The Montreal Victoire lifted their first Walter Cup by beating the Ottawa Charge 4-0 in Game 4 to win the series 3-1, and Marie-Philip Poulin was right at the heart of it, finishing the postseason as Playoff MVP. Tying a league record with eight points (4G, 4A) in nine postseason games, Poulin was at her best.

It was an incredible moment for the team, but it was an even more special one for Poulin and her teammate, Laura Stacey. A late-night camp with Team Canada around 2 a.m in 2018 started a special journey for Poulin and Stacey, who were both instrumental in Victoire’s triumph.

Who is Marie-Philip Poulin’s partner?

Marie-Philip Poulin’s partner is Laura Stacey, a Canadian professional ice hockey player from Mississauga, Ontario, who plays for the Montreal Victoire and represents Canada internationally.

Laura took up hockey after skating lessons inspired her love for ice. Inspired by Canada’s women’s Olympic gold in 2002, she dreamed of playing for Team Canada from a young age. But her journey was not straightforward at all.

After joining Canada’s U18 team in 2010, Stacey faced multiple roster cuts before breaking through. After showing great promise again, she made her IIHF Women’s World Championship debut in 2017, helping Canada win a silver medal.

That 2017 World Championship appearance earned her a spot on the 2018 Olympic team and she won a silver medal. In 2022, she reached the highest point of her career so far, winning Olympic gold with Team Canada. Stacey has also been a consistent presence at the IIHF Women’s World Championships, appearing in seven tournaments and winning multiple medals, including three golds, three silvers, and one bronze.

Most recently, she was part of Team Canada’s run at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where she added another silver medal to her international career. Today, Laura Stacey is recognized both for her achievements on the ice and as the partner of Marie-Philip Poulin.

How did Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey’s love story begin?

Their relationship began through hockey when Marie-Philip Poulin and Laura Stacey first met at Team Canada’s national camp around 2017. A Team Canada gathering in Blue Mountain, Ontario, was the starting point of their story.

Around 2 a.m., a group of players went swimming. In that casual setting, Stacey and Poulin shared an unexpected moment: they both looked up and saw a shooting star at the same time.

Stacey said. “The two of us looked up into the sky at the same time, and we saw a shooting star. Our eyes met, and we asked each other if we had just seen that. Nobody else in the pool saw it or knew what was going on, but we saw it. For the rest of that night, it was a weird feeling. I had a feeling.”

From there, their relationship went through periods of closeness and distance. After Canada’s loss to the United States at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Poulin spoke openly about being in a very low place emotionally, saying she felt like she had “let the entire country down.”

A few months later, fate brought them back into each other’s orbit. They faced off in a league game, and after it ended, Marie-Philip Poulin followed Stacey’s team bus to her hotel. She asked to talk in the car and eventually convinced her to go for dinner. They now consider that night their anniversary.

Even after that, they kept their relationship private while they continued playing for Canada together. As Stacey explained, “We’re relatively private people in the first place, so we didn’t really feel the need to share that side of our life.”

Years later, they confirmed their relationship publicly in 2023, got engaged in May 2023, and married on September 28, 2024. But challenges emerged. Stacey spoke about pressure from being linked to Poulin’s name: “I didn’t want people to think the team only signed me because of Marie versus what I brought.”

She also added, “I really hope in the media people see me as me… versus they only want me to stay because of my wife.”

That sense of pressure sits in contrast to what Poulin achieved on the biggest stage that same season. On May 20, the Montreal Victoire made history by becoming the first Canadian team to win the PWHL Walter Cup. Marie-Philip Poulin delivered outstanding postseason performances by finishing the season with a tally of nine goals and nine assists for 18 points despite missing time due to injury. Laura Stacey starred in the playoffs with 3 goals and an assist in 4 games and registered her first career PWHL playoff hat-trick.

As of 2026, Poulin and Stacey live in Montreal with their golden retriever, Arlo. On the ice, they continue chasing titles side by side. Off the ice, they are building a life together.