How solid a hockey executive was David Poile over the length of his tenure with the Washington Capitals? For those of you who either weren't here or are too young to remember, check out Mike Vogel's piece from Thursday about the circumstances around his hiring.
The one memory I can't help but shake from Poile's time in town was an on-air interview he did at WTEM-980 (yes they did talk hockey back, I can even remember getting on the air in the middle of the day to talk to James Brown about the Hunter-Turgeon incident) with Kevin Kiley and Rich Gilgallon, better known by their radio moniker, "Kiley and the Coach".
The interview, which must have been from 1991 or 1992, was pretty rough on Poile, as the two hosts took turns torturing him over the team's lack of playoff success. In particular, Gilgallon kept looping back to just one issue: Why was it that Poile couldn't obtain that one 50-goal scorer that could put the team over the top?
Ironic, given how things eventually turned out in Washington, don't you think?
In any case, Poile has earned some measure of redemption after his dismissal as Caps GM following the 1996-97 season. First off, just as Poile predecessor Roger Crozier bequeathed a solid organization to Poile, he did the same for his successor, George McPhee.
Arriving in Nashville, Poile has faced much the same situation he faced under Abe Pollin in Washington -- being forced to compete with a limited budget. Yet, he's somehow managed to mold the Predators into a solid club, albeit one that has yet to experience any postseason success.
One wonders if that will be Poile's epitaph. I hope not, as he's a class act that deserves better.
