Marie-Philip Poulin’s Olympic Injury Stirs Familiar, Painful Memories for Team Canada
When Marie-Philip Poulin was seen laboring on the bench during Canada’s game against the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics, it was impossible not to feel a sense of déjà vu. For fans of women’s hockey - and especially for those who’ve followed Poulin’s career closely - the moment echoed a painful chapter from seven years ago.
Back on February 24, 2019, in what turned out to be the final regular-season game of the CWHL, Poulin went down at center ice. There were no broadcast cameras, no slow-motion replays - just a confusing, concerning scene.
Whether it was a rut in the ice or an awkward collision, the result was clear: Poulin had hurt her knee. The initial word was that she’d be ready for the playoffs.
She wasn’t.
In the Clarkson Cup Final that year, she suited up but didn’t take a single shift. Les Canadiennes lost, and Poulin was forced to watch it unfold from the bench - not unlike what we saw in Milan, where she could only watch as Team Canada fell to the Americans. In both moments, her most visible contribution was a frustrated reaction to a call that didn’t go her team’s way.
That spring, she pushed to return for the World Championship. She made the roster, but in the early games, she didn’t play.
Against Switzerland: in the lineup, zero shifts. Against the U.S.: same story.
It wasn’t until the matchup with Russia that she finally hit the ice - seven shifts, just under five minutes of ice time. But the comeback didn’t last.
She re-aggravated the injury and left the game. By the time Canada faced Finland in their next round-robin game, Poulin wasn’t even on the lineup card.
Her tournament was over.
Canada would go on to lose to Finland in the semifinals - a 4-2 defeat - and settle for bronze. It was the first time they’d finished third at the World Championship.
Fast forward to 2026, and the stakes are even higher. This isn’t a World Championship.
This is the Olympics - the stage that’s defined Poulin’s career. And while the loss to the Americans was tough in 2019, this one felt worse.
Much worse. Now, as Canada prepares to face Finland in the preliminary round, the uncertainty around Poulin’s status looms large.
She’s officially listed as day-to-day. But with the gold medal game just a week away, "day-to-day" doesn’t provide much comfort. There simply aren’t that many days left.
And here’s the thing: we’ve seen this movie before. In 2019, the hope was that Poulin would bounce back in time for another shot.
That window was supposed to be seven months. Instead, it vanished.
The CWHL folded before the World Championships even began, and Poulin wouldn’t lace up for another pro league game for nearly five years.
So, yes - the fact that she hasn’t been ruled out of the Olympics is something. But history has taught us not to take that for granted.
For better or worse, Poulin’s legacy has been built on Olympic ice. She exploded onto the scene in Vancouver as an 18-year-old, scored clutch goals in Sochi and PyeongChang, and earned the nickname “Captain Clutch” for a reason. Her story has unfolded in four-year chapters, each one adding to her case as one of the greatest to ever play the game.
But now, there’s a very real chance we’re nearing the final pages of that story. And the thought that this might be the way it ends - watching from the bench, unable to take a shift - is tough to swallow.
Of course, every injury is different. There are always variables.
But the uncertainty is what makes it so difficult. We just don’t know what’s next.
And that, more than anything, is what stings.
Because if this is the end - if we’ve seen the last of Poulin on the Olympic stage - it won’t feel right. Not for a player who’s given everything to the game.
Not for a captain who’s defined an era. Not like this.