Bud Poile
Hockey Hall of Fame builder and six-decade NHL executive.
Norman Robert "Bud" Poile spent six decades in professional hockey as a player, coach, general manager, and league executive. Born in Fort William, Ontario, he played junior hockey for the Fort William Rangers before turning pro at age 18 as a right winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1942. After a break for service in the Second World War, he was part of Toronto’s 1947 Stanley Cup-winning team. The following season, he was traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in a multi-player deal for Max Bentley, then moved to the Detroit Red Wings a year later. Before the 1949–50 season, the New York Rangers acquired him, and he was traded mid-season to the Boston Bruins, his final NHL stop.
Poile spent five more years in the minor leagues as a player-coach, starting with the Tulsa Oilers of the United States Hockey League in 1950–51. He then joined the Detroit organization as player-coach of their Maritime Major Hockey League affiliate, the Glace Bay Miners, in 1951–52, and moved up to the Edmonton Flyers of the Western Hockey League the next season. He retired as a player in 1954 but continued coaching the Flyers until 1962, then became head coach of the San Francisco Seals from 1962 to 1966.
With the NHL’s 1967 expansion, Poile became general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, acquiring key players for the team that would win the Stanley Cup in the 1970s. In 1970, he became general manager of another expansion team, the Vancouver Canucks, building that club until 1973, when he left to become executive vice-president of the World Hockey Association. He left the WHA in May 1976 after a playoff brawl between Quebec and Calgary. In August 1976, he became president of the Central Hockey League, and during the 1983–84 season he also became commissioner of the International Hockey League. The CHL folded after that season, and Poile remained with the IHL until retiring in 1989.
Poile was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1990. He died in Vancouver on January 4, 2005, of Parkinson’s disease. His son, David Poile, also had a long NHL management career and was the first general manager of the Nashville Predators. Two professional hockey trophies bear his name: the N.R. "Bud" Poile Trophy of the IHL (awarded from 1989 to 2001 to the Turner Cup Playoffs MVP) and the Norman R.
Quick Facts
- Position
- Right wing
- Played For
- Toronto Maple Leafs / Chicago Black Hawks / Detroit Red Wings / New York Rangers / Boston Bruins
- Shoots
- Right
- Height Ft
- 6
- Height In
- 0
- Weight Lb
- 185
- Birth Date
- 1924-02-10
- Birth Place
- Fort William, Ontario, Canada
- Death Date
- 2005-01-04
- Death Place
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Career Start
- 1942
- Career End
- 1954
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Bud Poile began his professional career in 1942 as an 18-year-old right winger for the Toronto Maple Leafs. After serving in the Second World War, he was a member of the Leafs' Stanley Cup-winning team of 1947. He was then traded to the Chicago Black Hawks in a multi-player deal for Max Bentley, and later dealt to the Detroit Red Wings. Before the 1949–50 season he was acquired by the New York Rangers and traded mid-season to the Boston Bruins, his final NHL stop.
Poile spent five more years playing in minor professional leagues as a player-coach, first for the Tulsa Oilers in 1950–51, then for the Glace Bay Miners and Edmonton Flyers. He retired as a player in 1954 but continued coaching the Flyers until 1962, then became head coach of the San Francisco Seals from 1962 to 1966. With NHL expansion in 1967, he became general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, acquiring key members of the team that would win the Stanley Cup in the 1970s. In 1970, he became general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, building that club until 1973, when he joined the World Hockey Association as executive vice-president.
Reader's Guide
Bud Poile's significance lies in his long and varied career as a player, coach, general manager, and league executive, spanning six decades. As a player, he was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs' 1947 Stanley Cup-winning team and was named a second-team NHL All-Star in 1948. His most impactful contributions came after his playing days: as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1967 NHL expansion, he acquired key members of the team that would win the Stanley Cup in the 1970s. He later built the Vancouver Canucks as their general manager from 1970 to 1973. Poile also served as executive vice-president of the World Hockey Association, president of the Central Hockey League, and commissioner of the International Hockey League, retiring in 1989. His legacy is further marked by two trophies named after him: the N.R. 'Bud' Poile Trophy of the IHL and the Norman R. 'Bud' Poile Trophy of the AHL. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder in 1990.
Did You Know?
- Bud Poile was the brother of Don Poile and the father of David Poile.
- He was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup-winning team in 1947.
- Two professional hockey trophies are named after him: the N.R. 'Bud' Poile Trophy (IHL) and the Norman R. 'Bud' Poile Trophy (AHL).
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