The NHL announced its 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame class on Tuesday afternoon. Former defenseman Shea Weber & general manager David Poile are first-ballot inductees.
The induction celebration is slated for Nov. 11 in Toronto, Ontario.
Smashville would not be what it is today without the contributions of David Poile and Shea Weber.
Congrats David and Shea on being named to the @HockeyHallFame Class of 2024! pic.twitter.com/FNGtmOlAO3
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) June 25, 2024
David Poile
After being in the NHL for 39 seasons Poile is the winningest GM in NHL history picking up 1,533 wins in his career. Current New York Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello sits in the 2nd place with 1,444 wins.
Poile is the only GM in NHL history to surpass 3,000 games in the league as an executive. He finished with 3,075 games under his belt before calling it quits & naming Barry Trotz his successor last spring.
He was named GM of The Year in 2017 after the Predators had their lone trip to the Stanley Cup Final. Poile went to the Final once (2017) making the postseason 29 times between two organizations.
This is also not Poile’s only Hall of Fame induction. He was named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. The Hockey Hall of Fame has him as one of the best builders in league history.
The Toronto native was also responsible as GM of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey team in 2014 while being the associate GM in 2010 finishing with a silver medal.
Poile’s career started as an assistant general manager with the Atlanta Flames in 1977. He worked his way over to Calgary with the team when they moved then transitioned to the Washington Capitals in 1982 to become a full-time GM.
While Poile was in Nashville he helped construct the team everyone knows today dating back to the very beginning in 1998 at the expansion & entry-level draft.
Some of Poile’s biggest acquisitions via trade or free agency involved: Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Mike Fisher, Filip Forsberg, P.K. Subban, Steve Sullivan, Kimmo Timonen, Ryan Johansen, & Jason Arnott.
Today Poile is a senior advisor to the Predators as he resides in Nashville during his retirement. He’s been spending more time with his loved ones after many years dedicated to the NHL.
Shea Weber
The second longest-tenured captain in Predators history is Shea Weber. While he is still under contract as a player he is eligible since he’s not played in three seasons.
Weber is the first Predators-drafted player to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
He’s accumulated 589 points all-time with 443 of them being in a Predators sweater. Weber has not officially announced retirement since his contract runs through the 2025-26 season. Currently, his rights are owned by the Utah Hockey Club formerly known as the Arizona Coyotes.
Drafted 49th overall from the Kelowna Rockets in 2003 Weber became a catalyst for some of the franchise’s biggest years to date. Most fans remember his booming slapshot & play alongside teammate Ryan Suter during most of his time with the Predators.
Weber turned pro in 2006 after splitting time between the Milwaukee Admirals & Predators during the 05-06 campaign.
By April 28, 2021, Weber’s all-time regular season points record (443) had been surpassed by current captain Roman Josi. The new record was set on April 27, 2021, when Josi assisted on a goal scored by Tanner Jeannot in a game against the Florida Panthers.
Weber was the NHL’s sole leader in goals scored by a defenseman during the 13-14 regular season while getting to double-digit goals 11 times in his career.
He has been an NHL All-Star seven times & also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2016 after playing in 16 seasons.
Weber is a two-time gold medalist for Canada at the Olympics (2010 & 2014). He also won gold at the 2017 World Cup of Hockey and served as an alternate captain at the tournament.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Top photos courtesy of Nashville Predators
Comments