Former Washington Capitals General Manager David Poile is now forever enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Under Poile, the Caps reached the playoffs in 14 of his 15 seasons leading the club. Quotes from the speech come from Nicolas J. Costonika of NHL.com.
The Washington Capitals organization joins the rest of the NHL in sending congratulations to its former general manager David Poile on his official induction into the @HockeyHallFame!
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 12, 2024
Under Poile, Washington reached the playoffs in 14 of his 15 years leading the club.#ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/DXQWtntWAC
"I was able to score the hat trick of life. Who you marry and share your journey with, the job you have, and the places you live. Elizabeth and I have been a team from Atlanta to Calgary to Washington and ultimately to Nashville. She's been the rock of our family throughout our shared hockey journey."Poile in his speech
David joins his father, the late Bud Poile, who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 1990. In additon to mentioning his wife Elizabeth, their children and grandchildren in the speech, he also recogized his second important mento who was Ciff Fletcher, giving him his sart in the NHL in 1982 with the Atlanta Flames.
Poile in his speech recoginized Capitals president Dick Patrick for hiring him in 1982, making him the youngest GM in the NHL. He mentioned two more mentors in Washington: coach Bryan Murray and director of player personnel Jack Button.
"It was Jack who invited a young Western Canadian defenseman to training camp my first year, not because he viewed him as a top, top prospect, but because Jack saw him a a potential leader. And that's how Barry Trotz came into my life."David Poile
Following the shoutout, Poile talked about becoming the GM of the expansion Nashville Predators in 1997 where he went on to hire Trotz as the first head coach of the franchise. He would go on to hire Trotz as his successor at GM in 2023.
Poile would conclude his speech with the following, "I have been so fortunate to spend my entire professional career in the game of hockey. I have poured my heart and soul into the game, but hockey has given me and my family so much more. Thank you, hockey. Thank you to my famiily. Thank you to my friends. Thank you."
The Sporting News named David Poile their Executive of the Year in 1982-83 and 1983-84. In 1998 and 1999 he was named General Manager of the USA National Team at the World Championships. In 2001 he received the Lester Patrick Trophy for his contributions to hockey in the USA. He was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 and in 2024 he was proudly enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builder Cateogory for a job well done.