LPHF: Laura Stacey, much more than Marie-Philip Poulin’s blonde

TORONTO | Hockey player Laura Stacey is having a very special trip this week in Toronto. In addition to being accompanied by her teammate and fiancée Marie-Philip Poulin, she is following in the footsteps of her great-grandfather, the legendary Francis “King” Clancy.

Stacey, who is one of the best players on the Montreal team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, hides a fascinating family history.

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“These things are true, Marie-Philip and I are together and I am the great-granddaughter of King Clancy. It doesn’t bother me to be recognized like that, but it’s true that I’m also Laura Stacey, I have an identity as a player and as a person, she testified, in an interview with The newspaper at Nathan Phillips Square on Thursday morning in downtown Toronto. I feel good in Montreal, because I am also recognized for who I am. It’s crucial to be your own person first, even if Marie-Philip and King Clancy are important people in my life.”

“The event is very special with the presence of my family,” she added regarding the activities surrounding the NHL All-Star Game, including the 3-on-3 confrontation on Thursday evening for the LPHF hockey players, at Scotiabank Arena. As for the desire to follow in my great-grandfather’s footsteps, I always wear the number 7 in his honor to keep his legacy alive.”

A significant impact

The fact that this all-star game is being presented in Toronto is enough to stir Stacey and his loved ones, since the ancestor represents an important character in the history of the Maple Leafs and that of the National Hockey League.

At the corner of Yonge and Front streets, the Hall of Fame has paid tribute to his ascendancy since 1958. King Clancy also gave his name to a trophy awarded annually in the NHL. The honor is awarded to the player who has demonstrated the best example of leadership in addition to being involved in the community.

“I’ve seen a few clips of his playing and coaching career, but to be honest, the stories I’ve heard the most have to do with who he was as a person, his leadership skills and his desire to give back to the community. community,” Stacey said. What he left off the ice had a big impact on who I am and what I want to be. I like to believe that I am a resilient, determined and passionate person.”

Eddie Shore’s family

In 2017, during the centennial of the NHL, Clancy also found himself in the list of the 100 best players in the history of the league. He himself participated in the All-Star Game four times, between 1931 and 1934, winning the very first Stanley Cup in the history of the Maple Leafs, in 1932. Stacey never had the chance to know his famous fullback -maternal grandfather even though she was born in 1994, eight years after his death. Her grandmother Carole, daughter of Clancy, was however able to share many memories with her before leaving in turn, in the middle of a pandemic, in June 2020.

Among the revealing anecdotes, the story goes that one day, the famous Eddie Shore, of the Boston Bruins, threw the gloves in front of Clancy. Instead of accepting the fight, the little Leafs defenseman had squeezed Shore’s claw to better simply ask him how his family was doing. At first surprised, Shore reportedly burst out laughing and the fight never happened.

“I obviously want to shine on the ice like him, but he is a role model for me as a human being,” concluded Stacey.

Double Olympic medalist

Much more than Marie-Philip Poulin’s blonde, much more than King Clancy’s great-granddaughter too.

At 29, the woman who grew up in the village of Kleinburg, a suburb of Toronto, won a silver medal at the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in 2018, as well as a gold medal in Tokyo in 2022. Stacey is part of the world’s elite in women’s hockey and the LPHF. There were only 24 of them who were selected to participate in the activities surrounding this All-Star Game.

With the Montreal team, Stacey has already scored four goals in seven games, only two fewer than the club’s leader, a certain Marie-Philip Poulin.

Other interesting facts about Laura Stacey

• Clarkson Cup champion in 2018, with the Markham Thunder, Laura Stacey scored the decisive goal, in overtime, in the final against the Kunlun Red Star.
• Laura is the daughter of John Stacey and Karen Stacey, née Kavanagh.
• His sister Holly, who is a doctor, studied for four years at McGill University in Montreal.