Victoire’s Poulin to undergo knee surgery, timeline for return unknown
One of the game’s biggest stars is going to be out for a while.
When speaking to the media on Thursday, Montreal Victoire general manager Daniele Sauvageau revealed that captain Marie-Philip Poulin will undergo knee surgery in July to repair a torn ACL and meniscus sustained during the 2025-26 season. She didn’t reveal a specific timeline for Poulin’s return, adding that the team will be with her during her recovery and that she’ll return to the ice “in due time.”
In a statement, Poulin stated how she fought through the injury in order to help the team achieve its goal, winning the franchise’s first Walter Cup.
“I played as 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. “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. In the short term, it’s a difficult choice, but if I take a step back and think about the years ahead, the decision is obvious. I’m going to focus all my energy on my recovery once the surgery is done so that I can return to the game in the best physical form possible.”
This past season wasn’t an easy one for No. 29. During the group stage at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Poulin suffered a knee injury after being hit by Czechia’s Kristyna Kaltounkova. It knocked Poulin out for the rest of the group stage, but she returned for the knockout round, helping Canada reach the gold medal game, ultimately losing to the United States in overtime. She missed Victoire’s first game back from break, but exited the team’s March 15 game against the Boston Fleet, seemingly re-injuring the same knee she had hurt in Milan.
Poulin didn’t confirm if the two instances were in correlation with one another, but
“It’s two different occasions, obviously,” Poulin said. “What happened in February probably started it. Obviously, coming back to the PWHL…was feeling good. Unfortunately, it happened [against Boston].”
The ailment knocked Poulin out for the next 10 games, but she returned in time to appear in the final game of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs. The 35-year-old went on to score two goals and six assists for eight points in nine games, as Montreal defeated the Minnesota Frost and Ottawa Charge to win the Walter Cup. With her performance, Poulin won the Ilana Kloss Playoff MVP Award, giving her the last two achievements she had yet to earn in her Hall of Fame career.
Sauvageau admitted that there was concern that Poulin wasn’t going to be able to return to the team for the rest of the season, but her determination and willpower helped her overcome the injury.
“It was not a for sure [for Poulin] to be back during the playoffs,” Sauvageau said. “Privileged enough to see her and the team, and her teammates, watching her to say, ‘I’m gonna do this rehab. I’m going to do everything that I could to possibly coming back.’…To go through this process, not knowing if it’s going to work. It was unbelievable to watch.”
Poulin, who was very emotional when talking to reporters on Thursday, shrugged off the inclination that this could spell the end of her career.
“It’s obviously emotional, but it’s part of it,” Poulin said. “I think it’s a journey of an athlete where you give 100% every day, and things can happen, and that’s part of it. I am looking forward to step up in that recovery room, in that training room, to go one day at a time and come back.”
Sauvageau added that the team will provide updates on Poulin’s rehab as they become available. With Poulin’s injury, she will most certainly miss the 2026 IIHF Women’s World Championship, which is scheduled for early November.
All signs are pointing toward the three-time Olympic gold medalist to miss the start of the next season, potentially starting on long-term injured reserve. With that, the Victoire should expect to have $100,000 freed up in salary cap space, for at least the beginning of the year. She was one of the first three players Montreal protected during the PWHL Expansion Player Distribution Process, joining partner Laura Stacey and goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens.
In 70 career regular-season games with the Victoire, Poulin has scored 38 goals and 29 assists for 67 points, with another 12 points in 16 postseason games. She was crowned the Forward of the Year and Billie Jean King MVP Award winner in 2024-25, which saw her earn the Top Goal Scorer Award after leading the PWHL with 19 goals.