Friday, August 27, 2010
Poile named associate GM of U.S. Men’s National Team
Northeastern alumnus Dave Poile (1967-70) was named the associate general manager of the 2010 U.S. Men’s National Team that will compete at the International Ice Hockey Federation World Men’s Championship from May 7-23, in Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Mannheim, Germany.
Poile is in his 12th season as the President of Hockey Operations/General Manager and Alternate Governor of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.
Most recently, his club bowed out to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games in the quarterfinal round of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. Poile has directed the Predators to five playoff appearances in the last six seasons as Nashville has only been in the league since 1998-99.
Poile joins forces with U.S. Men’s National Team general manager Brian Burke and Jim Johannson, assistant executive director for hockey operations at USA Hockey.
Poile’s ensuing expedition is not his first experiment at the international ranks. Poile served as general manager of the 1998 and 1999 U.S. National Team for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships hosted by Switzerland and Norway, respectively.
Most recently at the international level, Poile was named the Associate General Manager of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team that finished with the silver medal at the 2010 Olympic games in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Poile has been an influential voice for 27 consecutive years in the National Hockey League (15 with Washington, 12 with Nashville). His overall tenure as a general manager ranks as the sixth longest in NHL history.
In 2006-07, Poile was recognized by The Sporting News as its NHL executive of the year.
Poile enjoyed a fruitful career on Huntington Avenue as his 118 points (82-36-118) in just 64 career games ranks 25th all-time in Northeastern history. The current Nashville resident is fourth all-time in goal scoring (82) and his 11-career hat tricks stands as the most of any Husky in history. Poile was inducted into the NU Hall of Fame in 1987.
Team USA opens the 2010 IIHF World Men’s Championship against host Germany on May 7. The game will be played at Gelsenkirchen’s VELTINS-Arena, home of the German soccer league’s FC Schalke. The contest is expected to be played in front of a world-record crowd of more than 76,000 spectators.