'We believe in it': Poulin says fight continues for women's pro hockey league

Marie-Philip Poulin isn't planning on hanging up her skates anytime soon.

While the captain of Canada's gold medal-winning women's hockey team is currently taking some much-needed time away from the ice, she has no plans to retire from playing.

The 30-year-old forward is even open to the idea of strapping on her gear for a fifth Olympic run at the Milano Cortina Games in 2026.

“If the body holds on, if I can still keep up with those youngsters, I would love that," Poulin said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. "The heart and the mind is still there so we’ll go one year at a time. But I still love (playing hockey)."

Dubbed "Captain Clutch" for her uncanny ability to rise in big games, Poulin once again led Canada to gold with two goals in the final at the Beijing Games last month. She has now scored in four consecutive Olympic finals, tallying seven goals in those must-watch games.

There's been much speculation about how the three-time gold medallist will follow up her latest Olympic performance, including talk of a potential role with an NHL team.

Poulin isn't ready to leave the ice for a seat in a front office just yet, though.

“Obviously hockey’s a big part of my life and after my career, I would love to be involved, I would love to do something within hockey," she said. "Obviously that would be lovely, I would love that. I still want to play a little bit more and after, we’ll see.”

The general manager of the ECHL's Trois-Rivières Lions publicly mused recently that he was interested in signing Poulin to play. Momentum Hockey, the agency that represents Poulin, quickly shot down the idea, releasing a statement in French that said she has no intentions of joining the team.

The statement noted that the hockey