A mark once thought unbreakable, can Poulin eclipse Wickenheiser's Canadian points record?
CBC
When you think of Canadian women's hockey excellence through much of the 2000s, Hayley Wickenheiser comes to mind.
The hard-working star from Saskatchewan was the leading scorer and tournament MVP in 2002, when Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in women's hockey. She repeated those feats again four years later in 2006.
Over more than two decades wearing the maple leaf, Wickenheiser amassed a whopping 379 points for her country.
As Alex Ovechkin chases the Wayne Gretzky NHL goal-scoring record that many once thought was unsurpassable, there's no direct equivalent in women's hockey.
Records are an important measure of greatness and a big part of preserving history. But women's hockey leagues have come and gone over the years, making it more difficult to capture, measure and compare how the best of the best stack up.
In Canada, Wickenheiser's points in a Canadian jersey might be the closest to an untouchable record. Her 379 points includes all games the Canadian team played at, including non-International Ice Hockey Federation games such as the Rivalry Series. (When you look at IIHF play only, American Hilary Knight owns the most points, 111, and goals, 65, according to the most recent IIHF record book.)
Next on the list for points in a Canadian jersey is Jayna Hefford (291) and Caroline Ouellette (242). Both have retired from playing.
But there's one active player who's been climbing the list: Marie-Philip Poulin. The Canadian captain sits at 220 points after surpassing Danielle Goyette in November.
It won't come as a surprise to anyone that Poulin hasn't been paying attention to her place in the record book.
"Hayley is another level," Poulin said when asked about the record.
Poulin has a steep hill to climb. To surpass Wickeheiser at No. 1, she needs 160 points.
But those who've played with and against her aren't counting her out.
"Just like it's difficult to compare an Ovechkin to a Gretzky, it's difficult to compare when there used to be one world championship every two years and then I got to play in one every year, and now there's more games," said Hefford, who is the executive vice president of hockey operations in the PWHL.
"So it is hard to do that. But at the same time, I certainly recognize Marie-Philip Poulin may be the best player that's ever played. She may or may not beat those records. I mean, I'd put my money on her to [do it]. But if she doesn't, you can see the impact players make in the game."
