Captain America vs. Captain Clutch:
Knight and Poulin face off for 5th and perhaps last Winter Games
[January 29, 2026]
By JOHN WAWROW
Kelly Pannek has spent the past decade enjoying a front-row view of
U.S. teammate Hilary Knight and Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin
one-upping the other in a fierce, friendly rivalry involving two of
the most accomplished players in the history of women's hockey.
Playful and easygoing as the two are away from the rink, Pannek has
witnessed the intensity, gamesmanship and dialed-in ability to step
up their games in the biggest moments.
“They push each other,” Pannek said, before recalling the Americans’
6-3 gold-medal win over Canada at the 2023 world championships.
“I laugh actually because Poulin scores on the 5-on-3, and she shot
it right over Hilary’s foot,” Pannek said. “Hilary took that
personally, and then scored three goals and won us that game.”
Knight doesn’t dispute it. “Yeah, I was pissed,” she said, laughing.
And, yes, it mattered who scored.
“When a great player finds the back of the net against you, and it’s
your job to keep it out of the net, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s
go,'” Knight said.
Captain America vs. Captain Clutch
The gripping back-and-forth swings of gold-medal highs and
silver-medal lows have played out over some 17 years and more than
100 games on the international stage between two players with
altogether different backgrounds. Knight grew up in the Chicago
suburbs, and Poulin in Beauceville, a rural town an hour's drive
south of Quebec City.
It will be in Milan where the two meet next month for a fifth and
potentially final time at the Winter Games.
“If that’s the case, it’s a shame,” Team Canada coach Troy Ryan
said. “It’s been a privilege to watch and to be witness to the back
and forth.”
They are guaranteed one more meeting in a preliminary round matchup
on Feb. 10. There is a good chance they will face off again for gold
nine days later. At 36, Knight already has announced these Games
will be her last. At 34, Poulin has not shed light on her Olympic
future.
Veteran U.S. defender Lee Stecklein still can’t fathom the thought.
“I’ll believe Hilary’s done when I see it. I don’t believe her,” she
said with a laugh.
The numbers are astounding for two generational icons, and first to
earn International Ice Hockey Federation female player of the year
honors, Knight in 2024 and Poulin last June.
Knight has the edge with 10 world championship gold medals to
Poulin’s four. Knight also holds the world tournament record for
goals (67), assists (53) and points (120).
Poulin has shined at the Olympics, earning her “Captain Clutch”
nickname by scoring the gold medal-winning goal three times. She is
second behind Knight on the world championship list with 89 points,
and second on the Olympic list with 35 points, trailing former
Canadian teammate Hayley Wickenheiser.
“I think it just goes to show that we want to be the best player
every single time we hop on the ice, specifically also against one
another,” Knight said. “And we’re going to put on a show.”
National icons
The two are the faces of women's hockey in their respective nations.
“It takes a really special person to be able to withstand —
especially in Canada — that amount of pressure and responsibility.
And she does it with grace,” former U.S. Olympian Meghan Duggan said
of Poulin.
“Similar to Hilary,” added Duggan, Knight’s teammate from 2007 to
2018. “Her ability to just naturally show up in big moments is
unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
[to top of second column] |
Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight looks on during a face-off
against the Toronto Sceptres during the third period of a PWHL
hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey
Wasson)
They first met on the international stage at the
2009 world championships, where Poulin made her Team Canada debut.
It didn't take long for each to begin taking notice of the other.
Poulin's first memory was falling into the boards on a failed
backcheck as Knight broke free to score in overtime of a 3-2 win in
the gold-medal game at the 2011 world championships in Zurich.
“Yeah, that’s how it started,” Poulin said, laughing.
For Knight, her first recollection of Poulin came at the 2010 Winter
Games in Vancouver.
“She got loose on the draw, and it’s in the back of our net pretty
quickly,” Knight said of Poulin scoring her second goal in Canada’s
2-0 gold-medal win. “Our center drops her and I’m just like, ‘Oh, my
gosh, here we go.’”
They’ve gone at it ever since, and even spent a season as teammates
in Montreal with the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League.
Their legacies include playing instrumental roles in the growth of
women's hockey, and in helping establish the Professional Women’s
Hockey League. The league, now in its third year, grew from six to
eight teams this season, with more expansion on the horizon.
“They’re both legends,” said PWHL executive Jayna Hefford, a Hockey
Hall of Famer. “I think it’s a special moment for women’s hockey to
have the two of them facing off maybe one last time. Who knows,
right? Who knows what they might do? I’ll feel like a fan watching
it and just trying to enjoy it."
Knight has found peace in already calling these her last Olympics.
And yet, she continues dropping hints to suggest a potential change
of mind.
“Unless you convince me otherwise,” Knight said in November when
asked if she might get the itch again. “Yeah, maybe. We’ll see.”
Settled in Seattle
Two months later, while promoting Hershey’s chocolate, Knight
excitedly described the electric welcome the PWHL has received
during her first season in Seattle.
“It definitely gives you a new life, a new breath,” she told The
Associated Press. “It’s really heartfelt, and it only deepens that
want for me to play even longer.”
She has not lost her scoring touch. Last season in Boston, Knight
finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points. This season, she has
two goals and nine points in 13 games.
Count Poulin among the doubters, saying, “We’ll see,” on whether
these might be Knight’s last Olympics.
Not in question is Poulin’s admiration.
“She’s always holding herself to the highest standards. And she’s
done it with tremendous professionalism and grace,” Poulin said.
“She wants to leave the sport in a better place, and she has done
it. And I hope she can finish with her head held high.”
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AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
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