Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the Montr\u00e9al Victoire, is facing uncertainty about her future in the Professional Women’s Hockey League after leading her team to the Walter Cup. At 35, Poulin, who may need knee surgery, acknowledges she has fewer years left to play than she already has dedicated to women\u2019s hockey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have some decisions to make in the coming weeks,\u201d Poulin said during the team\u2019s end-of-season press availability at Montreal\u2019s Verdun Auditorium. \u201cI\u2019m focusing on coming back and rehabilitating properly. I don\u2019t know exactly what the future holds, but I\u2019ll take it one day at a time. I\u2019m still waiting on all the test results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poulin\u2019s challenges began at the February Milano-Cortina Olympics when she injured her right knee. She worsened the injury in a March 15 game against the Boston Fleet, forcing her to miss 10 games. She returned on April 25 for the last regular-season game in Seattle and played in all nine playoff games.<\/p>\n
Throughout the playoffs, Poulin wore a knee brace that limited her mobility, especially during the semifinals against the Minnesota Frost. She said she felt more comfortable in the finals against the Ottawa Charge. \u201cIt\u2019s tough wearing a brace before every game. It\u2019s heavy, like carrying a piano on your back. But you push it aside and play with your heart and your head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite her injury, Poulin\u2019s determination earned her playoff MVP honors after tallying eight points in nine games. Yet, the condition of her knee remains a concern. \u201cI\u2019m waiting on results that will determine if surgery is necessary, probably this summer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When asked about retirement, Poulin laughed but admitted retirement is a real possibility. \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m thinking about. I\u2019m trying to stay in the moment and enjoy right now, but important conversations and decisions will come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Poulin\u2019s personal life is intertwined with her wife and teammate Laura Stacey, who has expressed a desire to start a family. Stacey said they have yet to have serious talks about the future. \u201cRight now, we just want to enjoy this championship. It\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The outlook for the 2026-27 season remains unclear. \u201cWe both need to see how our bodies recover after such a tough playoff, then figure out our next steps physically, mentally, and as a family,\u201d Stacey explained.<\/p>\n
Stacey herself suffered a severe knee injury in the first game of the final, visibly in pain during the final moments while the Victoire trailed 2-1. \u201cIt was one of the worst pains I\u2019ve ever felt. I was scared and screaming,\u201d she said. Poulin initially panicked and suggested calling an ambulance, but Stacey refused.<\/p>\n
After a last-second equalizer, Stacey returned for overtime and assisted on Abby Roque\u2019s winning goal. \u201cI honestly don\u2019t know how I managed to get back out there. The medical staff was incredible. Without their support, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to play, and they played a huge role in our Walter Cup victory.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the Montr\u00e9al Victoire, is facing uncertainty about her future in the Professional Women’s Hockey League after […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3739,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","description":"","custom_seo_keywords":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ice-hockey"],"yoast_head":"\n