Linemates to Lifemates: A Hockey Love Story

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Purchased three years ago, it’s the perfect place to keep a low profile. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">There are no trophies, plaques or medals on display that showcase the Olympic and world championships they’ve collected. No photos or banners of their hockey triumphs. Those are reserved for Arlo, a golden retriever that is their pride and joy. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">There’s an Arlo treat jar. An Arlo candle. At their wedding in late September the napkins at each table were adorned with Arlo photos. He features prominently on their social media</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Their home, in many ways, resembles how these newlyweds and PWHL Montreal Victoire teammates have lived their lives. They’ve been intentional about hiding from the spotlight, hiding their love, and hiding the most intimate parts of their lives. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Over the past year that’s started to change.</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container video "><div class="entry-element"> <iframe src="https://www.cbc.ca/i/phoenix/player/syndicate/?mediaId=9.6568792" width="100%" height="auto" style='aspect-ratio: 16/9' frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sitting in their living room on an October afternoon just before they begin training camp for a second season, the two share what this has all been like, including now being part of a true pro women’s hockey league, something they wondered and many before them wondered would ever happen in their lifetime.   </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Being able to say we're professional women's hockey players, it's pretty amazing,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “And seeing little girls wanting to be there one day is better than we ever expected. And we don't take it for granted.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Nor do they take for granted the freedom they have to live their lives as they wish.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“This is probably the most myself I've ever been,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “Being myself, having the community, family and friends embracing me, embracing us, embracing this new team. And it doesn't matter who you love, it's who you are. And I think that's the best part about it.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">It hasn’t been easy for many who have come before them. Twenty-six years ago in Nagano when women’s hockey debuted as an official Olympic sport, some media coverage focused more on the sexual orientation of the players than the competition.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">But relationships among athletes are slowly gaining a normality in women’s pro sports. In 2021, married couple Allie Quigley and Courtney Vandersloot won a WNBA championship with the Chicago Sky, and they are just one of many couples in the league. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Women’s sports is undergoing a transformative expansion </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> new leagues, more money and investment, increased media coverage </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and the story of teammates as couples is only going to become more common.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“I've always been the hockey player. But I have a wife and I can be myself. People are coming to the rink and saying thank you for allowing me to be myself,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. </span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image fullwidth "><div class="entry-element"><figure class="entry-image with-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg" alt="Two women posed with medals." srcSet="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 300w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_460/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 460w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_620/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 620w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_780/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 780w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1180/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 1180w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1920/PoulinStaceyBeijing.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px,(min-width: 1181px) 1920px"><figcaption class="media-caption">Marie-Philip Poulin, left, and Laura Stacey celebrate with their gold medals after defeating the U.S. in the 2022 Olympic final in Beijing. Getty</figcaption></figure></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">S</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">toic and composed in a hockey arena, Poulin’s eyes well up as she talks about their September wedding. Stacey sits beside her, Arlo on the couch. Tears are streaming down Poulin's cheeks and she hides her face under her black ball cap. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“She’s a crier,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says, rubbing her hand along </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">’s back, filling the space between tears as </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> tries to compose herself. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, 33, has kept who she really is buried for years, shoved away in the depths of all that she is. She was only going to let people know her as this great hockey player who comes up clutch in the biggest moments.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> is the only hockey player in history to have scored in four Olympic gold-medal games. Her heroics in the 2014 Olympic final </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">— </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">tying the game with a late goal and then winning it in overtime against the United States to capture gold </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">— </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">put her in a category all by herself. She’s been seemingly unstoppable for years. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, 30, found a way to break through that tough exterior, to strike at the heart of all the things that matter to </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“She puts up that front of, ‘I'm the hockey player’. That's all people see and have seen of her,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “The world knows her as the best hockey player in the world, but they don't know her as the best person in the world as well. </span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image-collage"><div class="entry-element"><div class="collage unprocessed" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageGallery" data-count="fourGallery6" data-collage-index="6" data-collage-type="fourGallery"> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div1" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/WEDDING_DANCE_2.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/WEDDING_DANCE_2.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/WEDDING_DANCE_2.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/WEDDING_DANCE_2.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description">Submitted by Poulin/Stacey</figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div2" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/WEDDING_COLOUR_2.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/WEDDING_COLOUR_2.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/WEDDING_COLOUR_2.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/WEDDING_COLOUR_2.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description">Submitted by Poulin/Stacey</figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div3" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/WEDDING_BW_2.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/WEDDING_BW_2.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/WEDDING_BW_2.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/WEDDING_BW_2.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description">Submitted by Poulin/Stacey</figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div4" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/WEDDING_family.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/WEDDING_family.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/WEDDING_family.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/WEDDING_family.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description">Submitted by Poulin/Stacey</figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="media-caption"><span class="image-collage-expand-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/common/zoom-in.svg" class="image-collage-expand-icon">images expand</span>Both call their September wedding the best day of their lives.</div></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“And I've been fortunate enough to see that but now for the world to see that too, it's pretty special.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">If Poulin has helped make Stacey a better hockey player, Stacey has assisted Poulin in living her most authentic life. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">And in a lot of ways, </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">they </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">have become bigger than the game.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Their late-September wedding at Le Peaches and Cream in Low, Que., is described by many of the 192 family members and friends who were in attendance as the perfect day. Poulin and Stacey both call it “the best day of their lives” </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> an epic celebration of life and love, the culmination of a relationship that began in 2017 when they locked eyes while swimming at a Team Canada event at Blue Mountain in southern Ontario.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> had just competed in her first world championship, Poulin a decorated champion many times over. They were teammates, but they didn’t really know a lot about one another. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“A few of us decided to go skinny dipping in the pool at 2 a.m.” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “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 just saw 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.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We always go back to that moment. Even in my wedding vows, that was the thing </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> that she was the wish I had always dreamed of and I didn’t realize it until now.”</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image-collage"><div class="entry-element"><div class="collage unprocessed" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageGallery" data-count="fourGalleryFlip8" data-collage-index="8" data-collage-type="fourGalleryFlip"> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div1" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/CP116778.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/CP116778.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/CP116778.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/CP116778.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Nathan Denette/Canadian Press" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div2" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/GettyImages-922795658.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/GettyImages-922795658.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/GettyImages-922795658.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/GettyImages-922795658.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Getty" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div3" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/GettyImages-922599434.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/GettyImages-922599434.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/GettyImages-922599434.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/GettyImages-922599434.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Getty" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div4" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/CP116602.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/CP116602.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/CP116602.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/CP116602.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Nathan Denette/Canadian Press" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="media-caption"><span class="image-collage-expand-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/common/zoom-in.svg" class="image-collage-expand-icon">images expand</span>For Poulin, the 2018 Olympic final was one of celebration (her goal) and consolation (the loss).</div></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">, who’s happy to take a backseat to </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">’s storytelling, jumps in. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“You should have seen the skyline the weekend of our wedding. It was so bright and magical. Stars everywhere. I believe in those little signs,” she says.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">It was an idyllic setting for the two to share their vows, with vibrant, fall-coloured trees, expansive fields of lush green grass and breathtaking sunsets surrounding a barn-like building. There was a fire pit too, and on the eve of the big day, all of their friends gathered around the flames, sharing stories, drinks and laughs. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">The crescendo came during the late-night dance party, when Poulin and Stacey had changed out of their stunning white dresses and into matching white pant suits, joyously leaping around to Celine Dion’s </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#001d35;"><i>It's All Coming Back to Me Now.</i></span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container content-embed"><div class="entry-element"><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DArmWzavLjC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DArmWzavLjC/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by The GIST Canada (@thegistca)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#001d35;">With everyone surrounding them in a big circle, Poulin and Stacey jumped up and down, shouting, smiling. “Baby, baby, baby,” they sang, swept away in a moment that quickly went viral on social media.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">It’s pretty remarkable considering </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin and Stacey are the last of a generation that had to play on all-boys teams.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“I dreamed of playing for the Leafs because that’s all I knew. And that wasn’t possible but it’s the only thing I saw,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">No longer. They are now what young girls see </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> Olympic champions as teammates in 2022, twice as world champions </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and working toward a championship as linemates on the Montreal Victoire.</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image-collage"><div class="entry-element"><div class="collage unprocessed" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageGallery" data-count="fourGallery12" data-collage-index="12" data-collage-type="fourGallery"> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div1" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/CP170106540.JPG" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/CP170106540.JPG" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/CP170106540.JPG" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/CP170106540.JPG"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Graham Hughes/Canadian Press" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div2" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/GettyImages-1933907017.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/GettyImages-1933907017.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/GettyImages-1933907017.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/GettyImages-1933907017.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Getty" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div3" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/CP171254486.JPG" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/CP171254486.JPG" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/CP171254486.JPG" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/CP171254486.JPG"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Justin Tang/Canadian Press" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div4" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/CP173502893.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/CP173502893.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/CP173502893.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/CP173502893.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Associated Press" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="media-caption"><span class="image-collage-expand-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/common/zoom-in.svg" class="image-collage-expand-icon">images expand</span>Stacey was adamant that she establish her own profile as a professional player in the PWHL.</div></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Before they were even in this position the two had to navigate free agency ahead of the new beginning for the PWHL.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">All six teams were able to select three players ahead of the league’s inaugural player draft on Sept. 18, 2023. Hometown hero Poulin was always going to Montreal </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> that was never in question. But would her then-fiancee and national teammate also be part of that deal?</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">And that was just it. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and Stacey made it very clear throughout the entire process they were not a package deal </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and didn’t want to be considered one.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“It was really, really hard on me,” Stacey says. “I had conversations with all of the GMs and stated that I'm only coming or only want to be drafted by you if you actually want me as a person and a player.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Obviously there's always those thoughts that go through your head that they're only taking me or they're only asking me to sign early because they want her.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> even considered skipping free agency just so that she’d be part of a draft and not have to endure being favoured because she was Poulin’s partner. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We did have those hard conversations, the two of us sitting here and seeing what was going to happen,” Poulin says. “There was no package deal. And that was something that we take a lot of pride in. I'm myself, she's herself.”</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image large "><div class="entry-element"><figure class="entry-image with-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/CP168215871.JPG" alt="" srcSet="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/CP168215871.JPG 300w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_460/CP168215871.JPG 460w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_620/CP168215871.JPG 620w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_780/CP168215871.JPG 780w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1180/CP168215871.JPG 1180w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1920/CP168215871.JPG 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px,(min-width: 1181px) 1920px"><figcaption class="media-caption">Poulin, left, Stacey, centre, and Ann-Renee Desbiens are introduced as the first three players to sign with Montreal in September 2023. Christinne Muschi/Canadian Press</figcaption></figure></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Enter Montreal Victoire general manager Danièle Sauvageau. She’s been part of women’s hockey for decades and was head coach when Canada’s women won gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sauvageau was deliberate in making sure Stacey and Poulin were treated like two separate players, with separate conversations with each.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“For me it was important that the choice was made individually,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Sauvageau says. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“Is she going to think we value her because of the context of her private life? We had to ask that question. I wanted to do the exercise to show her that wasn’t the reason. I wanted to sign her.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Sauvageau says their decision to pick Poulin and goalie </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1f1f1f;">Ann-Renée Desbiens was easy, but choosing their third and final free agent was a process. They had a five-player wishlist. Stacey was on that list </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#1f1f1f;"> and they weren’t going to roll the dice on missing out on her. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“When you look at </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> the last two or three years </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> the best line of Team Canada </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> she never gives up," Sauvageau says. “She brings a lot of energy. She’s a student of the game.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We just didn’t want to lose </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">her</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">.”</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container video "><div class="entry-element"> <iframe src="https://www.cbc.ca/i/phoenix/player/syndicate/?mediaId=9.6568789" width="100%" height="auto" style='aspect-ratio: 16/9' frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Inside their home there’s a warmth and vulnerability the two share. But at the rink, it couldn’t be more different. Home is family. The rink is work.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“You're not going to see us fight or argue. We know it's business and we know we're going to get the best out of each other,” Poulin says. “When we train, we do our work. It's not about us being lovey dovey. It's us getting better, making people around us better.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">They have had to figure out how to give each other constructive criticism and feedback after their games </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> it’s still a work in progress.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“The first couple of games it was like, how do we do this?” Stacey says. “Do we just talk about it in the car? And then when we get home it's over? And I don't think that worked that well because I know for myself I just can't get over things that quickly.” </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>“</strong>So we did a lot of detours on the way home,” Poulin says, and they both laugh.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We just kept driving. We just kept driving,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">says.</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium blockquote " ><div class="entry-element"><div class="blockquote-container"> <div class="blockquote open"><hr><span class="blockquote-character open"><svg version="1.1" xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="0 0 40 30" xml:space="preserve"><path class="quote-fill" d="M 24.295394,26.863758 C 19.200505,21.145204 22.710131,11.190578 26.951762,7.3424212 C 30.566689,4.0628338 36.556731,1.3813774 37.121428,2.3183024 C 38.019154,3.8077781 34.48577,4.865211 31.829231,7.2558366 C 28.512946,10.842074 27.399362,12.454202 31.988064,14.477295 C 36.906646,16.697086 37.001109,18.868305 37.159152,21.630467 C 37.55703,28.584322 29.269122,31.837485 24.295394,26.863758 z " /><path class="quote-fill" d="M 5.1231491,26.764559 C 0.028260593,21.046005 3.5378861,11.091379 7.7795171,7.2432227 C 11.394445,3.9636353 17.384487,1.2821789 17.949184,2.2191039 C 18.84691,3.7085796 15.313526,4.7660125 12.656987,7.1566381 C 9.3407014,10.742875 8.2271171,12.355003 12.81582,14.378096 C 17.734402,16.597887 17.828865,18.769106 17.986908,21.531268 C 18.384786,28.485123 10.096878,31.738286 5.1231491,26.764559 z " /></svg></span><hr></div> <div class="blockquote-content-holder"><span class="blockquote-content" >The first couple of games it was like, how do we do this? Do we just talk about it in the car? And then when we get home it's over? And I don't think that worked that well because I know for myself I just can't get over things that quickly.</span><span class="blockquote-content author">Laura Stacey</span></div> <div class="blockquote close"><hr><span class="blockquote-character close"><svg version="1.1" xmlns:svg="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" x="0px" y="0px" viewBox="0 0 40 30" xml:space="preserve"><path class="quote-fill" d="M 24.295394,26.863758 C 19.200505,21.145204 22.710131,11.190578 26.951762,7.3424212 C 30.566689,4.0628338 36.556731,1.3813774 37.121428,2.3183024 C 38.019154,3.8077781 34.48577,4.865211 31.829231,7.2558366 C 28.512946,10.842074 27.399362,12.454202 31.988064,14.477295 C 36.906646,16.697086 37.001109,18.868305 37.159152,21.630467 C 37.55703,28.584322 29.269122,31.837485 24.295394,26.863758 z " /><path class="quote-fill" d="M 5.1231491,26.764559 C 0.028260593,21.046005 3.5378861,11.091379 7.7795171,7.2432227 C 11.394445,3.9636353 17.384487,1.2821789 17.949184,2.2191039 C 18.84691,3.7085796 15.313526,4.7660125 12.656987,7.1566381 C 9.3407014,10.742875 8.2271171,12.355003 12.81582,14.378096 C 17.734402,16.597887 17.828865,18.769106 17.986908,21.531268 C 18.384786,28.485123 10.096878,31.738286 5.1231491,26.764559 z " /></svg></span><hr></div> </div></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Jill Saulnier, their teammate at the Beijing Olympics who plays for the New York Sirens, has been practising with the pair in Montreal ahead of the new PWHL season. During an unrelenting two-hour practice on a Thursday morning at the historic Verdun Auditorium, which is the training facility for Montreal, Saulnier is doggedly keeping up with her two best friends in dryland training and on the ice. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“They come to the rink. They’re married. It’s our job and it’s all business for them,” Saulnier says. “They’re able to separate the craziness.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“I’ve known both of them for 15 years and they were wonderful individuals when I met them and they’re even more wonderful together. I feel that’s such a testament to a powerful relationship."</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Erin Ambrose has also played alongside the two of them for years on the national team </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and is getting ready to be their teammate on La Victoire for a second season. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“As their teammate and friend, if there’s ever been an issue you’d never know it,” Ambrose says. “It’s heartwarming to see two people lift each other up and genuinely two of the best people you could have in your life.”</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image fullwidth "><div class="entry-element"><figure class="entry-image with-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/GettyImages-97064050.jpg" alt="Two women pose with medals." srcSet="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 300w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_460/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 460w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_620/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 620w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_780/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 780w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1180/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 1180w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1920/GettyImages-97064050.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px,(min-width: 1181px) 1920px"><figcaption class="media-caption">Caroline Oullette, left, and Poulin celebrate their gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. Getty</figcaption></figure></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Caroline </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Ouellette</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> knows perhaps better than anyone how tricky it can be to find a balance between being in love and playing the game you love.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">She won four Olympic gold medals and a handful of world championship titles with Team Canada between 1999 and 2018, victories that came at the expense of her American partner and now wife, Julie Chu, who starred for Team USA.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">For </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Ouellette</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> it was a question of legitimacy. She was scarred from the coverage at the 1998 Nagano Olympics when women’s hockey made its debut. She still vividly recalls a newspaper highlighting the sexual orientation of the women playing at those Olympics.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“It was front page in Quebec </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> a sexual orientation that makes people talk </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> that’s what it was about. The whole article was about maybe there being relationships on the team, maybe with the coach and players. It was so hurtful and negative to the game,” she says. “It was shocking and disappointing.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“It silenced me for years. I took the approach that it wasn’t going to overshadow the performance on the ice.”</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image "><div class="entry-element"><figure class="entry-image with-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/GettyImages-1390623.jpg" alt="Two women hockey players." srcSet="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 300w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_460/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 460w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_620/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 620w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_780/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 780w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1180/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 1180w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1920/GettyImages-1390623.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px,(min-width: 1181px) 1920px"><figcaption class="media-caption">Oullette knocks down American forward and spouse Julie Chu during the 2002 Olympic gold-medal game. Getty</figcaption></figure></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">For Ouelette it was less about people knowing her and Chu were together and more about keeping the focus on the talent on the ice. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“For me, I still felt I could be myself and be who I was with Julie. I think a lot of the media knew we were together and I’m grateful they didn’t make it something,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Ouellette</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">A lot changed for </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Ouellette</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and Chu in 2017 when they celebrated the birth of their daughter, Liv. For Ouelette, it was because there was no hiding anymore. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We won the Clarkson Cup in 2017 with Liv in my belly. I thought that this was the coolest thing ever and I wanted to win that Cup so badly because I wanted to say we won with too many players on the ice,” she says with a laugh.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">Ouellette</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> was ready to share all the parts of her life and fully understands this place </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> and </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> have arrived at. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“They complete each other,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#474747;">she</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says</span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image-collage"><div class="entry-element"><div class="collage unprocessed" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageGallery" data-count="fourGallerySquare24" data-collage-index="24" data-collage-type="fourGallerySquare"> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div1" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/STACEY_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/STACEY_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/STACEY_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/STACEY_CHILD_2_1.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Submitted By Poulin/Stacey" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div2" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/MPP_STACEY_WOODS_2.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/MPP_STACEY_WOODS_2.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/MPP_STACEY_WOODS_2.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/MPP_STACEY_WOODS_2.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Submitted By Poulin/Stacey" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div3" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/MPP_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/MPP_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/MPP_CHILD_2_1.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/MPP_CHILD_2_1.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Submitted By Poulin/Stacey" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> <figure itemprop="associatedMedia" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" class="div4" data-src-portrait="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_portrait/MPP_STACEY_COPTER_2.jpg" data-src-landscape="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_landscape/MPP_STACEY_COPTER_2.jpg" data-src-threeByTwo="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_threeByTwo/MPP_STACEY_COPTER_2.jpg" data-src-square="/sports/longform/content/photo_collage/_square/MPP_STACEY_COPTER_2.jpg"> <a href="" itemprop="contentUrl" data-size="" data-author="Submitted By Poulin/Stacey" id=""> <img src="" itemprop="thumbnail" alt=""/> </a> <figcaption itemprop="caption description"></figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="media-caption"><span class="image-collage-expand-caption"><img src="/sports/longform/content/common/zoom-in.svg" class="image-collage-expand-icon">images expand</span>From peewee to partners.</div></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">All of this almost never happened.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Six years ago Poulin’s and Stacey’s relationship was on again, off again as they, like many young couples, struggled with the decision of whether they wanted to be together. </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Poulin</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> had just returned from the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang and was devastated after losing to the Americans in the final. She says it was one of the darkest points of her life. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“I felt like I let the entire country down,” she remembers. “I was one of the leaders. You take everything on your shoulders. I didn't want to see anybody and I was just really on my own.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">She sat in that sadness for weeks, but the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April 2018, when 16 members of a junior hockey organization were killed, shook her to her core.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“You see parents losing their kids, kids losing their parents. I'm here in my bed and people lost their lives and I'm going to cry over a silver medal?” Poulin says. “That moment switched my perspective. That silver medal probably made me way better. It taught me that when there's hard moments, you get back up.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">That fall, Poulin and Stacey were playing on separate teams in the CWHL, the precursor to the NWHL, Poulin a member of Les Canadiennes and Stacey with the Markham Thunder. </span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container image large "><div class="entry-element"><figure class="entry-image "><img src="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg" alt="Two women in hockey equipment on the ice." srcSet="/sports/longform/content/images/_image_300/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 300w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_460/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 460w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_620/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 620w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_780/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 780w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1180/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 1180w,/sports/longform/content/images/_image_1920/MPP_STACEY_ICE_2_1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 300px,(max-width: 460px) 460px,(max-width: 620px) 620px,(max-width: 780px) 780px,(max-width: 1180px) 1180px,(min-width: 1181px) 1920px"><figcaption class="media-caption">Submitted by Poulin/Stacey</figcaption></figure></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium text"><div class="entry-element"><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“There was a lot. This is complicated. She was in Montreal. I was in Toronto. We were national teammates. We just stopped talking. I was not talking to her. I was good and ready to move on,” Stacey says. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Poulin wasn’t.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">On Oct. 20, they found themselves lined up on opposite ends of the rink. Poulin’s Montreal team beat Stacey’s Thunder 5-1, and in a bold move, Poulin followed </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">’s team bus back to her hotel after the game.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Poulin sent a text, imploring her to come out to her car to talk.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“She was serious,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “I didn’t know what to tell my roommate. I lied and said I needed to go see my family or something like that.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">Poulin finally convinced </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">her</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> to go for dinner, and the two now use that day as their anniversary. </span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">And while there are many more championships the pair want to collect, they’re also starting to think about what could be next.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">That’s where Arlo has picked up the assist.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"><strong>“</strong>If<strong> </strong>we have a bad practice or bad game, when we come home Arlo does not care. He's going to love us till the very end. And what's not to love about him?” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. “I think that's just opened our eyes to having a family and growing our family.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“We've talked about having kids as part of our next project. We love kids. We have friends with kids and we love it. And honestly, it will be the next project for sure,” Poulin says.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">There’s a practical part of that conversation </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> that one of them would have to take a backseat, at least for a bit, to their athletic career.</span></p><p><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;">“And it's going to be interesting for us </span><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);">—</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> two female athletes navigating how to have kids, when to have kids. It's definitely going to take some thought, some planning because it is brand new to us and it's brand new to a lot of people too,” </span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#222222;">Stacey</span><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;"> says. </span></p></div></div> <div class="entry-element-container medium author"><div class="entry-element"> <span class="entry-element-title">About the Author</span> <div class="author_block_polopoly" data-author="1.2981459"></div></div></div> <script type="text/javascript"> window.readJSConfig = { el: "#maincontent", cb: function(){ if (!!CBC.APP.SC.EventTracker.isOn()){ CBC.APP.SC.EventTracker.trackEvent("READ", {content:{url:"https://www.cbc.ca/sports/longform/features/Hockey-love-story-Poulin-Stacey", type: "story", cms: "expression-engine", title: "Linemates to Lifemates: A Hockey Love Story", } }); }; } }; </script> <footer class="ee-footer" role="contentinfo"> <h2 class="a11y">Footer Links</h2> <div class="ee-footer__top ee-row"> <div class="ee-footer__column ee-footer__column--account"> <h3>My Account</h3> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/account/">Profile</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://gem.cbc.ca/benefits/">CBC Gem</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://subscriptions.cbc.ca/listmanagement/">Newsletters</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="ee-footer__column ee-footer__column--services"> <h3>Connect with CBC</h3> <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/cbc/">Facebook</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/cbc/">Twitter</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/CBCtv">YouTube</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/cbc/?hl=en">Instagram</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://cbchelp.cbc.ca/hc/en-ca/categories/115000249853-Help-with-CBC-Apps">Mobile</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/rss/">RSS</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/podcasts">Podcasts</a> </li> </ul> </div> <div class="ee-footer__column ee-footer__column--services"> <h3>Contact CBC</h3> <ul> <li> <a href="https://cbchelp.cbc.ca/hc/en-ca/requests/new">Submit Feedback</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://cbchelp.cbc.ca/hc/en-ca">Help Centre</a> </li> </ul> <p> Audience Relations, CBC <br>P.O. 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"> 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Linemates to Lifemates: A Hockey Love Story