Marie-Philip Poulin’s fifth Winter Olympics has been nothing but historic for the Canadian women’s hockey team at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
In Canada’s close 2-1 win over Switzerland on Monday, Feb. 16, Poulin further etched her name into the Olympics record book as the all-time leading scorer in Olympic women’s hockey action when she put one into the back of the net for her then-19th Olympic goal.
Now, the legendary women’s hockey player, who is known as ‘Captain Clutch,’ looks to add a fourth gold medal to her resume when Canada and the U.S. women’s hockey team clash once again in the gold medal game of the Winter Olympics.
Poulin missed the first meeting between the two North American rivals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, as she was ruled out with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s 5-1 win over Czechia in Group A play. The injury came in the first period when she took a shoulder from Czechia’s Kristyna Kaltounkova and hit the boards hard.
Thursday’s game marks the fifth gold-medal game that the five-time Olympian has led Canada to the gold medal game, with all four previous matchups coming against the United States. Both countries have competed against each other in all but one gold medal game since women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998.
Here’s what to know about Poulin ahead of Thursday’s gold medal game:
Who is Marie-Philip Poulin?
Poulin is not only the captain and anchor of the Canadian women’s hockey team, but she’s one of the top and most decorated women’s hockey players in the world.
She played collegiate hockey at Boston University, where in her senior season she was named a First-Team All-American while becoming the first Terrier to be named a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award, which is handed out annually to the top female college ice hockey player in the United States. That season, Poulin finished with 27 goals and 27 assists for 54 points, with her 27 goals tying for fifth most in the country.
When she is not competing for Canada on the international stage, Poulin plays for the Montréal Victoire in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), where she also serves as the captain.
Stream USA vs. Canada women’s hockey gold medal game with Peacock (digital only)
Why is Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin’s nickname ‘Captain Clutch’?
It’s because, well… she’d been extremely clutch for Canada at the Winter Olympics throughout her career.
Her first ‘Captain Clutch’ moment at the Winter Games came in her debut at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics when she scored both goals for Canada in the gold medal game to beat the United States. Her next ‘clutch’ moment then came four years later in another gold medal game against the United States, where she scored the game-winning goal in overtime after scoring the game-tying goal.
Those two Winter Games just cover the surface of the ‘clutch’ moments that Poulin has delivered for Canada at the Winter Olympics, as she also scored two of Canada’s three goals in the gold medal game in 2022 at the Beijing Winter Games.
All told, Poulin has scored the game-winning goal in all of Canada’s gold medal wins at the Winter Olympics. She also has a second-period goal in Canada’s lone loss in the gold medal game during her career at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
‘She’s Captain Clutch. There’s a reason she has that nickname and she’s always there offensively to give the team the boost that it needs,’ fellow Canadian teammate Brianne Jenner told SportsNet. ‘But no teammate would ever call Poulin ‘Captain Clutch’ while she’s within earshot.’
How many Winter Olympics has Marie-Philip Poulin competed in?
The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are the fifth Winter Games that Poulin is competing in, the same number of Winter Olympics that U.S. women’s hockey captain Hilary Knight has competed in. Her first Winter Olympics came before she started playing at Boston University, as she made her debut on the Olympic stage at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.
In Canada’s semifinal win over Switzerland, Poulin became the all-time leading goal scorer in Olympic women’s hockey with her 19th career goal. She’d add her 20th career goal at the Winter Olympics roughly seven minutes after her first goal of the semifinal in the second period.
How many Olympic medals has Marie-Philip Poulin?
Poulin has won four total Olympic medals in her career, including three gold medals.
Here’s a breakdown of Poulin’s Olympic medals:
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics: Gold
2014 Sochi Winter Olympics: Gold
2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics: Silver
2022 Beijing Winter Olympics: Gold
How to watch Canada vs USA women’s hockey gold medal game today: TV channel, streaming options
TV channel: USA Network
Streaming options: Peacock (Digital Only) | NBCOlympics.com | NBC Olympics App
USA Network will broadcast Thursday’s women’s hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada. Streaming options include Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming service, and both NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Olympics App with a TV login.