'Superstar' Marie-Philip Poulin's plans after leading Canada's women to gold

Marie-Philip Poulin has become undoubtedly the most influential ice hockey player at recent Olympic Winter Games.

Poulin scored twice in the Beijing 2022 final making her the only player - male or female - to score in four Olympic finals.

They were vital goals too with Canada beating the United States 3-2 to regain their title.

Having won her third gold medal, Poulin has turned down an offer to play with the men in order to help grow the game of women's hockey.

Olympic legacy

Nobody gets a nickname like 'Captain Clutch' without showing that they can make an impact in key moments.

And Poulin lived up to that moniker once more in Beijing, netting Canada's second and third goal against USA to secure gold.

Of her teammate scoring goals in four consecutive gold medal matches, Brianne Jenner told Olympics.com: "I am not surprised. I have had the privilege to play with her and against her. She is a superstar.

"What makes her special is she is not just a superstar with the puck but without the puck, and a great leader for us. We are happy to follow her wherever she will take us."

Staying in the women's game

Marc-Andre Bergeron, general manager of the ECHL’s Trois-Rivières Lions, an affiliate of the NHL's Montreal Canadiens, had expressed an interest in signing Poulin.

But the player's representatives, Momentum Hockey, released a statement in French saying Poulin has no intentions of joining the team.

It noted that the 30-year-old has dedicated her career to advancing and developing women’s hockey, and will continue working towards creating a women’s league.

Poulin was involved in the launch of the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) in 2019 following the collapse of the Canadian Women's Hockey League, and has played in their matches ever since.

Momentum's statement also thanked the Lions for recognising Poulin’s "exceptional talent" and invited the team to join her and hundreds of other players who are working to promote women’s hockey in Canada.

As well as her role in the PHWPA, she is expected to continue playing for Team Canada and could even make a fifth Olympic appearance at Milano Cortina 2026.

Leading by example

Poulin has made such a notable mark on the women's game in ice hockey that it even transcends her own sport.

This was highlighted at the beginning of Beijing 2022 when she was made a flagbearer for the Opening Ceremony.

"To be honest, I'm still trying to figure those words out since the day you told us, it hasn't sunk in yet. It's quite special, it's an honour," Poulin had told reporters.

"It just reminded me of my first Olympics in Vancouver, I was walking in behind Clara Hughes, seeing her with that smile and having the pride of carrying that flag, it was unbelievable. It's so much pride, it's an honour."

After the gold medal match, head coach Troy Ryan declared to Olympics.com: "She is a special player. Although she is not vocal, I always make sure I am paying attention because it is probably something I can learn from as a coach."

Fans will be delighted that Poulin plans to continue making her mark on the women's game ahead of Canada's defence of their world title in Denmark in August.