Marie-Philip Poulin makes history by winning Canada’s Athlete of the Year award

History was made with announcement of Marie-Philip Poulin as the winner of Canada’s Athlete of the Year award. She is the first female hockey player to win the award, which was first handed out in 1936.

Poulin, 31, had two goals and an assist in Team Canada’s 3-2 win over the United States in the gold medal game February 17 at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

It was a third gold medal for Poulin, who was captain of the team in Beijing. She also won gold in Vancouver 2010 and Sochi 2014, while picking up a silver medal in PyeongChang 2018. During those four gold medal games, Poulin scored seven of Canada’s 10 goals.

The Northern Star Award, formerly the Lou Marsh Memorial Trophy, is awarded each year to Canada’s top athlete, professional or amateur. Wayne Gretzky has won the award four times, most among men. Figure skater Barbara Ann Scott is the most decorated female athlete. She won it three times in four years in the 1940s. No award was given from 1942-44 due to World War II.

Poulin joins other notable hockey players like The Great One, Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux as winners of the award. All of them men, until now.

“I didn’t think I was the first one,” Poulin said during a media conference. “It’s a real honor. The ladies I watched on TV, they’re my role models. They are my idols. It’s hard to put it into words.”

“I’m not going to be the only one. There will be more to come.”

Poulin became the fifth consecutive Olympic gold medalist to win the award during an Olympic year. Bobsledder Kaillie Humphries won in 2014, swimmer Penny Oleksiak in 2016, moguls skier Mikael Kingsbury in 2018 and decathlete Damian Warner in 2021.

Canada won four gold medals in Beijing. In addition to the women’s hockey gold, they also won team gold medals in women’s team pursuit speed skating and the men’s 5000m short track speed skating relay. Max Parrot took gold in men’s slopestyle snowboarding.

Impressive achievements all, but nothing that could compare to Poulin’s dominance in Beijing. She finished the Beijing Games with six goals and 11 assists, second best on the team. She is the only hockey player, male or female, to have scored a goal in four different gold medal matches.

“It means a lot. It’s pretty special,” Poulin said. “I’m a little overwhelmed and it’s an honor to be associated among all these great athletes. But it’s not just me, it’s a team sport.”