'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.

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."

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.

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