CAPTAIN CLUTCH
the on-ice and off-ice regimen it takes to be successful. I watched them [at the 2002 Olympics] and they were my idols—they still are today. They’d already won two gold medals and they were still training so hard to improve. They were a great influence on me, but there were so many others who helped along the way as well.
BECKETT HOCKEY: One of the things that makes you the player you are is your work ethic. You’ve been compared to Sidney Crosby for the intensity of your preparations and your dedication to improving even the smallest elements of your game.
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN: I do like to work hard. I don’t take for granted where I am today, so every day I want to push myself at the gym or on the ice. I want to make myself better but also to help my teammates around me, too. That’s something we value a lot with Team Canada. We hold each other accountable and push each other to be better.
BECKETT HOCKEY: Speaking of Sid, he’s obviously a great mentor to follow. What’s your relationship with him like?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN: Yeah, it was great to meet him at the Olympics. We kept in touch. [In November] we were in Pittsburgh [for the two-game Dream Gap Tour series against Team USA] and we had a chance to talk a little bit. His season is busy and life gets crazy, so it’s fun to just follow him on TV and watch how he goes about his business.
BECKETT HOCKEY: Another thing you two have in common is that you’ve both worn the C for Canada. Tell us about the challenges and responsibilities that come with having that letter on your country’s sweater.
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN: Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I think how lucky I am to get that. Those are big shoes to fill, for sure...but it doesn’t change the person you are. I was lucky to have so many players who showed me how to be a leader. There were some great players who wore that C before me, you know, Cassie Campbell, Hayley Wickenheiser. I was lucky, getting it from Caroline Ouellette. It was an honor. I take so much pride every time I wear that jersey. Obviously the [2018 Pyeongchang] Olympics were really hard. When you take that role, you put a lot of pressure on yourself. We were going for that fifth Olympic [gold] medal. Losing that was tough for sure. We wanted to bring that gold back to Canada. But I learned a lot and it made me want to work even harder for my teammates.
BECKETT HOCKEY: Obviously things went a little better for you and your teammates in Sochi in 2014. Everything that happened after that puck hit the goalpost will be remembered forever by
Canadian hockey fans. What was it like to live through those moments?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
It was crazy! I was on the ice and I saw that puck wiggle right, left, right, left and then it hit the post. I don’t know how it happened. At that moment, I just couldn’t believe it hit the post. But it did and it gave us the opportunity to come back. You know, we had changes in players, a change in coaches...there was a lot going on that year [leading up to the tournament]. That game was a reflection of how that year went with so many ups and downs. But we never gave up. We were resilient. That team had a lot of veteran leadership, a lot of girls who had been in tough situations before. They had the experience to get us through that moment. We couldn’t have written a better fairytale ending.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
Stepping away from the national team for a minute, professional women’s hockey is at a pivotal point. You’re taking a year off in the prime of your career, as are so are many other players, to fight for the creation of a unified pro league that will be a better place for the women who come after you. What does that sacrifice mean to you?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
It was tough news [when the Canadian Women’s Hockey League folded in 2018]. I think we got it at the World Championship. We didn’t know what to do at that moment. But we have good leadership and a good purpose.
Still, it’s scary. And it throws you out of your routine. We’re used to being at the rink, practicing all week and getting ready for that game. Now it’s totally different, but we’re adapting and we’re working for the betterment of the sport. We’re thinking of those little ones who come watch us play and look to us as role models. They’ll be the ones following in our footsteps. We’re doing it for them and the game we love. And anything that is good to build is going to take time. [Players from Team Canada and Team USA] have put our countries aside and we’re in it together. We believe in ourselves and our game and we hope the fans will, too.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
Everyone is waiting for the NHL to step up and help create a new league much the way the NBA did more than 20 years ago. In the meantime, you and the stars of the women’s game have staged the Dream Gap Tour with showcase events in Canada and the U.S. thanks to some corporate support.
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
Unifor in Toronto, and Budweiser have really supported us.We appreciate that they appreciate women’s hockey. They’re helping draw attention to us and hopefully there are people up there in power who will support us.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
You have a great product to sell to fans, and much like the NHL, you’ve got a wave of exciting young talent that’s ready to take the game to an even higher level. Now that you’re a veteran, can you tell us some of the kids we should be watching for?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
We just played a twogame series against the U.S. and you saw Sarah Fillier, Claire Thompson, Emma Maltais … those are some of the kids who are really stepping it up with the team. You know, it’s amazing to see how good they are and how they fit with the team. It’s like they’ve already been here many years with their confidence and how well they prepare. The team has a great future.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
As a lifelong hockey fan, did you ever collect cards?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
Yeah, I collected a bit with my brother. We both really enjoyed Teemu Selanne so we liked his cards.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
And now you’re the one on cards. What’s it’s like being the player that kids are collecting today?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
Well, it’s special. I never imagined that as a possibility when I was a kid. You know, those are famous people on those cards! They’re the ones you see on TV. So to be the one on cards now is pretty amazing. But you know what’s most rewarding is when you see the little girls coming up to you at the rink with a card that they want to be signed. That’s what’s most valuable to me for sure.
BECKETT HOCKEY:
What about memorabilia? Did you keep anything special from your career, or from other players?
MARIE-PHILIP POULIN:
I save a little bit here and there. I should probably save more, but I like to give things away, too. The stick that I used to score the winning goal in Vancouver [in the 2010 Games] I gave to my dad because that day it was his birthday. You know, it’s always fun to do things like that. And for me, the memories are what I think are most special.