy I called. I told him, ‘OK, you’re No. 1 now.’ ”
On Thursday, he became No. 1 in wins, too.
“I consider Glen one of my best friends, almost a mentor to me. I’ve learned so much from him,” said Poile. “I had no idea I was up there in wins with Glen, who also has five Stanley Cups.
“I owe everything to the game of hockey. I lived in Edmonton from the ages of three to 13 and, as you know, my dad was the coach and general manager of the Flyers. That was my introduction to hockey. I learned to skate at Seba Beach.”
His dad was lined up to become GM of the Red Wings, replacing Jack Adams, but when it came time for the move, Wings owner Bruce Norris gave the job to Sid Abel instead.
“It’s incredible that this is my 46th year in the NHL. I’m really happy for my family. My wife’s been there for all 1,320 wins and the 1,000 losses,” said Poile, always putting things in context. It started in Atlanta in 1972. “I was hired as an administrative assistant to Bill Putnam, the president of the team, and Cliff Fletcher was the general manager.
“I opened up the office in a trailer by the Omni (rink). There was a big billboard above the office that said: “The Ice Age Cometh to Atlanta, Get Your Tickets before the Freeze.” The first project I had was to run the name-the-team contest.”
They became the Flames before moving to Calgary in 1980.
“I set up a scouting program, which nobody had thought of, then in the latter part of the year we were short on help and Cliff gave me a couple of assignments. I recommended two or three players who were signed and a coach, Fred Creighton, whom we signed to run our farm club. From that time on, I became Cliff ’s guy,” said Poile.
He was with Fletcher for 10 years and then it was off to Washington in 1982. He went to Nashville in 1997.
“I owe everything to Cliff, then Dick Patrick hired me in Washington and Jack Diller, who used to be (with the) Rangers, went to the Predators as president and he hired me,” Poile said. “I’ve had an assistant, Paul Fenton, for 19 of the 20 years in Nashville. Ray Shero was my assistant before he got the job in Pittsburgh. I’m in a great place in my life today.”
I’m really happy for my family. My wife’s been there for all 1,320 wins and the 1,000 losses.