Tony Poeta was born March 4, 1933 in North Bay, Ontario. A graduate of the Ontario Hockey Association Junior 'A' Hockey League, Poeta spent three seasons in the OHA-Jr. as a member of the Galt Black Hawks and the Galt-Barrie Flyers.
The diminutive forward from North Bay, Ontario made his NHL debut with the Chicago Black Hawks while in his second season in Galt. Poeta played one game with Chicago during the 1951-52 season, which turned out to be his only game in the NHL.
In 1953-54 Poeta spent the better part of the season as a member of the International Hockey League's Marion Barons while playing two games with the American Hockey League's Cleveland Barons.
Once the 1954-55 season came around, Poeta found himself on loan to the Quebec Hockey League's Valleyfield Braves from the Barons, a team with whom he played only eleven games for before joining the Northern Ontario Hockey Association's North Bay Trappers.
Poeta returned to North Bay in 1955-56 and split his season with the OHA-Sr. Stratford Indians before being reinstated as an amateur in 1956-57. After he was reinstated as an amateur in 1956-57, Poeta rejoined the Trappers in 1957-58 while playing in handful of games with the Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League's Belleville McFarlands.
In 1958-59 Poeta returned once again to the North Bay line up before joining Greensboro-Johnstown of the Eastern Hockey League the following year. However, Poeta spent the better part of the season with the International Hockey League's Milwaukee Falcons before retiring from the game at the end of the season.
Throughout his career, Tony Poeta played in one NHL game.
