Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is channelling one of Canada’s most decorated athletes as he gears up for a winner-take-all Game 7.
The Toronto Blue Jays superstar donned a Marie-Philip Poulin Team Canada jersey in his walk-up ahead of the World Series finale against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday (Sportsnet, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT).
The decision to rock the Poulin jersey comes after Guerrero Jr. repped an Auston Matthews Maple Leafs jersey ahead of Game 7 against the Seattle Mariners. Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that Poulin sent the game-worn jersey to Guerrero as a result.
But while Guerrero’s choice to wear a Matthews jersey came with some bad omens from Toronto sports fans — due to the Leafs’ inability to come through in the clutch — Poulin’s name comes with completely different connotations.
One of the best to ever lace up, Poulin’s resume is written in gold. The Quebec City native has three Olympic gold medals (2010, 2014, 2018) as well as four IIHF women’s world championship golds (2012, 2021, 2022, 2024).
Poulin, Team Canada’s longtime captain, is renowned for her big-game play, going so far as to earn the moniker “Captain Clutch.”
She began her Olympic career in a massive note, netting Canada’s two goals in a 2-0 win over the United States in the gold-medal game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. She then scored the game-tying and game-winning goals against the U.S. in the gold-medal game at the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Then, in 2022, Poulin nabbed a career-high 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and finished with yet another two-goal performance in the gold-medal game against the U.S.
Meanwhile, on the diamond, the Blue Jays slugger has been on an all-time tear this post-season and enters Saturday’s winner-take-all showdown batting .412 with an eye-popping 1.330 and eight home runs.
There may not be a better jersey to wear should Guerrero Jr. want to keep the good times going and take down an American team while representing Canada.
And for a bit of added luck, Poulin decided to follow suit as she was seen sporting a Guerrero Jr. jersey at Rogers Centre ahead of Game 7, per Sportsnet’s Ailish Forfar.
