Marie-Philip Poulin

Marie-Philip Poulin (born March 28, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain of Montreal of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). She is also the captain of the Canadian national ice hockey team.

A three-time Olympic gold medallist and four-time World Champion with the Canadian national team, Poulin famously scored the game-winning goal in the gold medal games in three out of four of the Olympics in which she competed (2010, 2014 and 2022), for which she was dubbed Captain Clutch by her teammates and the media. Following another game-winning goal at the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship, she completed an unprecedented "golden goal hat trick" at major international championships. Since 2015 she has served as the captain of Team Canada, leading them to a silver medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics and a gold medal at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Professionally, Poulin played for and captained Les Canadiennes de Montreal in the now-defunct Canadian Women's Hockey League, before joining the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA), a non-profit dedicated to increasing the professionalization of women's hockey, in 2019. In 2023, she signed with Montreal in the newly established PWHL. While playing with Les Canadiennes, she won the Clarkson Cup twice and was named CWHL MVP three times. She is the first female hockey player to win the Northern Star Award as Canada's top athlete of the year, and the second to receive the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as The Canadian Press' female athlete of the year. She is widely considered to be the best women's hockey star of all time.

Montreal Stars
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. In 2008–09, she played with her school team (Dawson College), but also played 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
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
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.

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.

PWHPA
The CWHL abruptly collapsed after the 2018–19 season. In the wake of the collapse, Poulin joined the #ForTheGame movement that led to the creation of the PWHPA. 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.

PWHL Montreal
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.

Early career (2007–2009)
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.

Vancouver to Sochi (2010–2014)
Poulin scored both goals during Team Canada's 2–0 win in the gold medal game against the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics. At the end of the tournament, Poulin was named to the tournament all-star team. 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's teammates dubbed her "Captain Clutch" as a result of these performances, a nickname which was widely adopted in media and fan coverage subsequently.

Captaincy (2015–present)
Poulin was named team captain for the 2015 IIHF Women's World Championship. She registered six points for Team Canada in the course of the tournament, including a goal in the final game, a 7–5 loss to Team USA. 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. At the 2021 IIHF Women's World Championship, held in a bubble in Calgary, Poulin sustained an injury blocking a shot from a Swiss player in a preliminary game. She was rested for the remainder of group play, as well as the quarter-final match, returning for the team's semi-final match against Switzerland, where she scored a goal as part of a 4–0 victory. 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's three golden goals at major tournaments was a record in international ice hockey.

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.

Poulin scored her 200th point with Team Canada on February 22, 2023, in Game 6 of the 2022-2023 Rivalry Series against the United States, in Laval, Quebec. She is the fifth women's hockey player to achieve 200 points with Hockey Canada. Poulin scored her 100th goal for Team Canada on April 7, 2023, in the team's second preliminary round game at the 2023 IIHF Women's World Championship, and scored her 101st later in the same game. She was the fourth Canadian women's player to reach the triple digit mark.

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 13th world title.

Consultancy career
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 teammate Laura Stacey. The couple resides in Montreal with their dog Arlo.

Poulin was a named a knight of the National Order of Quebec in 2024.

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

Awards and honours

 * 2021 Hockey Canada Isobel Gathorne-Hardy Award
 * 2022 Northern Star Award
 * 2022 Bobbie Rosenfeld Award

AA

 * 2008–09 Player of the Year Award: Ligue de hockey féminin collégial AA
 * 2008–09 Rookie of the Year Award: Ligue de hockey féminin collégial AA

CWHL

 * CWHL Outstanding Rookie (2007–08, unanimous selection)
 * CWHL All-Rookie Team (2007–08)
 * CWHL Eastern All Stars (2007–08)
 * CWHL Monthly Top Scorer (October 2007)

PWHL

 * PWHL First Team All-Star (2023–24)

NCAA

 * 2011 Patty Kazmaier Award Nominee
 * 2011 New England Women's Division I All-Star selection
 * 2015 Patty Kazmaier Award Top-3 Finalist
 * 2015 CCM Hockey Women's Division I All-Americans, First Team

Hockey East

 * Hockey East Pure Hockey Player of the Week (Week of October 18, 2010)
 * Hockey East Rookie of the Month (October 2010)
 * Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week (Week of December 13, 2010)
 * Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week, (Week of January 3, 2011)
 * Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week (Week of January 17, 2011)
 * Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week (Week of January 24, 2011)
 * Hockey East Player of the Month (January 2011)
 * 2011 Hockey East All-Rookie Team (unanimous selection)
 * 2011 Hockey East Rookie of the Year
 * Hockey East Player of the Month (January 2015)
 * Hockey East Player of the Month (February 2015)
 * 2014–15 Hockey East First Team All-Star

IIHF and Olympics

 * Directorate Award, Best Forward, 2008 IIHF Under 18 Women's World Championships
 * Directorate Award, Most Valuable Player, 2013 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship
 * Directorate Award, Best Forward, 2013 IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship
 * 4 Nations Cup gold medallist (2009)
 * IIHF Women's World Hockey Championship gold medallist (2012, 2021, 2022, 2024), silver medallist (2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023) and bronze medallist (2019)
 * Olympic gold medallist (2010, 2014, 2022) and silver medallist (2018)
 * Captain of the gold medal-winning Canadian Olympic team in 2022
 * Vancouver 2010 and Beijing 2022, Media All-Star Team