Marie-Philip Poulin

Marie-Philip Poulin was born on March 28, 1991, in Quebec City, Canada, to Robert and Danye Poulin. Poulin has one sibling, her older brother Pier-Alexandre Poulin. She was raised in the city of Beauceville, Quebec. Poulin began figure skating at the age of four, before being inspired by her brother to switch to hockey at age five. In a 2017 interview, Poulin said playing hockey outdoors with her brother during her childhood was one of her best memories of growing up. She first saw professional women's hockey on television during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, when the Canada women's national ice hockey team won the first gold medal for Canada in ice hockey in more than 50 years. ==Playing career==

in 2008. Montreal Stars, 2007-09 Poulin spent 2007–08 with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL). She appeared in only 16 games, but led rookies in scoring with 22 goals and 21 assists. So dominant was she in half a season as a 16-year-old rookie that she finished runner up in the CWHL Most Valuable Player (MVP) vote by club captains. She was also a recipient of the Montreal Canadiens scholarship program in January 2008. For the 2008–09 season, while attending Dawson College, she played both with the Dawson Blues and as an associate player with the Stars. At year's end in March 2009, she helped the Stars win the first Clarkson Cup over the Minnesota Whitecaps in Kingston, Ontario. In the championship game, she assisted on a goal by Caroline Ouellette. Boston University Terriers, 2010-15 Poulin debuted with the Boston University Terriers women's program during the 2010–11 season. On October 2, 2010, she scored the first goal of her NCAA career in a 5–4 loss at North Dakota. With her third shorthanded goal of the season on October 15, she tied BU's single-season record for shorthanded tallies in just four games. She led all NCAA freshmen in goals (9) and points per game (2.00) during October 2010. In addition, she led all Hockey East freshmen in goals, assists, and points during the month. In the first seven games of her NCAA career, she had a seven-game point-scoring streak consisting of nine goals and seven assists. On December 7 and 10, two wins over Northeastern and Harvard, Poulin registered three goals. In both games, she had a total of 11 shots on goal and a +2 rating. On December 10, she scored two goals and a game-high eight shots as BU prevailed by a 5–3 mark over Harvard. On January 15 and 16, 2011, Poulin recorded five points (2 goals, 3 assists) in BU's two wins over Boston College and Maine. Against BC, Poulin notched a power-play goal and two assists. Versus the Maine Black Bears, she registered a goal and an assist. On January 22, 2011, Poulin recorded a hat trick, including two power-play goals as BU prevailed over Vermont in a 4–0 win. The win was the Terriers' 100th win in program history. Poulin broke BU's single-season points record with her second goal of the game and later tied the single-season goals record with her third marker. She became the first Terriers player to be honoured as Hockey East Rookie of the Year in March 2011. A fracture of the shoulder did not hold her from action for the 2011–12 season. On May 11, 2012, Terriers head coach Brian Durocher announced that the captains for the 2012–13 campaign would be Poulin and Jill Cardella. For the 2014–15 season, Poulin was appointed team captain. As captain, she would lead the team to its fourth consecutive Hockey East championship. After the 2015 Hockey East tournament, she would join Shannon Doyle and fellow Montreal resident Kayla Tutino on the All-Tournament Team. Les Canadiennes de Montréal, 2015-19 Poulin returned to the CWHL in the autumn of 2015 when she was selected by the Stars in the 2015 CWHL Draft. Before the season began, the Stars announced a partnership with the NHL's Montreal Canadiens and re-branded as Les Canadiennes de Montréal. At the conclusion of the 2015–16 CWHL season, she was the inaugural winner of the Jayna Hefford Trophy as most valuable player; she also secured the Angela James Bowl as the league's top scorer. Poulin captained the team to the 2017 Clarkson Cup championship, scoring two goals in the final in Ottawa, with Montreal defeating the Calgary Inferno by a score of 3–1. She won her second CWHL MVP award at the conclusion of the 2017 season. Poulin decided not to return to Les Canadiennes after the Olympics for the run up to the 2018 Clarkson Cup. She helped lead the team back to contention ahead of the 2019 Clarkson Cup; however, Poulin missed the playoffs due to injury. She won the final MVP award in CWHL history, her third win of the award, for her 2019 performance. Poulin captained one of four teams in the first PWHPA Dream Gap tour showcase in Toronto in September 2019, leading her team to a 2–0 record in the weekend round-robin tournament. As a member of the PWHPA, she took part in the Elite Women's Showcase at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. She was afterwards voted as the best female hockey player in the world by NHL players, after having finished second in the vote the year before. In December 2019, she had been named among the top-4 Québecois athletes of the 2010s decade by the readers of La Presse. Poulin was among several high-profile PWHPA members who reacted indifferently to the news of the National Women's Hockey League's 2020 expansion into Canada with the addition of the Toronto Six, stating that "I think there's a reason why many of us are not playing in that league." At the 2021 Secret Cup, which was the Canadian leg of the 2020–21 PWHPA Dream Gap Tour, Poulin scored the third-period game-winner for Team Bauer (Montreal) in a 4-2 championship win over Team Sonnet (Toronto). She also recorded two assists for a three-point performance. Overall, Poulin was the scoring champion in the 2021 Secret Cup, with five goals and six assists in five games. In what would prove to be the final PWHPA season in 2023–24, Poulin led the Dream Gap Tour in scoring with 12 goals and 27 points in 20 games, and help lead Team Harvey's to the 2023 Secret Cup title. Montreal Victoire, 2023-present against the Minnesota Frost on January 6, 2024. In 2023, the PWHPA bought out the rival Premier Hockey Federation and launched the new Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). Poulin, who was credited with an important role in pursuing a collective bargaining agreement in the new league, spoke of her desire to create "a viable professional league for the next generation, for ourselves." With each of the six new teams able to make three initial free agency signings, Poulin was widely assessed as the best player available, but it was generally assumed that she would sign with the Montreal team. The Athletic remarked that "it would be cool to see a bidding war between teams for Poulin," but acknowledged "we're just waiting for the Montreal signing announcement." On September 5, Poulin, along with Laura Stacey and Ann-Renée Desbiens, were reported as the Montreal team's first three players. In 2023, Poulin was named Montreal's captain. PWHL Montreal finished in second in the PWHL's inaugural regular season, but were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by PWHL Boston. Poulin missed three games of the regular season, but still finished tied for second in points, with 23 in 21 games played. She was named a First Team All-Star, and was a finalist for both the Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player and the Forward of the Year award. Ahead of the 2024–25 PWHL season, all of the PWHL's franchises adopted new names, with PWHL Montreal rebranded to the Montreal Victoire. On January 29, 2025, Poulin scored the first hat trick of the season against the Ottawa Charge. The Victoire finished first in the league in the regular season, while Poulin claimed the PWHL Top Goal Scorer award with a league-leading 19 goals in 30 games (and 26 points total). She later received the Billie Jean King Most Valuable Player honour, the league's Forward of the Year award, and her second First Team All-Star designation. The Victoire faced the Charge in the semi-finals of the playoffs, and were ousted in four games. Poulin, described as "devasted" at the team's failure to reach the final for a second year, said "we're going to need to look in the mirror and see what we can do differently, how we can change and how we can get better." During the 2025 PWHL Expansion Draft, held due to the introduction of the league's Seattle and Vancouver clubs, Poulin was one of three players protected by Montreal. On October 23, 2025, she signed a two-year contract extension with the Victoire. Poulin scored her first goal following the return from the injury she sustained at the 2026 Olympic Games on March 3, 2026, scoring the shootout winner in a 4-3 victory over the Toronto Sceptres, which extended Montreal's winning streak to 6 games. ==International play==

Early career, 2007–14 At the age of sixteen, Poulin made her senior Team Canada debut during the Fall Festival in Prince George, an exhibition series against Sweden, the reigning Olympic silver medalist. Playing for Canada Red, Poulin recorded four goals and one assist in two games. Poulin participated at the inaugural 2008 IIHF World Women's U18 Championship in Calgary and was Canada's leading scorer. In a January 9, 2008, contest versus Germany, Poulin notched one goal and two assists in a 10–1 win. The team won a silver medal, with Poulin finishing the tournament with eight goals and six assists in five games. Her eight goals would be a Canadian team record until 2023, when Caitlin Kraemer scored ten. After winning a second silver medal in 2009, Poulin became the all-time leading scorer in under-18 team history, with 31 points in 17 games. She made her full-time debut on the Canadian senior team at the 2009 IIHF Women's World Championship in Hameenlinna, Finland, earning a silver medal. At the 2010 4 Nations Cup later that year, she scored a hat trick against Finland on November 12; Canada went on to defeat the US to win the tournament. In a game versus Russia at the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship, Poulin put in a three-point performance in a 14–1 victory. By claiming the gold medal at the tournament, Poulin (along with Catherine Ward) became the sixth and seventh members of the (unofficial—not yet recognized by the IIHF) Triple Gold Club for Women, having won gold in the Olympic Games and the IIHF World Championships, as well as the Clarkson Cup. In August 2012, Poulin was named the captain of the Canadian Under-22 team that competed in an exhibition series versus the United States Under-22 squad in Calgary, Alberta. Named to her second Olympic team for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Poulin scored the game-tying and game-winning goals in Team Canada's 3–2 overtime win in the gold medal game against the United States. The first goal came with 54.6 seconds left in regulation, the latter on a 4-on-3 power play at 8:10 of overtime. Poulin continued to serve as captain at the women's tournament at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, where Canada won silver. Due to a knee injury sustained in the CWHL, Poulin withdrew from the 2019 IIHF Women's World Championship after playing less than five minutes. In her absence, Team Canada was defeated by Finland in the semi-final, missing the gold medal game for the first time in the history of the event. After a lengthy time off-ice due to injury and the cancellation of the 2020 IIHF Women's World Championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Poulin returned to the ice for a PWHPA showcase in May 2021. In the final against the United States, Poulin scored the golden goal in overtime, earning Canada the gold over the United States for the first time since 2012. She was named player of the game. Poulin is the first ice hockey player in history to score three golden goals at major tournaments; as of 2025, she holds the world's only such "golden goal hat trick". On January 11, 2022, Poulin was named to Canada's 2022 Olympic team. She served as one of Canada's flag bearers at the opening ceremonies, alongside speed skater Charles Hamelin. Poulin logged a career-best 17 points (6 goals and 11 assists) during the women's tournament, capping it with a two-goal performance in Canada's 3–2 victory over the United States in the gold medal game. She became the only player in history—male or female—to score goals in four straight Olympic finals; she has scored a total of seven goals in her four Olympic finals. On the team, she said: "We celebrate each other's success, we want to succeed and to be honest it just showed tonight." Later in 2022, at the 2022 IIHF Women's World Championship, Poulin captained Canada to its third major international title inside a span of twelve months. This was the first time Canada had won consecutive Women's World titles in 18 years. In October 2022, Canadian sports network TSN named her the "best women's hockey player on the planet," adding "there's no denying that Poulin is the best player in the world; the debate is whether she is the best ever." Further honours followed by year's end, when she received the Northern Star Award (formerly the Lou Marsh Trophy) as Canada's top athlete of 2022, and was The Canadian Press's choice for Bobbie Rosenfeld Award for female athlete of the year. Slowed by injury coming into the 2024 Women's World Championship, she scored her first two goals of the event in the final to help Canada to a 6–5 overtime win over the United States, giving Canada a record thirteenth World title. The following year, at the 2025 Women's World Championship, Poulin passed Hayley Wickenheiser as Canada's top point-scorer in tournament history, recording her record-breaking 87th career point in the team's 8–1 semifinal victory over Finland. Canada was defeated by the United States in the tournament final, but Poulin was named World Championship MVP for the second time in her career. On January 9, 2026, Poulin was named to Canada's roster to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics. She came off injured in the first period and did not return to the ice during the game following a hit by Kristýna Kaltounková in Canada's 5–1 victory over Czechia on February 9, 2026. She was ruled out from selection in the following game against the United States due to the lower-body injury, with alternate captain Renata Fast saying that Poulin “is our biggest leader, and it is hard for all of us to see her be injured. We hope that she is healthy, and we will pick her up as much as we can". She ultimately missed two games, returning for Canada's quarterfinal matchup with Germany. She scored in the game, a 5–1 win, tying Hayley Wickenheiser for most Olympic goals all-time with 18. In the semi-final against Switzerland, Poulin scored both Canadian goals in a narrow 2–1 victory, surpassing Wickenheiser's record and becoming the first woman to score 20 goals at the Olympics. Poulin is also one of three Canadian players to score at least one goal at five different Olympics, joining Jayna Hefford and Hayley Wickenheiser. Canada would lose in overtime in the gold medal game, with Poulin earning her second Olympic silver medal, and fifth medal overall. This was her first Olympic final in which she did not score a goal. In recognition of her efforts, she was named to the tournament All-Star Team for the third time, and received the Best Forward directorate award for the first time. Poulin declined to comment on whether this would be her final Olympics. == Style of play ==

Poulin is widely considered to be one of the greatest women's hockey players of all time. She has also been argued to be the greatest player to represent Canada of any gender, drawing comparisons to Sidney Crosby, the contemporary captain of the Canadian national men's team. Poulin is known for her clutch play, with a high ability to perform well under pressure. The nickname "Captain Clutch" was first used to describe Poulin by her teammates as a result of her performance in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, a nickname which was widely subsequently adopted in media and fan coverage. She is the first female hockey player to win the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete of the year, and the second ice hockey player to receive the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as The Canadian Press' female athlete of the year. ==Other work==

In June 2022, Poulin was hired by the Montreal Canadiens as a player development consultant. She said she felt "very lucky that they hired me and they have confidence in me not only for my hockey experience but as a person as well." Canadiens owner Geoff Molson called Poulin "a winner—she knows how to win—and our players are young and they need to learn that as well." ==Personal life==

Poulin studied psychology while playing for Boston University. Her brother, Pier-Alexandre Poulin, played 116 games in the QMJHL with the St. John's Fog Devils and the Chicoutimi Saguenéens. On May 26, 2023, Poulin announced her engagement to Team Canada and Montréal Victoire teammate Laura Stacey, with whom she has been in a relationship since 2017. They married on September 28, 2024. The couple resides in Montreal with their dog Arlo. Poulin was a named a knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2024. ==Career statistics==

Regular season and playoffs Note: Montréal Stars changed their name to Les Canadiennes de Montréal in 2015. International ==Awards and honours==