Marie-Philip Poulin will have surgery in July, and there is no detailed timeline for her return. Troy Parla / Getty ImagesJune 25, 2026 11:14 am EDT Updated Marie-Philip Poulin, captain of the Montreal Victoire and the Canadian women’s national hockey team, will undergo surgery on her ACL and meniscus in July, her PWHL club announced Thursday.The Victoire did not provide a detailed timeline for Poulin’s return, other than to say she would be back in “due time.”Poulin, 35, initially injured her right knee during the Olympics in February but eventually returned to the lineup, scoring twice in Canada’s semifinal win over Switzerland. She missed 10 of the Victoire’s final 11 regular-season games before tying for the team lead in playoff points with eight on the way to Montreal’s first Walter Cup championship.Throughout Montreal’s playoff run, Poulin’s teammates and coach Kori Cheverie alluded to the physical pain Poulin was battling. She scored two game winners in Montreal’s semifinal series against the Minnesota Frost and set up the game winners in Games 2 and 4 against Ottawa. Through it all, TV cameras frequently caught her wincing on the bench.
“I played the best I could with a torn ACL and meniscus because I wanted to be part of this journey that led us to hoist the Walter Cup,” Poulin said in a statement. “It was with this goal in mind that I worked tirelessly to return to the game this season.“It has become clear that if I want to continue playing at a high level, surgery is necessary.”Poulin will miss the world championships in November, Canada’s first since the post-Olympics departure of general manager Gina Kingsbury and coach Troy Ryan. The roster is expected to feature several other major changes: Center Blayre Turnbull announced Monday that she is pregnant with her first child and is due in December, and other key veterans could be replaced by a youth movement.As for the Victoire, GM Danièle Sauvageau was forced to watch defenders Erin Ambrose, Julia Gosling and Amanda Boulier land elsewhere during the expansion process, but she added free-agent forwards Emma Maltais and Jessie Eldridge and draft pick Petra Nieminen. Now their task is to repeat as champions despite probably missing a player whose skill and leadership are largely irreplaceable.
