Picking Canada's all-century women's hockey lineup

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

Editor's note: We recently picked an all-century lineup from Canada's Olympic men's hockey teams. Today we're doing the same for the best Canadian women's players of the last 25 years.

Four straight gold medals.

That's what the Canadian women's Olympic hockey team accomplished at the beginning of the century, starting with the country's historic first gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. It was a moment that changed the course of women's hockey in Canada, and inspired young players who would have their own golden moments years later.

In the last 25 years, Canada has reached all six Olympic women's hockey finals and won five of them. The only loss came in a shootout to the United States in Pyeongchang in 2018.

Along the way, there was gold on home ice in Vancouver, a win over the upset-minded Swedes in Italy in 2006 and a nail-biter over the archrival Americans in Russia in 2014 (with some help from the goal post). Most recently, one of the most dominant Canadian teams in history reclaimed gold inside the bubble in Beijing in 2022.

When you think about the best Canadian women to wear the maple leaf at the Olympics over the last 25 years, one player comes to mind immediately. She's synonymous with gold, and my all-century lineup begins with her.

Forwards: Marie-Philip Poulin, Hayley Wickenheiser, Jayna Hefford

Poulin has scored more Olympic gold-medal winning goals than any other person, male or female, on the planet. They call her Captain Clutch for a reason.

Poulin was the lone goal scorer in the 2-0 win over the United States in Vancouver in 2010. It was the moment she became a household name, but not the last time she'd score when it matters most. Four years later in Sochi, in perhaps the best Canada-U.S. final of all time, Poulin scored the game-tying goal with only 55 seconds remaining, then added the overtime winner.

It wasn't a surprise when Poulin scored the game winner again in 2022. But this gold medal was different. Poulin was the team's captain, the player who set the standard both on and off the ice. Yes, she scores big goals. But Poulin also works harder than anyone else and cares about her teammates more than anyone else. If I could only pick one all-century player, it'd be Poulin.

She's joined up front by Wickenheiser, the Hockey Hall of Famer who has more points in a Canadian jersey than any other woman. Wickenheiser won back-to-back MVP honours and was the lead scorer for Canada in 2002 and 2006.

Hefford, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, joins Wickenheiser with four Olympic gold medals on her resumé. She scored the game winner in 2002 with just one second remaining in the second period, perhaps the most memorable and meaningful goal in Canadian Olympic women's hockey history.

Honourable mention: Some might argue that the third player with four gold medals to her name, Caroline Ouellette, should be on this list. Her induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023 was long overdue.

Defenders: Jocelyne Larocque, Becky Kellar

Larocque has been a staple on and off the ice for Team Canada for more than a decade, winning two Olympic gold medals. She's in the mix to earn a third next year in Italy. She's still a player rivals hate playing against, and teammates love having on their side.

Both Colleen Sostorics and Becky Kellar anchored the blue line for three straight gold medals from 2002 to 2010. They even announced their retirement on the same day. The edge goes to Kellar for her longevity on the national team.

Honourable mention: It feels weird to pick someone who has been to only one Games, but Claire Thompson's 13 points in 2022 were the most by any defender at the Olympics. After time away attending med school, Thompson is a lock for the 2026 team.

Goaltender: Kim St-Pierre

Canada has had all-world goaltenders over the last 25 years, from Shannon Szabados to Charline Labonte and Ann-Renée Desbiens. You can't go wrong with any of them in this spot.

But the edge goes to St-Pierre, who backstopped Canada to a historic gold in 2002. St-Pierre won three Olympic gold medals en route to becoming the first female goalie inducted into the Hall of Fame.