OTTAWA —

Just over a year ago, Marie-Philip Poulin stood in Ottawa searching for answers after her Montreal Victoire fell short in the playoffs. On Wednesday night, the Victoire captain finally got her moment of redemption.

Poulin and her Victoire teammates defeated the Ottawa Charge 4-0 to win their first Professional Women’s Hockey League championship and become the first Canadian team to raise the Walter Cup.

With two goals and six assists through nine playoff games, the 35-year-old captain was awarded the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP.

Poulin is no stranger to success. The Canadian forward has three Olympic gold medals and four world championship gold medals, but this trophy holds special meaning.

The Beauceville, Que., native spoke about the challenges women’s hockey underwent before the PWHL was launched and the need to have faith when the game’s future remained unclear.

“After the CWHL closed its doors there were two years where we didn’t really know what was going to happen,” said Poulin. “There was a group of women who came together to put this league together. Three years later it all comes together to win the Walter Cup. It feels good, it feels really good.”

Poulin also spoke about the impact this will have at the grassroots level. As a child, she watched the NHL and dreamed about playing but in reality, knew it would never be a possibility. Now the PWHL provides young girls an opportunity that’s within reach.

Poulin spoke about feeling honoured to follow in Minnesota forward Kendall Coyne Schofield’s footsteps as the next captain to raise the Walter Cup.

“Obviously we’re competitors on the ice, but at the end of the day we stick together to grow this league even bigger,” said Poulin. “Not only for ourselves but when you see little girls in the stands, we see parents seeing that there’s possibilities, there’s dreams there. It’s unbelievable. So, to see what this league is all about, it’s really special to be part of.”

While Poulin is known in Canada as “Captain Clutch,” on this night, Abby Roque stole the title scoring twice, including the game winner.

After spending the first two seasons with the New York Sirens, Roque was traded to the Victoire last June. This marked her first trip to the post-season and it won’t soon be forgotten.

“I feel like I’ve been waiting for this playoffs for a long time,” admitted Roque. “I love playoff hockey. I love meaningful hockey when it’s physical and it’s tough and there’s not a lot of room to do much out there. Like, that’s where it’s fun to me.”

Poulin couldn’t say enough about Roque’s heroics, especially her second goal which was a jailbreak goal that sprung Poulin from the penalty box.

“Honestly, I think I peed a little in the penalty box, I was so excited,” admitted Poulin with a laugh. “It was just unbelievable, a lot of emotion there.”

The road to the Walter Cup hasn’t been easy for the Victoire.

Just over a year ago, Poulin was at a loss for words after her team fell to the Charge in four games in the semifinals. That came on the heels of a disappointing first-round exit in the PWHL’s inaugural season.

‘There was a moment in year one where you just saw the look on (Poulin’s) face when Boston was going to the second round and like that’s not a face I ever wanted to see again,” said Victoire head coach Kori Cheverie.

“I didn’t want to see a disappointment like that on a player’s face, and then we went through it again in year two, and I just think being able to watch those two (Poulin and Laura Stacey) and what they’ve done for our team, for the city, for the game of hockey, and I couldn’t be more proud of them, and happy for them that they’re able to win this championship.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2026.