The fabulous destiny of Marie-Philip Poulin

I know, I know, it’s cliché. So much so that when I was boss, I had imposed a moratorium on reruns of the title of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film in The Press. Not serious. Marie-Philip Poulin justifies the exception to the rule, because her destiny is truly exceptional.

For the third time in her career, Thursday, the Quebec forward scored the winning goal in an Olympic final. Who can say the same in the history of hockey? Anybody. Poulin finished the game with two goals and an assist to lead the Canadians to a narrow 3-2 win over the Americans.

“When it’s time to turn the switch, Marie-Philip is always there,” argued her teammate Mélodie Daoust, whose face shone just as much as the gold medal hanging around her neck.

So, Marie-Philip, explain to us. How are you doing ?

She started out laughing. “I wonder that too. I do not know ! Then she got more emotional. “There are angels above who are there with me. We have a special group. We could feel it from the first part of the tournament to this one. The girls are happy to celebrate the success of others. It makes a big difference. We are all on the same page. Today, we are proud to be able to bring the gold medal back to Canada. »

Wait, Marie-Philip. You are going too fast.

Angels ? What angels?

“I always have my grandparents with me in important moments. I speak to them. They have been there for years. »

Their names: Henri-Roch, Marie-Reine and Joseph. They inspired Marie-Philip for one of her greatest career performances on Thursday. A moment of anthology. Of those of which we make Heritage minutes, or documentaries, 30 years later.

Midway through the first period, just after a disallowed goal in Canada, the Beauceville center won the face-off that led to Sarah Nurse’s goal. A few minutes later, she stole the puck from Kelly Pannek’s stick blade, which started a breakout for the Americans. “I lifted his stick. We thought we wanted to put pressure on their goalkeeper, so I tried to throw [tout de suite]. It’s back. »

Then halfway through the game, Captain Canada grabbed a long return shot from Brianna Jenner, and found a slim opening to beat Alex Cavallini. “I’m lucky it hit the keeper and got in. “Except that in the big finals, great players like Marie-Philip Poulin also have their chance. By shooting often – three times on Thursday. By going to collect pucks on the edge of the band. By performing a sustained forecheck.

“Marie-Philip, she always does the right things,” explained goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, she blocks shots, she makes her withdrawals, she wins important faceoffs, she scores big goals. She always does the right thing at the right time. »

Her trainer, Troy Ryan, also paid her a very heartfelt tribute, while he was next to her, at a press conference.

“Marie-Philip is a special player. Honestly, I find myself wondering how she sees the game. I try to understand. I would like to be able to use it for the whole team to benefit from it. And even though she’s not always talkative, doesn’t say much, when she talks, I make sure to pay attention to what she’s saying. Because it’s probably something special. Something that, as a coach, I can learn. »

Fortunately, with journalists, Marie-Philip talks a little more. She told us that this gold medal is particularly close to her heart, after all the hardships suffered since the setback in the shootout in the final of the PyeongChang Games in 2018.

” [Cette] defeat hurt. Very bad. To be able to put that back, to be able to use that as motivation, to have been able to be resilient… The whole group put in the effort, during the pandemic [en plus]. Few people know it, but I think it made the difference. Today it paid off. »

* * *

If Marie-Philip Poulin was the driving force behind the Canadian attack, Ann-Renée Desbiens was the emergency brake that prevented a skid. Leading 3-0 at halftime, the Canadians were heading for an easy win. Except that the Americans went into fifth gear, and they found their way to the Canadian goalkeeper, even in numerical inferiority.

The Great Wall of Charlevoix resisted. Again, should I clarify. In the preliminary game against the United States, Desbiens made 51 saves, a record for the Canadian Olympic team. Thursday, she made 38. Several inconveniences. Especially in the third period, against Alex Carpenter (on the breakaway), Hilary Knight and Abby Roque. The last two minutes of the match, played 4 against 6, were particularly intense, she admitted.

“I said to myself: stop one at a time… and stop the next one! »

For Ann-Renée Desbiens, this gold medal is particularly significant. After the PyeongChang Games, she was mentally exhausted. She had also retired from hockey to focus on her master’s degree in accounting and her work as a specialized coach. She returned to the Canadian team late, two years ago – in the midst of the pandemic.

“Growing up, I dreamed of becoming a gold medalist. But it’s a dream that I no longer thought was possible. In 2018, I had given up on that. »

Now, she adds, “it will definitely be my new favorite piece of jewelry. I don’t think I’ll be taking it off too often over the next few days [rires] ! “A jewel that she intends to present to her parents and friends over the next few days. “My father was crying yesterday when I told him I was going to start the game. I can only imagine how he feels right now. This victory is for them, it’s for me, it’s for our teammates. »

Canada ends the tournament with the gold medal, but also with a perfect 7-0 record – and an abundance of new Olympic records. That of the most goals in a tournament (57). That of the best scorer (Brianne Jenner, 9). That of the best passer (Sarah Nurse, 13). That of the best scorer (Nurse, 18). That of the most productive rookie, the most productive defender, of… pretty much everything, in fact.

“It’s the best team we’ve formed with Hockey Canada since I’ve been here in 2014,” commented Mélodie Daoust. I know it sounds a little cheezy, but we really are a united family. It starts at the top, with GM Gina Kingsbury, then our coaches and the leadership group. We changed the atmosphere this year. It started at the World Championship, and it has continued until now. »

To China.

A trip and a journey that will have marked the players, and the history of Canadian hockey.