Marie-Philip Poulin in the spotlight as Blue Jays star rocks her jersey before World Series Game 7

Marie-Philip Poulin surged into the wider sports conversation tonight when Toronto first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. arrived for World Series Game 7 wearing Poulin’s Team Canada sweater. The walk-in nod from one Canadian star to another instantly lit up social feeds and pushed Poulin’s name to the top of trending lists on a night when nearly all eyes are on baseball.

Why the Poulin jersey moment matters

A Game 7 is one of the rare North American sporting stages that cuts across fan bases. By choosing Poulin’s No. 29, Guerrero Jr. connected the country’s biggest baseball game in decades to the legacy of Canada’s most decorated active hockey captain. It served as a high-profile salute to women’s hockey, a reminder of Poulin’s clutch résumé, and a unifying symbol for Toronto’s title chase.

The timing is perfect. Canada often rallies around shared sporting touchstones, and Poulin is one of them: a serial game-breaker whose highlight reel is stitched to the nation’s golden memories. Seeing her jersey in that tunnel shot placed a familiar champion’s aura around the Blue Jays’ biggest night.

Who is Marie-Philip Poulin right now?

• Captain, Montréal Victoire (PWHL) and Team Canada. Poulin leads both her professional club and the national team, anchoring the middle of the ice with elite two-way play and late-game poise.

• Biggest-stage résumé. She scored the gold-winning goals at the 2010 and 2014 Olympics and again decided the 2022 final, the kind of streak that earned the nickname “Captain Clutch.”

• Reigning pro MVP. Her 2024–25 campaign culminated in the league’s top individual honor and Forward of the Year, capping a season in which she topped the goal-scoring charts and drove Montréal to first place.

• All-time marks. In recent international play she moved past long-standing national milestones, underscoring a career that now stands alongside the greatest in Canadian hockey—of any era.

In short, Poulin is not just a symbol; she’s still in her prime, still deciding championships, and still pushing the professional game forward.

The cross-sport boost for women’s hockey

High-visibility gestures change awareness. A single tunnel photo on a Game 7 night means millions of casual fans will see Poulin’s name and sweater — and some will seek out the PWHL schedule, watch highlights, or buy a jersey of their own. Women’s hockey has momentum on the ice and growing commercial tailwinds off it; moments like this expand the audience.

For Montréal Victoire and the league at large, the timing helps. Preseason events and community activations are ramping, and the regular season gets underway this month. Any surge of curiosity translates directly into ticket scans and stream counts.

What’s next on Poulin’s calendar

• PWHL season opener window: Montréal begins the 2025–26 campaign later in November, with an early road date followed by a home opener at Place Bell.

• Leadership workload: Expect Poulin to toggle between centering Montréal’s top line and late-game matchup duty, with special teams time as a given.

• National team cycle: Winter camps and Rivalry Series windows are on deck, where she typically sets the standard for pace and late-situation execution.

Why Poulin resonates beyond hockey

1. Clutch mythos with receipts. Plenty of stars are called clutch; Poulin’s ledger in gold-medal games makes the case airtight.

2. Two-way mastery. She blends playmaking, wall work, and defensive reads — the kind of complete center coaches trust with any assignment.

3. Cultural touchstone. From school gym murals to watch parties, her career has become an intergenerational reference point, much like iconic men’s hockey names in earlier eras.

The ripple effect from a Game 7 shout-out

• Young athletes see the linkage. A baseball superstar publicly repping a women’s hockey legend normalizes cross-sport respect and raises the ceiling for what young girls (and boys) imagine.

• Brands take notice. Visibility at this scale signals where fan passion is headed, reinforcing the business case for partnerships in women’s sport.

• Shared national storyline. Win or lose for Toronto, the jersey moment will live alongside the game’s highlights as a snapshot of how Canada views its champions.