Marie-Philip POULIN

FIGHT FOR PROFESSIONALISM
Founding member of Professional Women's Hockey Players' Association (PWHPA) after the CWHL folded in 2019. The association's mission is to create a financially viable and sustainable professional women’s league. Poulin is heavily involved in the promotion of the association and participated in the Dream Gap Tour in 2019 and 2020, designed to increase visibility and establish a stronger connection with fans and sponsors.

"We're going to want to sell our product and make people realize women's hockey deserves what we want to have. We don’t get paid and we love the game. We want to create that viable league and we're united. We're not asking for millions like the NHL guys, just something (where) we can wake up every day and go to work. Just being able to have that job that we have been dreaming of for a long time. We work as hard (as the men). Girls go to work five days a week, they go to practice at night, during the weekend, they are on the road, they go back to work on that Monday. We’re doing it, maybe not for ourselves, but for the future generation." (cbc.ca, 19 Sep 2019; cbc.ca, 22 Apr 2020; kamloopsthisweek.com, 31 Mar 2016)

A GIRL AND HER BARBIE
A Barbie doll in the likeness of Poulin and her Canadian teammate Sarah Nurse launched in November 2020. The partnership between Barbie and Tim Hortons raised funds for Hockey Canada’s foundation, Supporting Girls’ Hockey. “To be honest it has been surreal, I couldn’t actually believe that I had a Barbie that looked like me. You show little girls that you can be anything they want to be, whoever they want to be, and me and Sarah (Nurse) are so lucky to be part of this amazing project and hopefully we will be able to inspire more little girls.” Poulin previously featured in a Tim Hortons’ promotion in September 2018, becoming the first female ice hockey player to appear on one of the franchise’s coffee cups. (canadalive.news, 19 Nov 2020; bttoronto.ca, 12 Nov 2020; allowhertoplay.wordpress.com, 29 Sep 2018)

RIDING THE PINE
Injured her knee in the final regular season game in February 2019, missing Les Canadiennes de Montreal’s playoff run and Clarkson Cup defeat. She opted to sit alongside her teammates on the bench in full gear instead of sitting in the stands. She did the same at the World Championships in Espoo, only playing for five minutes in their third group game against the Russian Federation, before reinjuring her knee and missing the remainder of the tournament.

“Being there on the bench knowing I can maybe have a presence as a leader, it's pretty important for me. When you're in the stands and you come down between periods, you don't know what's happening on the bench, but now you see it and feel it. It's obviously harder not playing, but it's another thing that I can learn. I've been embracing it and obviously it's not easy, but being there for my teammates is something that I value a lot.” (cbc.ca, 6 Apr 2019)

CAPTAIN CANADA
Has been Canada’s captain since the 2015 World Championships in Malmo. "I have learnt to embrace it. I'm not the girl who talks the most, I'm a little shy but obviously I like to lead by example." (sports.yahoo.com, 22 Feb 2018)

OLYMPIC DREAM
Sparked her Olympic dream in 2002 while watching Canada’s victory against the United States, in the women’s gold medal game in Salt Lake City. As an 11-year-old, she asked why everyone, including her mother, was crying when they received their medals. Her mother told her “you'll know one day if you keep working hard.”

“Let me tell you, when I got my first gold medal in Vancouver (2010), when I was crying myself, I knew what mum meant." (olympicchannel.com, 5 Jun 2018)

A BRAVE NEW WORLD
Grew up speaking only French and playing with the boys, before moving to Montreal, at age 16, to play for the Montreal Stars in CWHL. “Moving out of my hometown and away from my parents was a big step. Switching to an English school when I had no idea how to speak English was hard, for sure.” (bu.edu, 2015)

CWHL DRAFT
Selected third overall by the Montreal Stars in 2015.

PLAYING CAREER
Montreal Stars, CAN (2007-10); Boston University Terriers, USA (2010-15); Les Canadiennes de Montreal, CAN (2015-19); Montreal, CAN (2019- )

© Data by Sports Data Warehouse

Only player in women’s ice hockey to score a goal in four consecutive Olympic gold medal matches - each time against the United States. As the youngest team member in Vancouver 2010, she scored both of Canada’s goals in their 2-0 victory. Scored twice four years later, including the equaliser with 54.6 seconds remaining and the winning goal in overtime. At PyeongChang 2018, scored Canada's go-ahead goal in the second period, before Monique Lamoureux-Morando (USA) equalised with six minutes remaining and the United States claimed victory in a penalty shootout. Scored two goals at Beijing 2022, one of them eventually being the game-deciding tally.

Tied an Olympic record set by Hayley Wickenheiser (CAN) for most points in a single women's ice hockey tournament at Beijing 2022 with 17 (but surpassed in that same tournament by her teammate Sarah Nurse, with 18).

Ranks second in all-time medals won by a female ice hockey player at the Olympic Winter Games, with four: three gold (2010, 2014, 2022) and a silver (2018).