ELMONT, N.Y. – It was hard to tell which sparkled more in the postgame interview area at UBS Arena on Wednesday night. Marie-Philip Poulin’s smile or her diamond stud earrings.
One thing is certain, though. No one in the first PWHL game played in New York shined brighter on the ice than Poulin.
Poulin scored a hat trick, leading Montreal to a 5-2 win against New York. The victory made Poulin happy. But perhaps what made her smile most was the presence of Team Canada teammates Jessie Eldridge and Ella Shelton standing off to the side trying to make her laugh.
The three had been giggling, catching up prior to Poulin’s session with the media. That Eldridge and Shelton play for New York adds a unique twist to the off-ice camaraderie found in the new Professional Women’s Hockey League.
“It’s been all of us together for many years pushing for this league, so it’s been unbelievable to see the first week of games coming together and seeing the fans in the stands, seeing the smiles on all of us,” Poulin said. “You can tell when we jump on the ice just how excited we are.”
Marie-Philip Poulin ‘legend’ in women’s hockey, scores her first PWHL hat trick
Poulin was at the forefront of creating the PWHLPA and the collaboration with the Mark Walter Group which ultimately funded the new league. She’s also likely the biggest star in a league that finally has the best women’s players taking part.
“She’s a legend,” Montreal goalie Elaine Chuli said. “That’s the easiest way to put it. Just the way she works and leads our group is something we all want to emulate. She does everything the right way.”
Poulin is a highly decorated superstar on the international stage. She’s a four-time Olympic medalist, including three gold medals, for Canada. Known as “Captain Clutch,” Poulin is the only women’s hockey player to score goals in three Olympic gold-medal games, including two game winners.
The 32-year-old has also helped Canada win 11 medals at the World Championships, including three gold. In 80 international matches, Poulin has 50 goals and 108 points. She had 87 goals and 184 points in 93 games for the CWHL, a prior women’s pro league in Canada.
Simply put, Montreal’s captain is a rock star in the sport.
And now her next goal is to help put the PWHL on the map. After earning one assist in the first two games, she broke out Wednesday scoring her first three goals for Montreal.
She drove to the net to bury a pass and tie the game 1-1 at 8:14 of the first period. Then Poulin converted a 2-on-1 at 6:03 of the third to put Montreal up 4-2, before completing the hat trick with an empty-net goal at 18:53.
“Marie knows how to put the puck in the back of the net every time she touches it,” Shelton offered.
For her part, Poulin said she couldn’t remember any of the goals, choosing instead to state, “it was a great team win.”
But ask her about the PWHL and its importance, and that bright smile returns to Poulin’s face.
“This has been years in the making, for us all to pull together and have a professional environment,” Poulin explained. “We’re going to have the right resources and professionalism. And we feel it, we can see it. It’s great to see on social media and on TV how amazing it is to watch women’s hockey.
“We’ve been saying for many years, if you can see it, you can be it. And that’s where we are.”