MONTREAL — Montreal Victoire captain Marie-Philip Poulin will undergo knee surgery in late July and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.
Poulin fought back tears as she and Victoire general manager Danièle Sauvageau announced the update during a virtual press conference Thursday.
The 35-year-old from Beauceville, Que., will undergo surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus in her right knee, she said. Sauvageau said the team will provide updates as they become available.
Poulin first injured the knee in preliminary-round play against Czechia at February’s Milan Cortina Olympics before re-aggravating it on March 15 against the Boston Fleet.
She missed the next 10 games but returned to lead the Victoire to their first Walter Cup title, earning playoff MVP honours with two goals and six assists in nine games.
Poulin is widely regarded as one of the greatest women’s hockey players of all time. She has won three Olympic gold medals, scoring the winning goal in all three of those gold-medal games to earn the nickname “Captain Clutch.”
A five-time Olympian, Poulin is also the Canadian women’s team’s all-time leading goal scorer at the Winter Games with 20.
Poulin is the PWHL’s all-time leading scorer with 38 goals and 67 points in 70 games since the league began play in 2024. She was named league MVP in 2025.
This past season, Poulin recorded nine goals and nine assists in 19 games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2026.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
