Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin played through a torn ACL and meniscus en route to winning the Walter Cup and playoff MVP, the team announced Thursday.
Poulin first injured her knee at the Olympics with Team Canada on Feb. 9 and then sustained more serious injuries March 15 while competing in the PWHL. She missed 10 games before returning for the Victoire's regular-season finale and playing in every postseason contest.
The 35-year-old will undergo surgery in July and is out indefinitely.
"I mean, it's two different occasions, obviously, but what happened in February probably kinda started it," Poulin explained. "Coming back in the PWHL, was feeling good when I came back, and unfortunately, it happened in that game, March 15. It's part of it. I knew everything. And right now, it's just now back at it and be in the gym to be able to come back as fast as possible."
Poulin tallied two goals and eight points in nine games with her injured knee as Montreal won the Walter Cup for the first time. She scored the triple-overtime goal in Game 2 of the PWHL semifinals against the Minnesota Frost and the series-winning goal in Game 5.
"I think it's a journey of an athlete where you give your 100% every day, things can happen," Poulin said. "That's part of it. We have such a great team in Montreal. They actually allowed me to play in the series, where, honestly, sometimes you ask yourself as an athlete if you're able to. And they were by my side the whole time."
She added, "Yes, it is emotional. Hockey, it is my life, but (injuries are a) part of it, and we're gonna go one day at a time."
Poulin leads the PWHL in goals and points through the league's three-season history. She's a three-time Olympic gold medalist and added a second silver medal to her resume in February. Poulin is the all-time goals leader at the Olympics. She netted the gold medal-winning goals at the 2010, 2014, and 2022 Games.
Team Canada will play at the 2026 Women's World Championship in November, and the PWHL campaign is set to begin shortly after.
