Marie-Philip Poulin played through pain to lead Canada in Olympic women’s hockey
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MILAN – Marie-Philip Poulin hid it the best she could, but the Canadian women’s hockey team captain was in pain at the end of the Olympic women’s hockey tournament.
Playing on an aching knee from an injury sustained in Canada’s second game of the tournament, Poulin was still a scoring threat in Canada’s 2-1 overtime loss to the United States in Thursday’s gold-medal game.
She ripped a shot off the mask of U.S. goalie Aerin Frankel during a third-period power play that was close to extending her run of scoring in Olympic finals to five straight.
The 34-year-old from Beauceville, Que., was still “Captain Clutch” for her team in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.
Poulin’s two goals in Canada’s 2-1 win over eventual bronze medallist Switzerland in a semifinal was the difference in pulling her team to the gold-medal game.
Poulin reached a career 20 Olympic goals in that game, and broke the previous tournament record held by former teammate Hayley Wickenheiser.
She sat out two games in the group stage after she was checked hard into the boards early in a win over Czechia.
Poulin returned to lead her team in the knockout round and played through discomfort.
“I didn’t want to be a distraction,” the captain said after the gold-medal game.
“It did suck getting injured. It’s no excuse. I was lucky enough to be surrounded with such amazing physio doctors that made sure I was able to get back in the quarterfinal.
“It doesn’t feel amazing, but that’s part of it and that’s why you have teammates in this sport.”
Her teammate Laura Stacey lauded her off-ice wife’s fortitude.
“She’s our leader, she’s a warrior. It sucks to see her in pain, but man, you would never know. She battled hard. She’s our rock,” Stacey said.
“She is our leader. She showed it. She did everything possible she could and our team followed her every single step of the way.”
Seven of her 20 goals were produced in Olympic finals. She scored goals in four straight finals between 2010 to 2022, which makes her the only player, male or female to do so.
As to whether a sixth Olympic Games is in Poulin’s future, she said “I am not sure yet.”
If the Milan Cortina Games were her Olympic swan song, Poulin set an women’s hockey high bar with multiple milestones in the tournament beyond her goals record:
— The first Canadian, man or woman, to captain a Canadian team at three Winter Olympic Games.
— Joined Wickenheiser and Jayna Hefford as the only Canadian to compete in five women’s Olympic tournaments.
— Her fifth medal joined Wickenheiser and Hefford for the most in Olympic history.
— Surpassed Hefford and Wickenheiser for the most games played by a Canadian at the Olympics (26).
— Moved past Danielle Goyette for the third-most career goals on the Canadian team (115).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 19, 2026.