General manager (GM) David Poile followed in his father’s footsteps. Bud Poile is known in the hockey world for his time playing for five of the Original Six NHL teams (he did not play for the Montreal Canadiens), as well as being a head coach and general manager.
Bud Poile helped many teams start from scratch when the league was expanding. He was the Philadelphia Flyers’ first GM. He was there from 1967 to late 1969 before he became the first GM for the Vancouver Canucks and helped build that team from its inception in 1970 until he left before the 1973-74 season. After he left Vancouver, Poile went to work for the World Hockey Association. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1990 under the builder category.
Bud’s son David Poile helped build his own expansion team when he was GM of the Nashville Predators from 1998 until his retirement in 2023. Before Poile built the Predators though, his first GM position was with the Washington Capitals.
Poile’s First Postseason
In Poile’s first season as GM in 1982-83, the Capitals made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Poile swung for the fences in one of his first trades as an NHL GM. He dealt forward Ryan Walter and defenseman Rick Green to the Montreal Canadiens in return for Rod Langway, Craig Laughlin, Doug Jarvis, and Brian Engblom. It remains one of the best moves in Capitals’ history.
While Engblom did not stay in D.C. long, Langway became one of the faces of the franchise, and his number hangs from the rafters. Laughlin was a significant offensive contributor and has worked on Caps broadcasts for decades now. Poile shipping out Walter and Green for Langway, Laughlin, and the others signified a new era for the Capitals. This was not going to be the same team in Washington who kept failing to win hockey games. Things were going to change for the better under Poile.
Mike Johnston of Sportsnet talked specifically about Langway’s contributions: “Laughlin was a steady producer for the Caps for five seasons but getting Langway was the crux of the deal as the blueliner won the Norris Trophy in each of his first two seasons in D.C., went on to become an all-time Caps great and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002.”
In his first season as GM, the Capitals posted a 39-25-16 record and finished third in the Patrick Division. The team was led by Dennis Maruk (31 goals and 50 assists for 81 points in 80 games), Mike Gartner (38 goals and 38 assists for 76 points in 79 games), and Bobby Carpenter (32 goals and 37 assists for 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 in 75 games (17 goals and 27 assists). Jarvis notched eight goals and 22 assists, while Engblom had 27 points in 73 games.
Poile’s Knack for Finding Talent
Poile knew how to find talent to help his team, as he did with Langway. He also knew how to take a player like Carpenter, who had issues with head coach Bryan Murray, and get solid compensation for his talent. Poile turned Carpenter into Mike Ridley, Kelly Miller, and Bob Crawford. Ridley ranks fifth in goals in franchise history and tenth all-time in points.
While the Langway and Carpenter deals may get more attention, there are many other good ones. Before he found a way to get Filip Forsberg to Nashville for Martin Erat, he was in Washington, trading blueliner Al Iafrate to the Boston Bruins for Joe Juneau. This deal was a slam dunk – Juneau put up many points for the club while Iafrate didn’t last long in Boston.
Johnston wrote: “Joe Juneau had 193 points in 161 games to begin his NHL career with the Bruins, so when Poile sent Al Iafrate to acquire the young star it was a big deal. Iafrate only ended up playing 12 games with the Bruins, while Juneau registered 234 points in 312 games with the Caps.”
Poile also acquired talented players who eventually became Hockey Hall of Famers. Dino Ciccarelli came to the Capitals along with defenseman Bob Rouse from the Minnesota North Stars for Gartner and defender Larry Murphy in return. Ciccarelli played in Washington for parts of four seasons. His best season was in 1989-90 when he chalked up 79 points in 80 games (41 goals and 38 assists).
Related: 7 Cool Things About Ex-Maple Leafs Defenseman Larry Murphy
Poile originally acquired Murphy from the Los Angeles Kings. He got Murphy for Engblom and defender Ken Houston. Murphy’s point totals with the Capitals were:
- 1983-84: 13 goals and 33 assists for 46 points in 72 games
- 1984-85: 14 goals and 42 assists for 56 points in 79 games
- 1985-86: 21 goals and 44 assists for 65 points in 78 games
- 1986-87: 23 goals and 58 assists for 81 points in 80 games
- 1987-88: eight goals and 53 assists for 61 points in 79 games
- 1988-89: seven goals and 29 assists for 36 points in 65 games
Murphy was one of the best defensemen in franchise history, and that’s why he is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Poile also landed Adam Oates. Oates played for the Capitals for parts of six seasons, after putting up incredible numbers with the Bruins. He was an assist machine in Washington, with 58, 42, 56, 69, and 57 assists. Poile was not there for most of Oates’ time in D.C., but he was one of the last additions of the Poile era.
Poile deserves credit for his ability to land Hall of Fame-caliber talent. There is a lot of pressure involved in making big trades. Many Caps fans were probably 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 a splash trade. Having no fear of making big moves and his ability to make smart and effective trades are why he held the Capitals GM position for over a decade.
Poile’s Drafting in D.C.
Trades were not Poile’s only talent. He also has a great draft record. In the 1984 NHL Draft, for example, he selected blueliner Kevin Hatcher in the first round and forward Michal Pivonka in the third. Hatcher was with the Capitals for parts of ten seasons:
- 1984-85: one goal in two games
- 1985-86: nine goals and 10 assists for 19 points in 79 games
- 1986-87: eight goals and 16 assists for 24 points in 78 games
- 1987-88: 14 goals and 27 assists for 41 points in 71 games
- 1988-89: 13 goals and 27 assists for 40 points in 62 games
- 1989-90: 13 goals and 41 assists for 54 points in 80 games
- 1990-91: 24 goals and 50 assists for 74 points in 79 games
- 1991-92: 17 goals and 37 assists for 54 points in 79 games
- 1992-93: 34 goals and 45 assists for 79 points in 83 games
- 1993-94: 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points in 72 games
He was a key piece of the team’s defense for many years, and he is still considered one of the best players ever to suit up for the Capitals.
Pivonka also became one of the team’s best forwards – he ranks sixth in franchise history with 599 points and fourth in assists with 418. He’s in the top ten in games played with 825.
In the 1989 Draft, Poile selected goalie Olaf Kolzig in the first round. Kolzig spent most of his career in Washington, where he had a record of 301-293-86 in 711 games. He is one of the best goaltenders in franchise history and he is still the franchise leader in many categories, including in wins and games played.
Poile also drafted goalie Byron Dafoe in the second round of the 1989 Draft. Dafoe was not a Capital for long (he only played 10 games between 1992-93 and 1994-95), but he had a good NHL career, playing for the Kings, Bruins, and Atlanta Thrashers.
Other significant players that Poile brought to D.C. include Peter Bondra in 1990, Ken Klee in 1990, Steve Konowalchuk in 1991, Sergei Gonchar in 1992, goalie Jim Carey in 1992, and Jason Allison in 1993. Bondra was the greatest Capital (statistically) until Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom took over. Poile selected Bondra in the eighth round of the 1990 Draft.
He tallied at least 30 goals in nine seasons in Washington, four campaigns with at least 40 goals, and two seasons of 52 goals. The most points he ever had in a season with Washington was in 1992-93 when he notched 85 points in 83 contests (37 goals and 48 assists). He finished his Capitals career with 825 points (472 goals and 353 assists) and his 472 goals rank second in franchise history behind only Ovechkin’s 853 (as of this writing).
Poile not only made some of the biggest trades for the Capitals in their history, but he drafted some of the organization’s top talent too. Some of the biggest names to have helped shape the organization were brought in by Poile.
Poile the Winningest GM
Poile was replaced by George McPhee as GM before the 1997-98 season. That very Capitals team in 1998 went to the Stanley Cup Final and was mostly made up of players who were brought in by Poile. He might have no longer worked for the Capitals, but his vision of the roster was successful in making it all the way to the Cup Final. Unfortunately, they lost to the Detroit Red Wings, but it was the first time the Capitals had even gotten that far in the postseason.
Poile helped shape the Predators after he left Washington. Roman Josi, David Legwand, Kimmo Timonen, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Ryan Ellis were all brought in during his time there. He gets a lot of credit for what he built in Nashville to the point where it seems like he does not get as much recognition for what he did for Washington. Poile made the Capitals a more credible organization.
Between his time in Washington and Nashville, Poile became the winningest GM in NHL history. He surpassed Glen Sather for that title during the 2017-18 season when the Preds defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-2. That was Poile’s 1,320th win. He was the Predators’ GM until he retired in June 2023.
Poile should be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame just like his father before him. He helped put Washington on the map as a destination for talent, and his efforts will never be forgotten. He is one of the smartest executives in the history of the sport. When he finally gets his induction into the Hall of Fame, it will be well-deserved.
