Marie-Philip Poulin

Did You Know?

• Poulin was hired by the Montreal Canadiens as a player development consultant in June 2022.
• She studied psychology while playing for Boston University.
• Poulin married Team Canada and Montreal Victoire teammate Laura Stacey on September 28, 2024.

Early life

Marie-Philip Poulin was born on March 28, 1991, in Quebec City to Robert and Danye Poulin, and raised in Beauceville, Quebec. She has one older brother, Pier-Alexandre Poulin. She began figure skating at age four, then switched to hockey at age five after being inspired by her brother. Poulin first saw professional women's hockey on television during the 2002 Olympic Winter Games, when Canada won its first gold medal in ice hockey in over 50 years.

Playing career

Poulin spent the 2007–08 season with the Montreal Stars of the Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL), appearing in 16 games and leading rookies in scoring with 22 goals and 21 assists. She finished runner-up in the CWHL MVP vote by club captains. In January 2008, she received a Montreal Canadiens scholarship. During the 2008–09 season, while attending Dawson College, she played for the Dawson Blues and as an associate player with the Stars. In March 2009, she helped the Stars win the first Clarkson Cup, assisting on a goal by Caroline Ouellette in the championship game. Poulin debuted with the Boston University Terriers in the 2010–11 season. On October 2, 2010, she scored her first NCAA goal in a 5–4 loss at North Dakota. By October 15, her third shorthanded goal 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, and led all Hockey East freshmen in goals, assists, and points that month. She had a seven-game point-scoring streak to start her NCAA career. On January 22, 2011, she recorded a hat trick in a 4–0 win over Vermont, breaking BU's single-season points record and tying the single-season goals record. She became the first Terriers player named Hockey East Rookie of the Year in March 2011. A shoulder fracture did not keep her from action for the 2011–12 season.

International play

Poulin first suited up for Canada's senior team at age sixteen, playing for Canada Red in an exhibition series against Sweden during the Fall Festival in Prince George, where she put up four goals and one assist across two games. She then competed at the first IIHF World Women's U18 Championship in Calgary in 2008, leading Canada in scoring with eight goals and six assists over five games to earn a silver medal. That eight-goal mark stood as a Canadian record until 2023. After another silver medal in 2009, she became the U18 team's all-time leading scorer with 31 points in 17 games. Her full-time senior debut came at the 2009 IIHF Women's World Championship in Hameenlinna, Finland, where Canada took silver. At the 2010 Winter Olympics, she scored both goals in Canada's 2-0 gold medal victory over the United States and was named to the tournament all-star team. Later that year, she notched a hat trick against Finland at the 4 Nations Cup, and Canada went on to win the tournament. In a 14-1 blowout of Russia at the 2012 IIHF Women's World Championship, she delivered a three-point effort. With that gold medal, she and Catherine Ward became the sixth and seventh members of the unofficial Triple Gold Club for Women, having won Olympic gold, World Championship gold, and the Clarkson Cup. In August 2012, she was named captain of Canada's Under-22 team for an exhibition series against the United States in Calgary. At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, she scored the game-tying goal with 54.6 seconds left in regulation and the game-winner on a 4-on-3 power play at 8:10 of overtime, leading Canada to a 3-2 gold medal win over the United States.

Style of play

Poulin is widely considered one of the greatest women's hockey players of all time, and has been argued to be the greatest player to represent Canada of any gender, drawing comparisons to Sidney Crosby. She is known for her clutch play and ability to perform well under pressure. The nickname 'Captain Clutch' was first used by her teammates after her performance at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and was widely adopted in media and fan coverage.