Team Canada hockey icon Marie-Philip Poulin and her dog Arlo. Poulin is set to make her fifth Olympics appearance in February at Milano-Cortina.Mark Blinch/Supplied
Marie-Philip Poulin never had a dog while growing up. She and her brother had busy hockey travel schedules and their parents decided it would be too difficult for them to take care of a pooch.
The world’s greatest women’s hockey player – who will participate in her fifth Olympic Games this winter – waited until the COVID-19 pandemic to add a puppy to her family.
She and her partner Laura Stacey drove seven hours from Montreal to Ontario in 2020 to inspect a litter of golden retriever puppies. They were the first to pick and fall in love with Arlo, then nine weeks old, and brought him home that night.
“We had talked about it but we were not sure when we do it,” Poulin said during a video call on Tuesday. “We got there, played with and petted the dogs and had one in our hands after 20 minutes.”
That was Arlo.
“I picked him,” she said. “He was little more mellow than some of the others. I knew it was a big responsibility but we were quite lucky to have family and friends to help us.”
Poulin and Stacey are teammates on Canada’s women’s national hockey team as well as the Montreal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. They began to date in 2017 and were married in 2024.
Marie-Philip Poulin, left, and Laura Stacey taking in the National Bank Open in Montreal last month.Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
That day, Arlo attended the ceremony and wore a dapper bow tie. Napkins on the tables at their reception were adorned with pictures of their beloved four-legged, wagging retriever.
On Tuesday a pet nutrition company called Nulo announced that it has launched a partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee to help support and develop Team Canada athletes and provide nutritious food to those who own cats and dogs.
The agreement will last through the 2026 Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy, and the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Poulin and Arlo will be featured in a promotional campaign to highlight the connection between athletes and their pets, with former Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner also being featured alongside his dog, Zeus.
“They approached me with the idea and I couldn’t say no,” Poulin said. “Athletes and dogs go hand in hand.”
Whether it’s a good day or a challenging one, Arlo is always ready to greet them at the door.
“Whether you’ve had a bad game or a good game, Arlo always welcomes us the same way,” Poulin said. “It helps put things into perspective.
“For athletes, your career is over pretty quickly. It has taught me to slow things down a bit and step back and enjoy the moment with him.”
Team Canada's Marie-Philip Poulin, left, celebrates her Olympic gold medal with teammate Melodie Daoust at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Arlo turns five on Thursday. The PWHL training camps are scheduled to open around Nov. 7. The regular season starts on the weekend of Nov. 21-23. The Minnesota Frost are the two-time defending champions.
The first Canadian women’s game at the 2026 Olympics will be on Feb. 5 vs. Finland. Canada has won five gold medals and two silvers since 1998.
Poulin was 18 at her first Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver when Team Canada defeated the United States in the gold-medal game. She has collected three golds and one silver in her four Olympic tournaments.
“There is nothing better than getting to represent your country at the highest level,” she said. “It is always exciting and will be a lot of fun.”
She has grown a lot as hockey player and a person since those first games.
“I have matured and learned a little bit since then,” Poulin said. “Every experience and opportunity is unique. It is always exciting and a privilege to be part of something bigger than yourself.”