The Milan Aftermath: Montreal Victoire Olympians Open Up About Outside Noise and Political Controversy

Nine Victoire players represented their countries in Milan, with six returning home with medals after a tournament filled with pressure, criticism, and political headlines.

Heading into this tournament, the U.S. women’s hockey team was by far the favorite. They had beaten Canada multiple times during the Rivalry Series. They had won against Canada at last year’s World Championships. And even in their final game before the Olympics, the U.S. had defeated Canada 10–2. So there was really no surprise that the Americans were seen as the team with everything to lose, while Canada was the team that just had to fight.

The Underdogs

The noise around the Canadian team was extremely loud. The criticism was constant, and many players admitted how difficult that was to deal with. Laura Stacey spoke about it after the tournament, saying: "Obviously there's a lot of noise at every single Olympics, but this one in particular, I can't believe the noise that we were dealing with, to be completely honest with you."  

Despite all of that, the outside noise clearly didn’t affect the Canadian team too much when it mattered most. They had a fairly average tournament overall and faced their share of adversity, but they showed up in the gold medal game. They managed to hold a 1–0 lead until the final two minutes, when Hilary Knight, Team USA’s captain, tied the game and sent yet another matchup in this tournament into overtime. That is when Boston Fleet defender Megan Keller scored the game-winning goal for the United States.

You could feel the disappointment from the Canadian side, but there was still so much to be proud of. This was a team that many people feared would get blown out in the final. Instead, they fought and played one of their strongest games in a long time. "I trusted every single one of my teammates that they were going to show up and do whatever it took to try and bring home gold. And I can honestly say that I think they all did," shared Stacey. 

The Infamous White House Invitation

Another storyline that has caught attention recently is the political aspect surrounding the U.S. teams. The men’s team accepted the invitation made by the White House, while the women’s team declined theirs, which has made headlines. Hayley Scamurra, an American player on the Victoire roster didn't open up a lot on the subject: "Right now we're all just focused on our PWHL seasons and I'm focusing on our game coming up."

When asked about the USA men's hockey team’s call with the President, Head Coach Cheverie shared: "We're going to continue to support and push for women's hockey to be looked upon as something that needs to be celebrated on the highest level."

Back to Reality

For the Victoire, however, there is an added concern. Erin Ambrose and Marie-Philip Poulin were not at practice today, which raises questions about their injuries and how long the team might have to play without them. There is no official status update yet. It is unclear whether Poulin is being re-evaluated by Montreal Victoire staff after initially being assessed in Italy.

The Victoire entered the Olympic break with strong momentum, and there are still plenty of games left in the season. Several players have had time to work on their game. But if the team does have to move forward without their captain and one of their top defensemen, Erin Ambrose, it will be a real test of their depth. And if they respond well, it could send a strong message heading into the playoffs, which has been an area of difficulty in the past.