If Marie-Philip Poulin is a leader by example, then good luck to all of her disciples — at least on the ice.
Poulin scored her 100th and 101st career goals in Canada’s 5-1 win over the Czech Republic on Friday at worlds, becoming the fourth Canadian to reach triple digits. The other three — Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford and Danielle Goyette — are in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Poulin scores twice including 100th career goal, Canada dominates Czech Republic
Marie-Philip Poulin became the fourth player to reach the century mark in career goals with the Canadian women’s team.
It’s just the latest accomplishment for Poulin in a career so full of them she’s been nicknamed Captain Clutch.
She’s scored in four consecutive Olympic finals, leading to three gold medals. She’s associated with perhaps the most famous goals in team history, notching both the game-tying and game-winning markers at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Her legacy as a hockey player is as embedded as the lucky loonie in Vancouver was at centre ice.
“She means everything to our group,” said Blayre Turnbull, who collected the primary assist on No. 100. “I think she’s the perfect example of someone who leads by example day in and day out, on and off the ice, and we’re so lucky to have her as our captain.”
Turnbull, Renata Fast and Jaime Bourbonnais also scored for Canada. Natalie Mlynkova responded for the Czechs, who fell to 1-1 with the loss.
Earlier Friday, the U.S. (2-0) topped Switzerland (0-2) 9-1, while Finland (2-0) blanked Germany (1-1) 3-0.
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The truest definition of a superstar
For as great as Poulin is, it’s a shame that these days, Canadian fans only get to see their superstar play hockey at the highest level once a year, either at worlds or the Olympics.
And she is the truest definition of a superstar.
When the lineup was announced pre-game at the CAA Centre, the loudest cheer was reserved for Poulin. Soon after, a young fan begged Poulin for a puck in warmups, and the captain obliged.
Mission: Get a puck from <a href=”https://twitter.com/pou29?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@pou29</a> ✅ <a href=”https://twitter.com/HockeyCanada?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@HockeyCanada</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensWorlds?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WomensWorlds</a> <a href=”https://t.co/7szceDNYzJ”>pic.twitter.com/7szceDNYzJ</a>
Outside of international events, Poulin hasn’t played a meaningful hockey game since 2019, the final year of the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
Poulin is a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association, a union formed from the ashes of the CWHL.
‘We have a role in pushing women’s hockey’
The Beauceville, Que., native is now 32, meaning she’ll have lost four years of her athletic prime. She said there is a responsibility to push the pro game forward.
“I think we’re all aware that everyone that’s in women’s hockey, we have a role in pushing women’s hockey,” Poulin said.
“But … the group I’ve been around for the last couple years, they’re all the best and for me I’m just trying to follow them. … When you surround yourself with strong people, it makes it easy to look good.”
There are reports the PWHPA will begin a formal pro league in the fall, after holding out four years in search of sustainability — salaries that don’t require players to hold second jobs, proper facilities and support staff for pro athletes and more.
The burden to lead that league, fairly or not, will fall onto Poulin’s shoulders more than others. It’s just part of the deal when you wear the “C” for Canada for so long.
“The more she pushes, the more we all want to push too, so she’s leading the way for all of us and we’re following along,” Turnbull said.
Undeniable skill
Sarah Nurse, a PWHPA board member, told CBC Sports the future of the sport will be reliant on its talent.
“I think that obviously the skill on the ice is something that you know can’t be disputed and so now it’s just putting that infrastructure together so that we can showcase it on a regular basis.”
Poulin’s skill — evident in her 100th goal, in which Turnbull said she “deked the pants off” the Czech goalie after a pass on a 2-on-0 — is near unmatched in the history of the sport.
Go inside the dressing room as <a href=”https://twitter.com/pou29?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@pou29</a> is honoured for ???? Team Canada goals. ????<br><br>Entrez dans le vestiaire et voyez l’hommage à Marie-Philip pour son ????e but avec Équipe Canada. ????<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WomensWorlds?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WomensWorlds</a> | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MondialF%C3%A9minin?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MondialFéminin</a> <a href=”https://t.co/7w7DkEUCfh”>pic.twitter.com/7w7DkEUCfh</a>
“She’s gonna be remembered as the best woman to ever play the game and possibly the best person to ever play the game, man or woman,” Turnbull said.
“I think she’s one of the best leaders that is in sport and possibly elsewhere. She’s a very caring and supportive teammate and what makes her so special is she truly cares about every person she’s on a team with.”
According to Canada head coach Troy Ryan, the sport is in good hands with Poulin.
“The person she is, the character she brings, the player she is and the skill. Everything you want in a leader, she has it.”
Poulin making impact in NHL
In the intermediate time without a pro league, Poulin has helped blaze trails for women in the NHL, joining the Montreal Canadiens as a player consultant.
“I think that’s the best thing that’s come out over the last few years,” Nurse said of Poulin’s gig and a similar role for forward Rebecca Johnston with the Calgary Flames. “There’s so many opportunities and obviously they’re recognizing the value that [women] can bring to organizations like an NHL hockey club.”
Poulin scored her first goal for Team Canada in September 2007 in a win over Sweden in Prince George, B.C.
Wickenheiser is the team’s all-time leader with 168 goals. Poulin, barring injury, could potentially threaten that mark.
Unsurprisingly, Poulin said she hasn’t thought much about her legacy.
“I think just how passionate I am about the game and every time I’m able to make a difference, bring people together, the way I work is something I take a lot of pride in and people are going to see that and how much joy hockey brings me,” Poulin said.
If everything goes according to plan on the professional side, that joy will be permeated even more moving forward.
Canada returns to the ice Saturday for a tilt against Japan before wrapping group play on Monday against the Americans. Both games are at 7 p.m. ET.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 27 points in a record-setting performance and the Sacramento Kings beat the Toronto Raptors 122-107 on Wednesday night.
Domantas Sabonis added 17 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds for his third triple-double of the season for Sacramento. He shot 6 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 at the free-throw line.
Keegan Murray chipped in with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and De’Aaron Fox scored 21.
The 35-year-old DeRozan has scored at least 20 points in each of his first eight games with the Kings, breaking a franchise mark established by Chris Webber when he reached 20 in his first seven games with Sacramento in 1999.
DeRozan spent the past three seasons with the Chicago Bulls. The six-time All-Star also has played for Toronto and San Antonio during his 16-year NBA career.
RJ Barrett had 23 points to lead the Raptors. Davion Mitchell scored 20 in his first game in Sacramento since being traded to Toronto last summer.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto led for most of the first three quarters before wilting in the fourth. The Raptors were outscored 33-14 in the final period.
Kings: Fox played strong defense but struggled again shooting from the floor as he is dealing with a finger injury. Fox went 5 for 17 and just 2 of 8 on 3-pointers. He is 5 for 25 from beyond the arc in his last three games.
Key moment
The Kings trailed 95-89 early in the fourth before going on a 9-0 run that gave them the lead for good. DeRozan started the spurt with a jumper, and Malik Monk scored the final seven points.
Key stat
Sabonis had the eighth game in the NBA since at least 1982-83 with a triple-double while missing no shots from the field or foul line. The previous player to do it was Josh Giddey for Oklahoma City against Portland on Jan. 11.
Up next
Raptors: At the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night, the third stop on a five-game trip.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps are one win away from moving on to the next round of the Major League Soccer playoffs.
To get there, however, the Whitecaps will need to pull off the improbable by defeating the powerhouse Los Angeles FC for a second straight game.
Vancouver blanked the visitors 3-0 on Sunday to level their best-of-three first-round playoff series at a game apiece. As the matchup shifts back to California for a decisive Game 3 on Friday, the Whitecaps are looking for a repeat performance, said striker Brian White.
“We take the good and the bad from last game, learn from what we could have done better and go to LAFC with confidence and, obviously, with a whole lot of respect,” he said.
“We know that we can go there and give them a very good fight and hopefully come away with a win.”
The winner of Friday’s game will face the No. 4-seed Seattle Sounders in a one-game Western Conference semifinal on Nov. 23 or 24.
The ‘Caps finished the regular season eighth in the west with a 13-13-8 record and have since surprised many with their post-season play.
First, Vancouver trounced its regional rivals, the Portland Timbers, 5-0 in a wild-card game. Then, the squad dropped a tightly contested 2-1 decision to the top-seeded L.A. before posting a decisive home victory on Sunday.
Vancouver has scored seven goals this post-season, second only to the L.A. Galaxy (nine). Vancouver also leads the league in expected goals (6.84) through the playoffs.
No one outside of the club expected the Whitecaps to win when the Vancouver-L. A. series began, said defender Ranko Veselinovic.
“We’ve shown to ourselves that we can compete with them,” he said.
Now in his fifth season with the ‘Caps, Veselinovic said Friday’s game will be the biggest he’s played for the team.
“We haven’t had much success in the playoffs so, definitely, this is the one that can put our season on another level,” he said.
This is the second year in a row the Whitecaps have faced LAFC in the first round of the playoffs and last year, Vancouver was ousted in two straight games.
The team isn’t thinking about revenge as it prepares for Game 3, White said.
“More importantly than (beating LAFC), we want to get to the next round,” he said. “LAFC’s a very good team. We’ve come up against them a number of times in different competitions and they always seem to get the better of us. So it’d be huge for us to get the better of them this time.”
Earning a win last weekend required slowing L.A.’s transition game and limiting offensive opportunities for the team’s big stars, including Denis Bouanga.
Those factors will be important again on Friday, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini, who warned that his team could face a different style of game.
“I think the most important thing is going to be to match their intensity at the beginning of the game,” he said. “Because I think they’re going to come at us a million miles per hour.”
The ‘Caps will once again look to captain Ryan Gauld for some offensive firepower. The Scottish attacking midfielder leads MLS in playoff goals with five and has scored in all three of Vancouver’s post-season appearances this year.
Gearing up for another do-or-die matchup is exciting, Gauld said.
“Knowing it’s a winner-takes-all kind of game, being in that kind of environment is nice,” he said. “It’s when you see the best in players.”
LAFC faces the bulk of the pressure heading into the matchup, Sartini said, given the club’s appearances in the last two MLS Cup finals and its 2022 championship title.
“They’re supposed to win and we are not,” the coach said. “But it’s beautiful to have a little bit of pressure on us, too.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.
Each PWHL team operated under its city name, with players wearing jerseys featuring the league’s logo in its inaugural season before names and logos were announced last month.
The Toronto Sceptres, Montreal Victoire, Ottawa Charge, Boston Fleet, Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens will start the PWHL’s second season on Nov. 30 with jerseys designed to reflect each team’s identity and to be sold to the public as replicas.
Led by PWHL vice-president of brand and marketing Kanan Bhatt-Shah, the league consulted Creative Agency Flower Shop to design the jerseys manufactured by Bauer, the PWHL said Thursday in a statement.
“Players and fans alike have been waiting for this moment and we couldn’t be happier with the six unique looks each team will don moving forward,” said PWHL senior vice president of business operations Amy Scheer.
“These jerseys mark the latest evolution in our league’s history, and we can’t wait to see them showcased both on the ice and in the stands.”
Training camps open Tuesday with teams allowed to carry 32 players.
Each team’s 23-player roster, plus three reserves, will be announced Nov. 27.
Each team will play 30 regular-season games, which is six more than the first season.
Minnesota won the first Walter Cup on May 29 by beating Boston three games to two in the championship series.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
