06/25/26 12:34:00
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06/25 12:32 CDT Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin played through a torn ACL and is
set for surgery in July
Victoire's Marie-Philip Poulin played through a torn ACL and is set for surgery
in July
MONTREAL (AP) --- Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin revealed
Thursday she played through a torn ACL and a torn meniscus in her right knee to
help the team capture the PWHL championship and is expected to be out
indefinitely after surgery set for late July.
Poulin, 35, was initially injured in the preliminary round at the Olympics but
still played for Canada in the knockout stage to help it reach the final before
losing to the U.S. in overtime and leaving Milan with silver. She aggravated
the injury on March 15 when Montreal played Boston.
"It is emotional. Hockey, it is my life," Poulin said, fighting back tears
during a video news conference with Victoire general manager Danile Sauvageau.
"It's the journey of an athlete where you give your 100% every day, things can
happen, and that's part of it. Not that I'm looking forward to it, but I am
looking forward to (stepping) up in that recovery room, in that training room,
to go one day at a time and come back."
Sauvageau said the Victoire will provide updates as they become available,
adding the team is confident Poulin will return to play "in due time."
Poulin missed 10 games after reinjuring the knee in March, then was playoff MVP
for her role in Montreal's first Walter Cup title run, with two goals and six
assists in nine games.
"I won't lie, yes, it was painful. Mentally and physically, it was difficult,"
Poulin said. "It was hard, but to be honest, I knew the team we had was very
special. I knew we were in a position to put ourselves in a very good spot to
win the Walter Cup. It was one of our goals, and it was one of my goals. It was
worth it.
"I knew all the risks, what was for it and what was against it, and what I had
to do. At the end of the day, I was 100% committed. And I was very happy to
lift that Cup at the end of the day."
Poulin is widely regarded as one of the greatest women's hockey players of all
time. She has won three Olympic gold medals, scoring the winning goal in all
three of those finals to earn the nickname "Captain Clutch."
A five-time Olympian, Poulin also is the Canadian women's team's all-time
leading goal scorer at the Winter Games with 20.
Poulin is the PWHL's all-time leading scorer with 38 goals and 67 points in 70
games since the league began play in 2024. She was named league MVP in 2025.
This past season, Poulin recorded nine goals and nine assists in 19 games.
"I don't think there's any words to describe Marie, to start with, and what she
had decided following this injury. It was not a ?for sure' to be back during
the playoffs," Sauvageau said. "To go through this process, not knowing if it's
gonna work, it was unbelievable to watch ... This is what Marie-Philip is all
about, a person of (few) words, but so much more action. And this is how she
leads.
"(The goal) is to be back as long as possible. We love watching her, we love
having her around, she's bigger than the sport itself and the sport needs her."
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AP women's hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
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