General manager (GM) David Poile followed in his father's footsteps, Bud Poile, who is known in hockey circles for having played for five of the NHL's original six teams (though he never played for the Montreal Canadiens) and for having served as head coach and general manager.
Bud Poile helped many teams start from scratch during the league's expansion. He was the first GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. He was there from 1967 to late 1969, then became the first GM of the Vancouver Canucks, helping to build the team from its inception in 1970 until he retired before the 1973-74 season. After leaving Vancouver, Poile worked for the World Hockey Association. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990, in the Builders category.
Bud's son, David Poile, served as GM of the Nashville Predators from 1998 until his retirement in 2023 and helped build his own expansion team. But before Poile built the Predators, his first GM job was with the Washington Capitals.
Poile's first postseason
The 1982-83 season was the first time Poile took over as general manager, and the Capitals made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Poile made a bold move in his first trade as an NHL general manager, trading forward Ryan Walter and defenseman Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens for Rod Langway, Craig Laughlin, Doug Jarvis and Brian Engblom, which remains one of the best moves in Capitals history.
While Engblom didn't stay in DC long, Langway became one of the faces of the franchise and his number hangs from the ceiling. Laughlin was a huge contributor on offense and has been involved in Caps broadcasts for decades. Poile's release of Walter and Green and acquisition of Langway, Laughlin and others marked the beginning of a new era for the Capitals. This wouldn't be the same Washington team that didn't win hockey games. Things would change for the better under Poile.
Mike Johnston of Sportsnet had this to say about Langway's contributions in particular: “Laughlin was a solid performer for the Caps over five seasons, but acquiring Langway was the crux of the deal, as the blue lineman won Norris Trophies in his first two seasons in D.C., became the Caps' greatest player in history and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.”
In his first season as GM, the Capitals finished third in the Patrick Division with a record of 39 wins, 25 losses, and 16 ties. The team was led by Dennis Malk (31 goals, 50 assists, 81 points in 80 games), Mike Gartner (38 goals, 38 assists, 76 points in 79 games), and Bobby Carpenter (32 goals, 37 assists, 69 points in 80 games). Langway finished his first season in Washington with three goals and 29 assists in 80 games. Laughlin had 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 75 games. Jarvis had eight goals and 22 assists, and Engblom had 27 points in 73 games.
Poils Tips for finding talent
Poile knew how to find talent to help the team, as he did with Langway, and how to acquire a player like Carpenter, who had issues with manager Bryan Murray, and get a solid salary for his talent. Poile replaced Carpenter with Mike Ridley, Kelly Miller and Bob Crawford. Ridley ranks fifth in franchise history in goals and 10th in career points.
While the Langway-Carpenter trade may get more attention, there are plenty of other good trades. Before he found a way to get Filip Forsberg to Nashville for Martin Erat, he was in Washington and sent blue lineman Al Iafrate to the Boston Bruins for Joe Juneau. The trade was a big success. Juneau brought a lot of points to the team, but Iafrate didn't stay in Boston long.
Johnston writes: “Joe Juneau began his NHL career with the Bruins, appearing in 161 games and scoring 193 points, so it was a big deal when Poile sent Al Iafrate to acquire the young star. Iafrate ended up only playing 12 games with the Bruins, but Juneau scored 234 points in 312 games. It's a game against the Caps.”
Poile also acquired some future Hockey Hall of Fame talent. Dino Ciccarelli was traded to the Capitals from the Minnesota North Stars along with defenseman Bob Routh in exchange for Gartner and defenseman Larry Murphy. Ciccarelli spent four seasons with Washington. His best season was 1989-1990, when he recorded 79 points (41 goals, 38 assists) in 80 games.
RELATED: 7 great things about former Maple Leafs defenseman Larry Murphy
Poile originally acquired Murphy from the Los Angeles Kings, who acquired him in exchange for Engblom and defenseman Ken Houston. Murphy's point totals with the Capitals are:
- 1983-84: 13 goals, 33 assists, 46 points in 72 games
- 1984-85: 14 goals, 42 assists, 56 points in 79 games
- 1985-86: 21 goals, 44 assists, 65 points in 78 games
- 1986-87: 23 goals, 58 assists, 81 points in 80 games
- 1987-88: 8 goals, 53 assists, 61 points in 79 games
- 1988-89: 7 goals, 29 assists, 36 points in 65 games
Murphy is one of the best defensemen in franchise history, which is why he's in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Poile also acquired Adam Oates, who played six seasons with the Capitals after a phenomenal stint with the Bruins. He was an assist machine in Washington, recording assists of 58, 42, 56, 69 and 57. Poile wasn't there for most of Oates' time in Washington, but he was one of the final additions of the Poile era.
Poile deserves credit for his ability to acquire Hall of Fame talent. With big trades comes great pressure. Many Capitals fans were disappointed to see Gartner and Murphy go to Minnesota, but Poile knew what he was getting in Ciccarelli and Rouse. Poile was not afraid to make splashy trades. His not being afraid to make big moves and his ability to make smart, effective trades is why he held the Capitals GM position for over a decade.
Poile's Draft in DC
Trading wasn't Poile's only talent. He also had some impressive draft picks. For example, in the 1984 NHL Draft, he selected blue lineman Kevin Hatcher in the first round and forward Michal Pivonka in the third round. Hatcher spent several of his 10 seasons with the Capitals.
- 1984/85: 2 games, 1 goal
- 1985-86: 9 goals, 10 assists, 19 points in 79 games
- 1986-87: 8 goals, 16 assists, 24 points in 78 games
- 1987-88: 14 goals, 27 assists, 41 points in 71 games
- 1988-89: 13 goals, 27 assists, 40 points in 62 games
- 1989-90: 13 goals, 41 assists, 54 points in 80 games
- 1990-91: 24 goals, 50 assists, 74 points in 79 games
- 1991-92: 17 goals, 37 assists, 54 points in 79 games
- 1992-93: 34 goals, 45 assists, 79 points in 83 games
- 1993-94: 16 goals, 24 assists, 40 points in 72 games
He was a key part of the team's defense for many years and is still considered one of the best players in Capitals history.
Pivonka has also been one of the team's best forwards, ranking sixth in franchise history with 599 points and fourth with 418 assists. He is also in the top 10 in games played with 825.
In the 1989 draft, Poile selected goaltender Olaf Kolzig in the first round. Kolzig spent most of his career with Washington, compiling a record of 301 wins, 293 losses and 86 ties in 711 games. He is one of the franchise's best goaltenders and still leads the franchise in many categories, including wins and games played.
Poile also selected goaltender Byron Defoe in the second round of the 1989 draft. Although Defoe didn't stay with the Capitals long (playing just 10 games between 1992-93 and 1994-95), he went on to have a successful NHL career, playing for the Kings, Bruins and Atlanta Thrashers.
Other key players that Poile brought to DC include Peter Bondra in 1990, Ken Kurri in 1990, Steve Konowalchuk in 1991, Sergei Gonchar in 1992, goaltender Jim Carrey in 1992, and Jason Allison in 1993. Bondra was the Capitals' best player (statistically) until Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom took over. Poile selected Bondra in the eighth round of the 1990 draft.
He had nine seasons with at least 30 goals, four seasons with at least 40 goals, and two seasons with at least 52 goals. His most points in a season with Washington came in 1992-93, when he recorded 85 points (37 goals, 48 assists) in 83 games. He finished his Capitals career with 825 points (472 goals, 353 assists), and his 472 goals are second-most in franchise history (as of this writing) behind Ovechkin's 853 goals.
Not only did Poile pull off the biggest trade in Capitals history, he also drafted some of the team's best players, and some of the big names that helped shape the team were acquired by Poile.
Most victorious GM, Poile
George McPhee replaced Poile as general manager prior to the 1997-98 season. The Capitals reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 1998. And that roster was mostly made up of players that Poile had acquired. He may no longer be with the Capitals, but his roster vision was successful and the team made it all the way to the Cup Finals, sadly losing to the Detroit Red Wings, but it was the first time the Capitals had made it that far in the postseason.
Poile was instrumental in shaping the Predators after he left Washington. Roman Josi, David Legwand, Kimmo Timonen, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter and Ryan Ellis were all acquired during his time there. He is credited for what he did in Nashville, but not as much for what he did in Washington. Poile made the Capitals a more credible organization.
During his time in Washington and Nashville, Poile became the winningest general manager in NHL history. He surpassed Glen Sather's title in 2017-18 when the Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. It was Poile's 1,320th win.Number Win. He served as the Predators' GM until his retirement in June 2023.
Poile should be in the Hockey Hall of Fame just like his father was. He put Washington on the map as a hotbed of talent. His efforts will never be forgotten. He is one of the smartest businessmen in the history of sports. When he finally gets in, it will be well-deserved.
