How Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey And Ann-Renée Desbiens Took Pay Cuts To Help The Montreal Victoire Win The Walter Cup

There are many reasons why the Montreal Victoire captured the Walter Cup.

GM Danièle Sauvageau addressed the team's lack of depth, an issue that had existed since its inaugural season, by bringing in key free agents such as Hayley Scamurra, Maggie Flaherty, and Shiann Darkangelo.

Following the departures of Cayla Barnes and Anna Wilgren, she selected Nicole Gosling in the draft, adding a much-needed defender who quickly emerged as the team's blue-line quarterback.

She also traded Kristin O'Neill for Abby Roque, a move that paid significant dividends as Roque became one of Montreal's most impactful players, particularly during the playoffs.

But perhaps one of Sauvageau's most important moves happened away from the ice. She convinced franchise cornerstones Marie-Philip Poulin, Laura Stacey, and Ann-Renée Desbiens to restructure their contracts and accept pay cuts, giving the organization the flexibility to assemble the roster she believed was necessary to win a championship.

With the PWHLPA releasing 2025–26 salary information last week, we now know the extent of the sacrifices made by Montreal's three franchise players.

Marie-Philip Poulin accepted an $11,354 reduction in salary, dropping from $121,570 to $110,216. Ann-Renée Desbiens saw her salary decrease by $4,972, from $94,972 to $90,000. Laura Stacey took the largest cut of the three, accepting $11,974 less, as her salary fell from $89,974 to $78,000.

In reality, the reductions were likely even greater. Those figures are based on their 2024–25 salaries, and all three players' inaugural contracts most likely included salary increases for their third and final season.

It's also worth noting that, as members of Team Canada during an Olympic year, Poulin, Stacey, and Desbiens each earned more than six figures through Hockey Canada alone.

Still, that does not change the fact that they agreed to accept less than their market value in order to help the Victoire build a championship-calibre roster.

As a result, Poulin ranked only fifth among the league's highest-paid players, while Desbiens was the third-highest-paid goaltender despite being widely regarded as the best netminder in the world.

“We knew there were players we had our eye on and that Danièle wanted to sign them,” said Poulin during the team's end-of-season media availability last Wednesday. “We knew we wanted to help in any way we could. It was a small way for us to give back and help bring those great women here to play. Honestly, for us, if it helped land a couple of them, it was worth it.”

For Desbiens, winning is priceless. In fact, she said she would trade any of her individual award nominations for a Walter Cup championship ring.

“It's about leaving a bigger piece of the pie for others as well, so you can attract the right people, the right leaders, and the players who truly want to play here,” said Desbiens. “Different players have different motivations. Some play primarily for the money. We care about that too, of course, but we also play to win.”

As for Laura Stacey, she shed more light on the discussions and how everything came together.

“I think obviously last summer we knew with expansion and new teams and those first-year contracts where the six of us (including Maureen Murphy, Kristin O’Neill, and Erin Ambrose) had bigger contracts and I think we talked to Daniele a lot,” she explained.

“We have a great working relationship with her. And I think the three of us knew if we wanted to win a championship here, trying to attract some new players and getting free agents, then maybe that was the best way to do it and the best opportunity. And Daniele kind of brought it to us. We heard it and it was a no brainer. We wanted to win a championship here in Montreal. We wanted to do whatever it took. And if that's what it took, we were willing to do it. And I think the three of us are pretty damn happy that a championship.”

Like it or not, this opens a can of worms.

Taking less money to remain on a competitive team is nothing new in professional sports. Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron, and more recently Connor McDavid have all done it. The difference is that it's easier to accept a pay cut when you're already earning millions of dollars and agreeing to make $10 million instead of $12 million per season.

In women's hockey, however, we're talking about a league that is only three years old. Players have repeatedly spoken about how proud they are to finally be able to make a living playing professional hockey, yet the three biggest stars on the defending champions willingly accepted less money to help build a winning roster.

That inevitably creates a difficult dynamic. If the team's biggest names are willing to sacrifice salary, it becomes harder for players lower on the depth chart to refuse if they are asked to do the same.

The reality, though, is that not everyone earns close to $100,000 per year. Not everyone receives additional income from Team Canada. And not everyone is in a financial position where taking a pay cut is a realistic option.

It was no secret within the organization that Danièle Sauvageau had difficulty making the numbers work under the salary cap. As a result, Poulin, Stacey, and Desbiens were not the only players who were asked to accept less money.

According to sources, shortly before finalizing her roster, Sauvageau approached Catherine Dubois and asked her to take a lower salary than the two sides had originally agreed upon in order to help the team meet the league's required average salary threshold.

As Sauvageau herself said last Wednesday, "for a GM, $1,000 can make a difference."

According to those same sources, Dubois agreed to the reduction. In return, she received a one-year contract extension, for the 2026-27 season, that was never publicly announced by either the team or the league. The extension only became known to the media in recent days, when the PWHL published the length of players' contracts as part of the expansion process.

Asked whether she would be willing to take another pay cut this offseason if it helped the Victoire remain a championship contender, Stacey — who also serves as president of the PWHLPA — did not rule out the possibility.

“That's a good question. I haven't thought that far. Maybe not, hope not. But you never know. If that's what it takes to go back-to-back. I guess we could, but honestly, we haven't really talked about that.”

Desbiens, meanwhile, noted that there is a limit to the financial sacrifice she would be willing to make.

“Well, I wouldn't say that out loud because Danièle might call me. So, no! But like I said, when you win, other things come with it. There are bonuses and things like that. You can't put a price on the feeling of winning and celebrating like this. I think there's a limit to how much you're willing to lower your salary. But if Danièle called me and needed it, I'd definitely say yes. We play to win. I want the opportunity to make the playoffs every season. I want to play in the finals. Those are the moments I love. Those are the moments when I thrive. As an athlete, that's where you want to compete. We're trying to attract players who feel the same way, and I can confirm that winning this year is going to help.”

Although the CBA states that playoff bonuses “shall be divided among players on a qualifying team as directed by the PWHLPA,” I’ve confirmed with the league that during the first two seasons, the money was split evenly among all players on the final roster — including reserves and players on LTIR.

 All bonuses are also subject to a 3% annual increase, meaning the Montreal Victoire players will split $67,102 this season for winning the cup.

If reserve players are included again, each player would receive approximately $2,580

Stacey's pay cut raises a question, though.

The CBA states that “during the initial League Year only, the League will sign no fewer than six (6) Players on each Team to three-year SPAs of no less than $80,000 per League Year. These requirements shall not apply to SPA signings in subsequent years of this Agreement.”

Based on that language, how was Stacey able to restructure her contract and earn only $78,000 in the third year of the deal?

Could it be that either the average annual value of the inaugural contract or that of the extension remains at least $80,000, and that the league approved it on that basis?

At this point, those questions remain unanswered.

There was only one other example of this in the PWHL, where it's now known Vancouver's Kristen Campbell was paid only $69,872 this season, although it's believe Toronto retained the remained of her salary, which was set to be $84,872 this season.

The PWHLPA released the 2025-26 salary figures, but provided no additional details regarding players who signed contract extensions, noting only that the information will be updated annually.

“Revealing it helps the players negotiate their salaries,” said Poulin. “The numbers aren't huge, and we're all aware of that. Great things take time. If you look at people like Caroline Ouellette and Kim St-Pierre, they played hockey their entire careers without getting paid. Our league has only been around for three years, and we're still growing. Those numbers will keep growing as the league's impact continues to grow as well. If you look at the WNBA and the salaries players are earning today, it took 30 years to get there. So, when you look at where we are after just three years, it's encouraging. There's still work to be done, but we're very satisfied. We'll keep pushing the boundaries together and breaking down barriers for ourselves and for future generations.”