NHL teams honor David Poile in final draft as Predators GM
David Poile couldn’t have asked for a better way to end his tenure as general manager of the Nashville Predators.
As the 2023 NHL Draft come to a close in front of his home crowd at Bridgestone Arena, Poile received a standing ovation from the other 31 teams on the draft floor after announcing Nashville’s final pick of the 2023 draft, and the final pick of his 40-year career as an NHL GM.
The moment was set into motion when New Jersey Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald, who was the first captain in Predators history on the 1998 expansion team constructed by Poile, traded his seventh-round pick to Nashville, which took Alberta Hockey League forward Aiden Fink.
“To top it all off for David’s career, I think you saw the reaction that everybody — not just the organization but the whole league — has for that,” Predators assistant general manager and director of scouting Jeff Kealty said. “I thought it was really a special moment, certainly for David, but for everybody to kind of thank him and all that. It was great.”
Poile played a key role in transforming Nashville from non-traditional hockey market to a destination city for premier NHL events, as evidenced by Nashville’s hosting of two NHL Drafts, a Stadium Series and an NHL All-Star Game.
During his Predators tenure, Poile constructed quite a resume. His list of accolades includes a Stanley Cup Final appearance, two Central Division titles, a Western Conference title, A Presidents’ Trophy, 15 playoff appearances in 23 seasons and seven 100-point seasons.
Over the course of his four-decade career, Poile drafted 41 All-Stars (35 in Washington, six in Nashville) and became the winningest-GM in league history (1,533). He’s also the only GM to win 500 or more games with two different franchises.
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