Member-only story
PWHPA players inspire confidence about future professional women’s hockey league
It appeared to be your run of the mill press conference at first glance.
Team Canada national team members Ann-Renée Desbiens, Mélodie Daoust, Laura Stacey and captain Marie-Philip Poulin were seated at the head table, fielding questions from reporters in a small lounge in the upper confines of Centre 21.02 in Verdun.
Midway through the proceedings, however, something rather unique happened. Montreal’s general manager and head coach Danièle Sauvageau quietly ushered in a young girl named Gabrielle and her mother Sylvie-Anne, who took their seats in the third row of the small room.
Gabrielle, wearing a Marie-Philip Poulin Team Canada jersey, was sitting just feet away from her hockey hero. Her mother, watching over to her right, could not hide her emotion as tears streamed down her face.
“I was very emotional,” said Sylvie-Anne. “My idol is Marie-Philip Poulin. My daughter saw that I liked her and became interested herself. Now, her hero is Marie-Philip. She wants to be like her and play in the Olympics. Before, she liked Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, but now it’s all about Marie-Philip.”
“It really humbles you,” said Poulin. “It has been two years that we have been away from the fans. To be in a packed…
