There was a loud cheer at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena on Monday when Marie-Philip Poulin returned to the bench after hobbling down the tunnel, clearly in pain, just minutes earlier.
But Captain Canada, who’s scored game-winning goals in three Olympic gold medal finals, didn’t return to the bench in the second period, and she didn’t return to the ice for the rest of the round-robin game against Czechia.
Talk about an enormous blow to the defending champions: Canada may have lost the most clutch performer in Olympic hockey history.
Fingers are now crossed, not only across Canada, but throughout the hockey world, that Poulin will return to action in what is her fifth Winter Games.
The captain’s exit from the game marred a dominant performance for Canada over Czechia in the first-ever Olympic meeting between the teams, a 5-1 win that saw Canadian goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens make 18 saves to remain undefeated in her career at the Olympics.
Through just 20 minutes, Canada led 4-0 and forced Czechia to make a goalie change. Kristin O’Neill got Canada on the board first, Sarah Fillier scored what stood up as the game-winner, Laura Stacey made it 3-0, and Julia Gosling scored back-to-back goals on the power-play to pace Canada’s offence.
Here are our takeaways from the game that improves Canada’s record to 2-0 ahead of Tuesday’s match-up against the rival Americans, a game that may or may not include Poulin.
Will Captain Clutch return?
This game leaves that massive question hanging in the air. The severity of Poulin’s injury is unknown, but the captain hit the boards awkwardly after Kristýna Kaltounková checked her into them in the first period.
Poulin took her time getting up, then left the ice without putting much pressure on her right leg. She hopped back onto the bench and sat there grimacing in obvious pain.
Kaltounková was penalized for an illegal hit, and later in the ensuing power play, Poulin returned to the ice, but made just one pass and gingerly headed back to the bench after 10-or-so seconds of play. Then she headed down the tunnel along with the team doctor, again putting very little weight on that right side.
With just over a minute to go, the captain returned to the bench, and the crowd roared. Poulin smiled and sat with her teammates, but didn’t return to the ice, and didn’t return to the bench or ice for the second or third periods.
Canada responded quickly after their captain was taken out of the game: Emma Maltais, who was elevated to the top line alongside Poulin and Stacey, immediately went after Kaltounková and was restrained by officials.
And not long after Poulin left the game, Stacey, her wife and usual linemate, scored to make it 3-0 Canada, picking up a beauty cross-ice pass from Maltais and sending a wrist shot top shelf, glove side.
Natalie Spooner took Poulin’s spot on that top line, and just before the third period, Team Canada announced Poulin wouldn’t be back.
Poulin has scored 17 times at the Olympics, and she’s one goal away from tying the all-time record held by Hayley Wickenheiser.
As Renata Fast told CBC Sports’ Claire Hanna ahead of the third period, of the team’s captain: “She’s irreplaceable.”
Momentum swing
Czechia had a little more than a minute with a two-player advantage early in the first after Stacey took a tripping penalty and Renata Fast joined her in the penalty box soon after for an illegal hit.
On the ensuing power play, Czechia hit a post and had some chances, but couldn’t beat Desbiens. O’Neill was out there for the penalty kill, and just after Fast got out of the box, the defender showed her incredible speed and led a rush up ice, her backhand providing a juicy rebound for O’Neill, who banged it home for her first-ever Olympic goal at her first-ever Games, giving Canada the 1-0 lead just 5:44 into the first.
Poulin was out there for the five-on-three for Canada. She blocked a shot, then cleared the puck and sped off the ice. The captain’s value for her team extends far beyond just goal-scoring.
Gosling’s specialty made crystal clear
Olympic rookie Julia Gosling was ready to play whatever role she could for Canada in Milano, and heading into the Games, she wondered whether she’d be a fourth-liner or a power-play specialist. She’s proven to do both exceptionally well in the early goings for Canada.
Gosling potted her second and third goals of these Olympics, and all three have come on the power play. She’s using her five-foot-ten frame and scoring touch, and her three goals through two games rank her second overall in tournament scoring, behind only Sweden’s Thea Johansson, who’s played three games compared to Gosling’s two.
Kaltounková in the spotlight
After she took out Poulin, No. 98 for Czechia had a giant target on her back. Gosling had the biggest hit on Kaltounková, sending her to the ice in the second period.
And Canada largely managed to shut Kaltounková down. The 23-year-old leads the PWHL with 11 goals in 16 games with the New York Sirens, and she had plenty of chances on Monday, including on the power play in the second period, when veteran defender Jocelyne Larocque helped out Desbiens and made a save herself.
It was on the power play in the third period when Kaltounková fired a shot on Desbiens, and Natalie Mlynkova jumped on the rebound to get Czechia on the board.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 PWHL draft, Kaltounková has a goal and an assist through four games in her Olympic debut.
She also plays a big role in the physicality that defines her team, and on Monday, she took two penalties for illegal hits in the first period. The first was on Poulin and the second was on Fillier, another one of Canada’s most dangerous scoring threats.
Rivals on tap
On Tuesday at 2:10 pm ET, the sport’s best rivalry hits the ice as Canada faces Team USA. While Canada is the defending Olympic champion, the Americans won the last four head-to-head match-ups late last year in the Rivalry Series, so they’re the favourites in Milano.
If Poulin isn’t in the game, try not to read too much into that: Canada will no doubt be trying to rest the captain, if she’s able to return to the ice, for the playoff rounds.
Canada finishes up round-robin play on Thursday at 8:30 am ET against Finland.
