[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Early in February, Marie-Phillip Poulin rewrote history as Team Canada claimed their gold medal victory at the Beijing 2022 Olympics.
This was a record-setting game for Poulin; in nearly 100 years, she became the first individual to score in a fourth consecutive ice hockey gold medal match. In seven Olympic games played this year, Poulin scored six goals and 11 assists, bringing her total points to 17.
While Poulin might undoubtedly be the best female hockey player in history, she’d rather shine the spotlight on anyone but herself. Having scored not one, not two, but three game-winning goals in the Olympic women’s hockey finals, Poulin has established herself as a big game performer and fierce competitor. Even though she doesn’t like talking about herself, it’s hard not to admire her world-class talent from the moment she skates onto the ice.
Since becoming Team Captain in 2015, Poulin has led with a quiet but confident demeanour. However, her clutch-ness hasn’t always been a given. When Poulin made her national team debut in 2009, she was hardly a marquee to the team. While she now plays first line, she’s often sat alongside other fourth-liners, fighting desperately for ice time. It’s almost hard to believe that a decade ago, her talent was being overlooked.
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To date, Poulin has made a name for herself— while much of her repertoire is based on the way she’s played in Olympic games, her heart is fully invested in hockey, which the fans love to see.
Both on and off the ice, Poulin is idolized because she wants her team to succeed more than anything. She’s won several medals and she prides each win on teamwork and sportsmanship. Whenever she can, she continues to advance and develop women’s hockey and is even working on creating a women’s league.
However, while Poulin doesn’t have any thoughts about hanging up her skates anytime soon, she was recently met with another opportunity: men’s hockey.
Marc-Andre Bergeron, an ECHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, is more than confident that Poulin can hold her ground playing with teams situated on the AHL and even NHL. Even though Poulin is the first woman since Manon Rheaume to challenge this gender barrier, she politely declined, her loyalty residing with her women’s team.
One of Poulin’s many remarkable traits is her loyalty. As Team Captain, this means sticking around long enough to push her teammates to do their very best and bring home championship titles together. She understands the responsibility she has, both for her teammates and for young girls watching. By putting her head down and doing the work, Poulin has accomplished a great deal of achievements and continues to do so, all while her plaque hangs proudly in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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