Marie-Philip Poulin has lifted Team Canada so many times. Following her injury at the 2026 Winter Olympics, her teammates elevated their games in her absence. Will they need to do it again against USA?
When Marie-Philip Poulin left the game in the first period of Canada's game Czechia, Canadians, including Poulin's Olympic women's hockey teammates collectively held their breath.
Poulin was injured following an illegal hit by Czechia's Kristyna Kaltounkova, who was the PWHL's first overall pick this year and currently leads the league in goals.
With Poulin in the locker room tending to her injury, Canada responded with two goals in 39 seconds from Sarah Fillier and Laura Stacey. Stacey is Poulin's linemate with the PWHL's Montreal Victoire, and also Poulin's wife.
“It’s hard to see it happen, especially to someone like that. [Poulin’s] our leader and our rock. It kind of hit us, we all looked at each other, we all felt it," said Stacey on watching Poulin leave the game injured.
"At the end of the day she’s picked us up so many times, she’d led the way and now it’s our turn to pick her up, support her and do whatever we could to get that win for her, but also for ourselves as a group. We regrouped, we tried to keep it simple and we tried to adjust with the lines changing since she was out. There’s a lot to be proud of in terms of sticking together like that.”
Poulin, nicknamed "Captain Clutch," has become synonymous with Canadian comebacks, clutch scoring, and gold medal wins. Poulin has scored the Olympic gold medal winning goal in 2010, 2014, and 2022.
Before she left the game completely, Poulin briefly returned to Canada's bench to see Julia Gosling score the nation's third goal in a 5-1 win over Czechia.
Poulin did not return in the second period.
With a match up against USA looming, Canada's roster may need to collectively pick up Poulin and the team again if their captain is unable to return.
First place in Group A is on the line as USA closes out their preliminary round play. Canada will play USA, and then need to take on Finland while the remainder of the Olympic women's hockey field rests, in their makeup game after the first game of the tournament was postponed due to Finland's norovirus outbreak.