Marie-Philip Poulin named Canada’s Athlete of the Year

Hockey player Marie-Philip Poulin has won the 2022 Northern Star Award as Canada’s Athlete of the Year. 

Poulin was the captain of the Canadian women’s hockey team that won gold at both Beijing 2022 and the 2022 IIHF Women’s World Championship. 

In recognition of her stature as a leader on and off the ice, Poulin was given the honour of being Team Canada’s co-Opening Ceremony flag bearer at Beijing 2022, alongside short track speed skating legend Charles Hamelin. She went on to score six goals and add 11 assists, ranking her second only to teammate Sarah Nurse for the tournament scoring lead.

READ: ‘Captain Clutch’ leads Team Canada back to the top of the Olympic podium

Two of those goals, including the eventual game winner, came as Canada earned the 3-2 win over the United States in the final. That made “Captain Clutch” the first hockey player – male or female – to score in four Olympic gold medal games. 

In August, Team Canada was back on the ice at the IIHF Women’s World Championship in Finland where they won their second straight world title, after ending an almost decade long drought in 2021. Poulin recorded five goals and five assists at the worlds. 

READ: Team Canada wins gold at women’s hockey world championship

When not wearing the maple leaf, Poulin plays with the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association’s Dream Gap Tour. She leads the scoring this year with eight goals and four assists in seven games. In June, she was named Player Development Consultant with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens, for now a part time role as she continues her playing career.

Poulin is the 14th hockey player to be named Canada’s Athlete of the Year, but breaks through as the first woman from her sport to win the vote amongst broadcasters and journalists. Formerly known as the Lou Marsh Award, the honour has been handed out annually since 1936, except during World War II.

Other finalists who were considered this year include tennis player Félix Auger-Aliassime, golfer Brooke Henderson, swimmer Summer McIntosh, para Nordic skier Brian McKeever, and NHL defenceman Cale Makar.