Poulin faces surgery uncertainty after Walter Cup win

Poulin faces – A week after Victoire Montreal’s Walter Cup triumph, captain Marie-Philip Poulin says the next few weeks will determine key decisions—starting with medical results on a right knee injury that has followed her from February at the Milan Cortina Olympics through

MONTREAL — Marie-Philip Poulin and her Victoire teammates were still floating on a cloud a week after winning the Walter Cup. But when the captain finally stepped in front of reporters at the Verdun Auditorium on Wednesday, the atmosphere shifted fast. Celebration was there, yes. Uncertainty was there too.

“There are definitely going to be some decisions to make in the coming weeks,” Poulin said during the Victoire’s end-of-season availability. The words landed with a kind of weight that didn’t match the championship glow behind her.

She is planning to focus first on rehabilitation—especially the “right way.” Poulin said she doesn’t yet have all the information about what’s going on medically, and she’s taking things “one day at a time.” When she was asked about timing for answers, she said she expected them in the coming weeks.

The last three months of the season, including the playoffs, were anything but easy for the 35-year-old. Her troubles began at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February when she suffered a right knee injury. She then aggravated that injury on March 15 in a game against the Boston Fleet.

After missing the next 10 games, Poulin returned for the very last game of the regular season on April 25 in Seattle. From there, she played in all nine of Victoire’s playoff games.

Even so, the knee was never far from her mind. Poulin said she skated with a knee brace that limited her mobility, with the impact felt especially during the semifinal series against the Minnesota Frost. In the final against the Ottawa Charge, she said she was a bit more comfortable.

“It’s hard when you put a brace on before every game,” Poulin said. “It’s heavy, it feels like you’ve got a piano on your back. But in the end, you put that aside, you skate with your heart, with your head, and everything will be fine.”

Her resolve was reflected in the awards. Poulin was named the most valuable player of the playoffs after collecting eight points in nine games.

Still, the brace didn’t erase the underlying problem. Poulin said her right knee remains a question mark to the point where she “may need surgery.” She’s waiting for results, and she framed the summer as a period where “we’ll see” what decisions have to be made.

When “retirement” entered the conversation, Poulin laughed—then didn’t fully brush it aside. “Well, here we are!” she said.

At 35, she knows she has fewer years left in hockey than she has already given to the women’s game. She said it’s “something to think about. ” but she’s trying to stay in the present. and she stressed that she hasn’t yet thought seriously about the word “retirement.” In the coming weeks. she expects the conversation and the decisions to follow the medical answers.

For Poulin, the future has another heartbeat beyond hockey: her wife and teammate, Laura Stacey. Stacey has publicly expressed a desire to start a family with Poulin, and after the championship on May 20, she seemed determined to protect the moment—at least for now.

“No, we still haven’t quite had a serious conversation yet,” Stacey said. “For us right now, let’s enjoy every single moment of this celebration of this team, of this group, because it is potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

As for the 2026–27 season, Stacey said it’s impossible to map out at this stage. She pointed first to their bodies after a tough playoff run—both of them—and said the first step is figuring out what the results are and what the next steps will be physically.

“(We) have to figure out our bodies in general as well after a pretty tough playoff series. both of us. ” Stacey said. “I think that’s the first step is to figure out what those results. what the next steps are physically. and then obviously our life and our mental aspect and what we want to do as a family too. So we really haven’t kind of nailed down any of those thoughts yet.”.

Stacey wasn’t spared injury during the run either. In the final moments of Game 1 of the final, she was in visible pain, clutching her left knee in the offensive zone as the Victoire trailed 2-1.

“It was definitely one of the worst pains I’ve ever felt,” Stacey said. “It was scary. I’m sure you guys all felt it too. I know my teammates did. I was screaming. I can’t say I’ve felt that before.”

In that moment, she said Poulin—who was watching from close range—panicked and suggested calling an ambulance. The response was clear: “No!” Stacey said.

Poulin’s fear and urgency were met with the organization’s medical confidence. Stacey returned for overtime and picked up an assist on Abby Roque’s winning goal.

“Honestly, I have no idea how that happened,” Stacey said. “But the medical staff in this organization is second to none. and there’s no way I would have been back out on that ice if it wasn’t for that group behind the scenes. And they don’t get a lot of credit. they don’t get seen very often. but they had a huge impact on this team and honestly on winning the Walter Cup.”.

Now. with the trophy secured and the celebrations already running out of patience for the body’s next chapter. Poulin is left with the most difficult part of winning: waiting on the results that will shape everything after the last buzzer. The Walter Cup is proof of what Victoire can do together. The next few weeks will decide how long that proof can keep coming.

MISRYOUM Sports Victoire Montreal Marie-Philip Poulin Laura Stacey Walter Cup Professional Women’s Hockey League knee injury surgery Milan Cortina Olympics Boston Fleet Minnesota Frost Ottawa Charge