There is no question in my mind that Marie-Philip Poulin (aka MPP) is the greatest goal scorer in the history of women’s hockey. The number of HUGE game-winning goals she’s scored over the course of her career is staggering and I don’t think there is a more CLUTCH player in hockey right now. Click on the videos below to watch her two most recent game-winning goals from the Canada/USA Rivalry series:

Game Winning Overtime Goal #1 – Top Corner Net Drive

1. The Face-off “Win” – this isn’t a clean win by Turnbull, but because Poulin stays with her player off the draw, she’s able to win the possession, which makes this a face-off win for Canada. Details matter and without the willingness to win this loose puck, this goal never happens.

2. Jump In the Rush – the teams play 3v3 in overtime at this level. When Poulin wins the puck, the Canadian D, Jocelyne Larocque, makes a great read to jump into the play. She recognizes that all 3 USA players are now wide of the face-off dot which leaves the other 3/4 of the ice completely open.

3. Get North Fast – Notice how quickly Larocque and Poulin sprint up the ice. They move the puck and their feet to create great speed and support as they cross the USA blue-line for the 2v1. They are striding (not gliding) the entire way up the ice. Sometimes we have a tendency to slow our feet down when we receive the puck, but these players use it as an ‘energy pill’ to take off like rockets down the ice.

4. The Net Drive – At first glance, this play looks like your everyday run-of-the-mill drive to the net with your stick on the ice for the deflection type of goal. But there are 2 key subtleties here – that are even a bit hard to pick up on the video – that truly make this goal elite. First, the pass. Larocque doesn’t put it in front of or under Keller’s stick where it has a greater chance of being intercepted. She actually passes it BEHIND Keller’s feet. This is an under-utilized passing option that is incredibly hard to defend and an excellent choice by Larocque when you have the best goal scorer in the history of our game driving the net. Speaking of Poulin, the redirect she makes off Larocque’s pass is phenomenal. She sends it ‘high glove, top corner’ over the goalie’s shoulder on her backhand with a USA player draped all over her back. The degree of composure and stick/body control that it takes to make a play like this – well let’s just say Poulin might be one of the few who can do it. Driving the net with speed and your stick on the ice can lead to great things. I’d love to see more goals like this scored like this at the Olympics and at all levels of our game.

Game Winning Overtime Goal #2 – Soft Spot, Great Shot

This is another beautiful goal featuring Larocque, Poulin & Jenner for Canada.

1. Using Your Feet – Larocque’s decision to skate the puck up the ice here instead of making a long stretch pass is a very smart one. It allows Canada to get all 3 of their overtime players up in the attack, which is key in this scenario because USA has all 3 players back.

2. The Cross – Team Canada’s use of the ‘cross in front’ tactic at the US blue-line is brilliant. When Larocque gives the puck to Jenner and then surfs across the blue-line in front of her, it causes a brief moment of confusion between the two US defenders. They sort that confusion out pretty quickly but that slight moment of confusion created by the cross gives Jenner a step on the defender that she usses to turn her, drive the net and get the initial shot off. Crossing is a great tactic that players and teams can use to create confusion amongst their opponents which can lead to the creation of time and space to generate scoring opportunities like this one.

3. The ‘Rebound’ – At first glance this looks like a shot off a rebound by Poulin. But when you look at it more closely, you can see that Larocque somehow gets a stick on the rebound and redirects it back in the direction of Poulin. Note that Larocque does this with two US players draped all over her. This is just another great example, like the previous game winning goal, of going to the net hard and engaging in contact to make a play.

4. The Shot – No goalie in the world wants to see Poulin in the low slot like this with the puck on her stick. Yet another top shelf goal over the glove side to win in overtime. There are two things that stands out to me on this one. First, is how Poulin shows great patience and poise as the play unfolds. She stays in a quiet ‘soft’ spot above the chaos that is going on in front of the net. Instead of jumping in there and causing an even bigger puck battle, she waits to see how the play will unfold (note – she’s also in a very smart defensive position just in case USA gets possession while Larocque and Jenner are trapped down low). Second, is how Poulin is ‘puck ready’ before that amazing pass from Larocque ever arrives. If Poulin doesn’t pre-load her stick here and wastes a moment with an extra touch or stickhandle to settle the puck, she probably doesn’t score. Although let’s be honest, she probably has at least 4 or 5 other great moves up her sleeve that she could pull out here. For us mere mortals, the quick release shot here is the best option too as long as we make sure we are loaded up and ready to shoot it before the puck touches our stick. One touch, top corner, game over.