So the Calgary Flames get set to play the Nashville Predators tonight, it’s their first meeting of the season. And as you look at this team, you really can’t help but marvel at how they’ve been able to keep it together. A complete cluster-expletive when it comes to the ownership situation, they’ve had a star player bolt for Russia out of nowhere, and one of their heart and soul players has been out for an extended period of time. Yet, the Preds continue to put competitive teams on the ice, they are always in the mix for the playoffs, and they always are a tough, tough team to play. The credit falls on 2 areas. 1, David Poile and the great job his management team has done. And 2, Barry Trotz and his coaching staff for keeping this team on the even keel.

It would be very easy for the Preds to fold, not play very well and blame it on the distractions. Just ask the Tri-City Americans, Portland Winterhawks, Pittsburgh Pirates or Atlanta Hawks. Hell, the ownership situation alone would be enough to mess things up. The Preds have to sell off assets, as players like Paul Kariya, Scottie Upshall and Kimmo Timonnen have departed in the last year or so. But Poile has brought in the right players, while Barry Trotz has earned the respect of his players and instituted the right system. Not to mention, a heart and soul guy like Steve Sullivan hasn’t been healthy in ages, as his back just won’t help him out. Radulov leaves for Russia, for whatever reason, and that leaves them with a void in terms of top end scoring.

But Trotz has been the exception to the rule when it comes to longevity in the NHL. And it’s happened for one simple reason: he’s a damn good coach. He has a very sound gameplan in place with his team, and he parlays that into seeing what he wants to see out of his players. David Poile has been the GM of that team since the beginning. Yeah, he probably gave up too much for Peter Forsberg, but the Preds were making a push that year. His moves have been smart, calculated, and they’ve in concert with how Trotz wants the team to play.

Can’t say enough about just how impressive the duo of Trotz and Poile has been, and for the sake of the franchise, lets hope the partnership doesn’t end soon.

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