Team Canada is nearly 24 hours away from its quarterfinal matchup against Team Germany in the ladies’s hockey competition of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
And the defending gold medallists could have their captain and most significant player back within the lineup for the knockout round, The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian reported on Friday.
“Marie-Philip Poulin was a full participant in Team Canada’s practice today, and took some spins on a line with Sarah Fillier and Daryl Watts,” wrote Salvian. “Head coach Troy Ryan said it’s still too early to say whether she’s going to play in tomorrow’s quarterfinal against Germany.”
Poulin suffered a lower-body injury after being body checked by Czechia forward Kristyna Kaltounkova in the primary period of a 5-1 victory on Monday. It was a questionable hit thrown by the Latest York Sirens forward and No. 1 overall pick within the 2025 PWHL Draft.
The 34-year-old was unable to suit up for either of Canada’s next two games: a 5-0 loss to the USA on Tuesday, and a 5-0 conquer Finland on Thursday. Canada ended up ending 3-1 in Group A.
Poulin confirmed that she tweaked her knee, and even though it’s recovering, she’s not at one hundred pc.
“You don’t need to think that way,” Poulin said when asked if she thought her 2026 Olympics were over, per TSN’s Claire Hanna. “I’d be lying if I didn’t think that…I feel with the people I even have around me kinda put things in perspective, go at some point at a time and go from there.”
The Beauceville, Que. native continued: “Sooner or later at a time, comfortable to be where I’m at today. Skated yesterday, skated today, obviously it’s very special. I feel it puts things in perspective because while you get back on that ice with that team it’s really special.”
Poulin is a five-time Olympian, and she or he’s already won three gold medals and one silver medal on the Winter Olympics. She led Canada to the title in Vancouver in 2010, Sochi in 2014 and 2022 in Beijing.
She is as clutch as any hockey player has been in Canada’s history on the Olympic Games, recording the winning goal within the gold medal game in each of those three Canadian victories.
As usual, the highest rival is Team USA; the neighboring countries have played within the championship game in each of the last 4 iterations of the international tournament.
It would not be in any respect surprising to see the 2 rivals again do battle within the gold medal game on Feb. 19. But first, Canada must get through Germany on Saturday, while USA will probably be taking up host Italy afterward Friday.
The hope is that, whether or not Poulin will find a way to suit up, she will probably be an option for Canada within the semifinal on Monday.