Behind-the-scenes access is becoming more and more prevalent in professional sports, and the Nashville Predators continued that trend last month at the 2014 NHL draft.
Predators general manager David Poile was mic’d up during the event, giving hockey fans some unprecedented access at the Nashville draft table in Philadelphia. The team was busy, too, as it executed arguably the biggest trade of the draft when it landed James Neal from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
That decision was a process, and that process was exposed some in the behind-the-scenes video. The footage shows Poile discussing Neal with multiple scouts and front-office people. There’s also eavesdropping on Poile’s conversation with Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford as they hammer out the details of the trade.
This isn’t the first time Poile has pulled back the curtain in a decision-making process. Serving as USA Hockey’s GM for the 2014 Winter Olympics, Poile allowed ESPN.com to document the selection process, which touched off a controversy after Bobby Ryan was left off the roster.
