MONTREAL 鈥� Canadian hockey star Marie-Philip Poulin says her dream is finally coming true.
The three-time Canadian Olympic gold medallist 鈥� dubbed 鈥淐aptain Clutch鈥� for thriving on hockey's biggest stages 鈥� has been working to create a sustainable professional women鈥檚 league since the Canadian Women鈥檚 Hockey League folded four years ago.
On Wednesday, Montreal鈥檚 Professional Women鈥檚 Hockey League team opened training camp ahead of the league鈥檚 inaugural season.
鈥淔inally, today is the day,鈥� said Poulin at Centre 21.02 in the city鈥檚 Verdun borough, where the yet-to-be-named Montreal team will train all season. "I've been waiting for a long time, so today is exciting 鈥� it's a kid at Christmas.鈥�
All six original teams 鈥� Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, New York, Boston and Minnesota 鈥� opened training camps with medical and physical testing and orientation. Montreal hits the ice for a first practice on Saturday.
"It's so exciting seeing all the girls coming in under the same roof. There's been hours and hours of hard work (to get here),鈥� said Poulin. 鈥淏eing able to bring not only the girls from Canada, but from the U.S., from Czech, all around the world. It's unbelievable."
Poulin remembers sitting down with the United States team at the 2019 world championships in Finland just days after the CWHL ceased operations.聽
They were determined to lay the groundwork for the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association 鈥� a precursor to starting the PWHL.
"I would be lying if I said it was not a hard time at that moment,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here were times (along the way) where you're like, 'is this gonna happen? Is this gonna happen?'
鈥淏ut yes, it is happening. We're finally here, Day 1 of our camp."
The PWHL鈥檚 regular season begins in January with the 24-game schedule coming out "very soon," according to Montreal general manager Dani猫le Sauvageau. All six teams will gather Dec. 3-7 in Utica, N.Y., for pre-season scrimmages, training and information sessions.聽
On Tuesday, each club unveiled "heritage jerseys" that feature team colours and city names stitched across the front, though no team names or logos have been confirmed.
Poulin, one of Sauvageau鈥檚 first three signings alongside forward Laura Stacey and goaltender Ann-Ren茅e Desbiens, will be sporting Montreal鈥檚 burgundy, sand and storm colours once the puck drops.
She has played professionally in the city for the Montreal Stars and Canadiennes de Montreal in the CWHL, but never in a league of this calibre 鈥� with investors with deep pockets and an eight-year collective bargaining agreement between the league and players鈥� union.
The 32-year-old from Beauceville, Que., couldn鈥檛 imagine starting this chapter of her decorated career anywhere else.
"Montreal is a pretty special place in my career and in my life in general,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t would have been hard to see myself (play anywhere else).鈥�
SOMETHING THAT WAS MISSING
Growing up, Montreal draft pick Maude Poulin-Labelle idolized former Canadiens star P.K. Subban and wanted to play in the NHL, because that was what she saw on television.
"To create an idol or have someone that you look up to, you need to be able to see them,鈥� said Poulin-Labelle, who played for Northeastern University last season. 鈥淲hen I was really young, women's hockey didn't have that platform.鈥�
Marie-Philip Poulin鈥檚 dream growing up was to play for the women鈥檚 national team. Playing professionally didn鈥檛 cross her mind for the same reason.
"When I was a kid, for me it was the national team and obviously that's all you saw,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow you get to play in the PWHL and having those little girls dreaming of playing for Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Boston, New York or Minnesota is something that's unbelievable.聽
鈥淥bviously that was something missing. You go to college, and when you graduate, 'What do I do now?' 鈥� I think a lot of those players don't ever reach their full potential.鈥�
Poulin-Labelle couldn't have imagined it when her NCAA career started in 2018.
鈥淟ast night, just going to bed, I thought, 'Oh, I'm gonna go to my first day of work and it's hockey,鈥欌�� she said. 鈥淚t's really historic because when I started university, I didn't think that would be possible.
"I feel like I still don't realize it.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2023.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
