Josh Cooper

USA TODAY Sports

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Predators general manager David Poile was wheeled out of the Nashville locker room on a stretcher and taken to a local hospital after getting hit in the face with a puck.

Coach Barry Trotz said Poile was hit while standing in the hallway behind the Predators bench during Thursday's morning skate before the evening's game against the Minnesota Wild.

"Just looking at it, it was above the eye, so there was no damage to the eye," Trotz said. "It was a hard, rocket pass that skipped and hit him pretty flush. We hope everything is fine there."

There didn't seem to be a lot of urgency about Poile as he left the arena, though there was some level of concern. He walked onto the stretcher under his own power but seemed dazed. Captain Shea Weber stood over the stretcher as Poile placed himself on the contraption. Poile was sitting upright.

The Predators said Poile will remain hospitalized overnight for observation.

The timing couldn't be worse for Poile, who is set to leave during the weekend for Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Poile is the general manager of the United States men's hockey team and has put a lot of hard work and diligence into the squad. In the past, Poile has referred to it as the opportunity of a lifetime.

Poile, 63, has been Nashville's general manager since the franchise's inception, and a general manager in the NHL for over 30 years.

Meanwhile, Predators broadcaster Peter Weber is recovering in a St. Paul hospital after having a heart procedure on Thursday morning.

He is expected to remain there for a couple of days.

Josh Cooper writes for The (Nashville) Tennessean