Reaction: On-Ice Moments From An Emotional Walter Cup Celebration

While trying not to slip and avoiding the beer showers, the hours on the ice after Game 4 of the Walter Cup final, which resulted in a title for the Montreal Victoire as they shutout the Ottawa Charge 4-0, were filled with emotional reactions from members of the Montreal Victoire and PWHL staff. 

Here are what the players and staff on the ice had to say following the Walter Cup win.

"To see these incredible women on the ice and be able to celebrate with them. Caro (Caroline Ouellette), Noum (Noemie Marin) — the last time I won alongside them was the Clarkson Cup in Ottawa," said Poulin. "Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve looked up to these women, the ones who paved the way for us."

France (St-Louis), Caro, Noum, Danièle (Sauvageau), Kori (Cheverie), Kim (St. Pierre), there are so many of them. It’s not just about the players, it’s the entire organization, and we’re incredibly proud."

"I’m very proud of what we accomplished. Nothing ever happens on its own. Whether it’s preparing for a draft, identifying players throughout the year who could help us, recognizing needs — you heard me talk about depth and winners.

We had 29 players this year who were part of this process. Unfortunately, because of the way the league works, two of them aren’t here, but they are still an integral part of what we accomplished.

The leagues that came before allowed us to have this league today. We wouldn’t be here without people like France St-Louis. We’re here to stay, but we got here because of the foundation that was built before us."

"It’s incredible. We worked so hard for several years for this moment. We showed character, we showed heart, and we finally got it done," said Desbiens.

"I don’t mind about the shutout. It could have been 11-10, as long as we scored one more goal than the other team."

"It’s incredible," said Ouellette. "I don’t think the fans know even half of what some of our athletes had to go through this year. What I’ll remember from this season is that every time we lost an important player, someone else stepped up and shined to help us keep winning."

"In the last few seconds of the game, I was just trying to take in the moment," said Cheverie. "I didn’t care what was happening, I just wanted all the girls to experience it, to live it and for us to take it in. I don’t think it could have ended any better."

"I can’t say enough great things about what Pou does our team, for the game of hockey, for the city, the province and the country. She put us on her back when we needed it and she took some help from her teammates when she needed it. 

Our game plan went better than what we thought. We just needed to get more pucks in the low ice. We needed to drive the post more; we needed to drive the back post on Philips. She’s a great goalie so we needed to get her moving east-west. On two of our goals, we got her moving east-west. So, it was great execution from our players."

"These are the games I look forward. I love the meaningful ones and today was just another one of those. I was lucky enough to get a couple of goals," said Roque.

"I got to thank Stace (Laura Stacey) for my second goal. She basically let herself dead killed in that little battle just to make the play to get it out and I was lucky enough to have a one-on-one so I figured I might as well go for it. 

This was the goal right from the beginning. Right from talking to them, Pou, Stace and I know Ann forever. What they want to do is win and that’s what I wanted to do. 

I played with Ann (Desbiens) in Wisconsin and she’s always been the GOAT. This game is very Ann. I looked at her and said it’s very you fashion! 

"Montreal was definitely the right choice," said Mattivi. "When you come later to a team, you come to a team that has already a culture. It was such an easy transition and to be able to accomplish this together, it was great."

"100%, it’s all worth it. You just got to be resilient in whatever you do. It’s bigger than yourself. If you have that mentality, playing time and minutes will come your way. You just got to do what’s best for the team."

It’s incredible. I don’t even have words right now. I think all the sacrifices are worth it. It’s the entire process. We’ve been trying to win this cup for three years and I still don’t fully realize it. I thought about my parents, who couldn’t be here today, but who were there for me all year long.”

"I’m very emotional. It’s incredible. I’m so happy for the girls, they worked so hard. This team has been unbelievable all year long," said St-Louis.

"A hundred thousand percent, it’s worth every sacrifice we made. What’s happening right now is just extraordinary. I admire this so much and I’m happy to see where the game has reached today. The difference with other championships is that this is a professional league. We never had this before. It’s exceptional. I would have given a lot to be on the ice!"

"It’s special to experience this," said St-Pierre. "It’s been an incredible journey. What a privilege it was to work with the Victoire this year. This is a team that worked so hard, through all the injuries, and it’s really special to experience this from the other side.

We dreamed of a moment like this, but we never thought we’d actually get to live it in front of such a big crowd. It almost felt like I was living it in slow motion because we imagined it so many times in our dreams. To be part of this, I feel privileged, and I want to thank Danièle (Sauvageau). It was such a joy to work with her this year."

"Feels pretty darn good. We found a way every single time to get it done. This is pretty indescribable right now. It might have been a good thing for us to lose Game 3," said Ambrose.

"We learned from it. We were up one nothing and then we go up two nothing with a jailbreak goal. We had a difference mindset. Today was the day. "

"100% it was all worth it. We never we really dreamed about this because it never existed when we were kids, but something like this, for young kids to see, winning a championship in Canada, it doesn’t get any better than this," Stacey said.

"I don’t think I ever been part of a winning team, so I can’t describe it to be honest," said Ljungblom, who is Swedish. "It feels just amazing! I’m so happy. I won a championship when I was younger, but not when I got older. I feel like I’ve been on a losing team all the time!"

"It’s special. As you can tell, I’ve lost my voice. We went through so much as a team. This group always stayed together and always believed in one another," said Labelle.

"A few years ago, I never thought I could dream of winning the Walter Cup, and today I’m doing it. It’s unbelievably special. It justifies my decision to sign in Montreal even more. It proves that with depth, you can win."

"It’s hard to put it into words, but a lot pride for this group. We’ve been through a lot. Even today we had people not feeling well. Just to come out on top the way we did, just a lot of pride and really grateful to be part of this group," said Boulier.

"I remember the day I got traded to Montreal and I remembered thinking that this team demands excellence. And that they always want to win. I knew eventually it would come."

"It wasn’t a 4-0 game at all. It was close the entire game, just like the series was," said Marin. "I don’t even know how to describe it. We’ve been working for this for three years and now we finally have it."

"You look around and it’s truly extraordinary what our athletes are able to experience, and also what young girls coming up can now dream of doing one day. It’s really exceptional.

I predicted we’d score four goals tonight, I told Kori (Cheverie) about it, but don’t know why I did that. The vibe around the team, the chances we were getting — we were always so close. I don’t know. I just had a feeling we were going to score four."

"I think it’s amazing to have a Canadian winning the cup. You have so many players and legends that play for the Victoire," said Scheer. "It’s only fitting that Captain Clutch, Laura Stacey, Erin Ambrose, some of the stars from Canadian hockey got to bring the cup back to Montreal and bring the cup back to Canada."