Team Canada has captured women's Olympic gold at Beijing 2022.
During the 2022 Beijing gold medal game, Captain Marie-Philip Poulin scored twice to lead Canada to a 3-2 victory over the United States. Sarah Nurse posted a goal and an assist while goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens stopped 38 of 40 shots.
2021-22 Olympic Tournament Stats
The women played with an up-tempo style, controlled play more often than not, and were aggressive and persistent in all three zones.
The team put up a perfect 7-0 record, with 57 goals scored by 14 different skaters. Meanwhile goaltenders Desbiens and Maschmeyer combined for an exceptional .940 save percentage. Collectively, the squad had a 90% success rate on penalty kills and a 17% shooting percentage.
Breaking Records and Barriers
Captain Marie-Philip Poulin became the only hockey player, male or female, to score in four Olympic gold medal games. After burying two against the Americans during the 2022 gold medal game, Poulin has now scored three Olympic game-winning goals. Poulin, or "Captain Clutch", has captured the attention of many professional men's hockey teams and has even been offered a contract with Montreal Canadiens ECHL affiliate the Trois-Rivieres Lions. However Poulin has respectfully declined the offer.
Forward Brianne Jenner tied the Olympic record for the most goals in a single women's tournament with nine. Jenner put up a total of 14 points, earning the title of Olympic Tournament MVP.
Forward Sarah Nurse became the first Black woman to win Olympic gold in ice hockey and broke two Olympic records - most points (passing Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee Hayley Wickenheiser) and most assists in a single tournament. Nurse opened the scoring in the Olympic Women's Hockey gold medal game against the United States.
Defenceman Claire Thompson finished with 13 points, the most-ever produced by a blue liner.
Looking Ahead
These remarkable women proved once again that they don’t just belong on the sport’s biggest stage but that they also own it. The US-Canada women's gold medal hockey game on NBC averaged 3.54 million viewers, which is more than any 2021-22 broadcasted NHL game and is the second most watched hockey game in the United States since 2019.
Women’s hockey is a staple Olympic event, but the game and its players deserve the spotlight for more than a couple weeks every four years.
The performance by the Women's Team in Beijing must serve as a stepping stone in elevating the sport to new heights so that the next generation can continue to be inspired.
