Captain America vs. Captain Clutch: Knight and Poulin face off for 5th and perhaps last Winter Games

Kelly Pannek has spent the past decade enjoying a front-row view of U.S. teammate Hilary Knight and Canada’s Marie-Philip Poulin one-upping the other in a fierce, friendly rivalry involving two of the most accomplished players in the history of women's hockey.

Playful and easygoing as the two are away from the rink, Pannek has witnessed the intensity, gamesmanship and dialed-in ability to step up their games in the biggest moments.

“They push each other,” Pannek said, before recalling the Americans’ 6-3 gold-medal win over Canada at the 2023 world championships.

“I laugh actually because Poulin scores on the 5-on-3, and she shot it right over Hilary’s foot,” Pannek said. “Hilary took that personally, and then scored three goals and won us that game.”

Knight doesn’t dispute it. “Yeah, I was pissed,” she said, laughing. And, yes, it mattered who scored.

“When a great player finds the back of the net against you, and it’s your job to keep it out of the net, you’re like, ‘All right, let’s go,'” Knight said.

The gripping back-and-forth swings of gold-medal highs and silver-medal lows have played out over some 17 years and more than 100 games on the international stage between two players with altogether different backgrounds. Knight grew up in the Chicago suburbs, and Poulin in Beauceville, a rural town an hour's drive south of Quebec City.

It will be in Milan where the two meet next month for a fifth and potentially final time at the Winter Games.

“If that’s the case, it’s a shame,” Team Canada coach Troy Ryan said. “It’s been a privilege to watch and to be witness to the back and forth.”

They are guaranteed one more meeting in a preliminary round matchup on Feb. 10. There is a good chance they will face off again for gold nine days later. At 36, Knight already has announced these Games will be her last. At 34, Poulin has not shed light on her Olympic future.

Veteran U.S. defender Lee Stecklein still can’t fathom the thought.

“I’ll believe Hilary’s done when I see it. I don’t believe her,” she said with a laugh.

The numbers are astounding for two generational icons, and first to earn International Ice Hockey Federation female player of the year honors, Knight in 2024 and Poulin last June.

Knight has the edge with 10 world championship gold medals to Poulin’s four. Knight also holds the world tournament record for goals (67), assists (53) and points (120).

Poulin has shined at the Olympics, earning her “Captain Clutch” nickname by scoring the gold medal-winning goal three times. She is second behind Knight on the world championship list with 89 points, and second on the Olympic list with 35 points, trailing former Canadian teammate Hayley Wickenheiser.

“I think it just goes to show that we want to be the best player every single time we hop on the ice, specifically also against one another,” Knight said. “And we’re going to put on a show.”

The two are the faces of women's hockey in their respective nations.

“It takes a really special person to be able to withstand — especially in Canada — that amount of pressure and responsibility. And she does it with grace,” former U.S. Olympian Meghan Duggan said of Poulin.

“Similar to Hilary,” added Duggan, Knight’s teammate from 2007 to 2018. “Her ability to just naturally show up in big moments is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”

They first met on the international stage at the 2009 world championships, where Poulin made her Team Canada debut. It didn't take long for each to begin taking notice of the other.

Poulin's first memory was falling into the boards on a failed backcheck as Knight broke free to score in overtime of a 3-2 win in the gold-medal game at the 2011 world championships in Zurich.

“Yeah, that’s how it started,” Poulin said, laughing.

For Knight, her first recollection of Poulin came at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

“She got loose on the draw, and it’s in the back of our net pretty quickly,” Knight said of Poulin scoring her second goal in Canada’s 2-0 gold-medal win. “Our center drops her and I’m just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, here we go.’”

They’ve gone at it ever since, and even spent a season as teammates in Montreal with the now-defunct Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

Their legacies include playing instrumental roles in the growth of women's hockey, and in helping establish the Professional Women’s Hockey League. The league, now in its third year, grew from six to eight teams this season, with more expansion on the horizon.

“They’re both legends,” said PWHL executive Jayna Hefford, a Hockey Hall of Famer. “I think it’s a special moment for women’s hockey to have the two of them facing off maybe one last time. Who knows, right? Who knows what they might do? I’ll feel like a fan watching it and just trying to enjoy it."

Knight has found peace in already calling these her last Olympics. And yet, she continues dropping hints to suggest a potential change of mind.

“Unless you convince me otherwise,” Knight said in November when asked if she might get the itch again. “Yeah, maybe. We’ll see.”

Two months later, while promoting Hershey’s chocolate, Knight excitedly described the electric welcome the PWHL has received during her first season in Seattle.

“It definitely gives you a new life, a new breath,” she told The Associated Press. “It’s really heartfelt, and it only deepens that want for me to play even longer.”

She has not lost her scoring touch. Last season in Boston, Knight finished tied for the PWHL lead with 29 points. This season, she has two goals and nine points in 13 games.

Count Poulin among the doubters, saying, “We’ll see,” on whether these might be Knight’s last Olympics.

Not in question is Poulin’s admiration.

“She’s always holding herself to the highest standards. And she’s done it with tremendous professionalism and grace,” Poulin said. “She wants to leave the sport in a better place, and she has done it. And I hope she can finish with her head held high.”

AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

FILE- United States forward Hilary Knight (21) and Canada forward Marie-Philip Poulin (29) battle during the second period of the gold medal game at women's world hockey championships in Brampton, Ontario, Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

FILE- United States forward Hilary Knight (21) and Canada forward Marie-Philip Poulin (29) battle during the second period of the gold medal game at women's world hockey championships in Brampton, Ontario, Sunday, April 16, 2023. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

Seattle Torrent forward Hilary Knight looks on during a face-off against the Toronto Sceptres during the third period of a PWHL hockey game, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market is drifting around its all-time high on Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar’s value stabilizes against other currencies after falling to its lowest level in nearly four years.

The S&P 500 edged up by 0.1%, coming off its latest record. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 63 points, or 0.1%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% higher.

Some Big Tech companies helped support the market following an encouraging report from ASML. The Dutch company, whose machinery helps make chips, gave a forecast for 2026 revenue that topped analysts’ expectations.

ASML's customers have been notably more encouraged about the medium term, CEO Christophe Fouquet said, mostly because of expectations for “the sustainability” of demand related to the artificial-intelligence boom. That helped allay some concerns that the AI frenzy has gone overboard and created a potential bubble that may burst.

Nvidia, the stock that’s become the poster child of the AI boom, climbed 1.7% and was the strongest single force lifting the S&P 500. ASML’s stock that trades in the United States swung from an early gain to a drop of 1%.

Stocks elsewhere in the market were mixed following the latest flurry of profit reports.

Seagate Technology jumped 16.8% for one of the market's biggest gains after the seller of hard drives and other data-storage products reported bigger profit and revenue than analysts expected. CEO Dave Mosley cited AI applications for its strong performance, among other things.

Starbucks climbed 5.3% after its revenue for the latest quarter topped analysts’ expectations, thanks in part to a viral bear cup. That was even though its profit for the end of 2025 fell short of analysts’ targets.

Elevance Health rose 4.9% after reporting a stronger profit than analysts expected. That helped it recover some of its stock's 14.3% sell-off from the prior day, when it and other health insurers got walloped by a proposed rate increase for Medicare Advantage by the U.S. government that fell well short of what investors hoped.

But Amphenol’s stock tumbled 12.8% even though the maker of fiber-optic connectors and other high-tech equipment reported stronger growth in profit and revenue for the end of 2025 than analysts had forecast. Expectations were high for the company after its stock came into the day with an already big surge of 23% for the young year so far.

Companies across the market are under pressure to deliver solid growth in profits following the record-setting runs for their stock prices. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate profits over the long term, and earnings need to rise to quiet criticism that stock prices have grown too expensive.

Apple slipped 0.7% ahead of its profit report coming on Thursday, and it was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

In the foreign-currency market, the U.S. dollar found some stability and was up against the British pound, Japanese yen and others. A day earlier, an index measuring the U.S. dollar’s value against several of its peers dropped to its weakest level since early 2022.

The dollar’s value has been generally falling since President Donald Trump entered the White House last year, and its descent accelerated after Trump threatened tariffs earlier this month against several European countries that he said opposed his taking control of Greenland.

Such threats, along with worries about risks like the U.S. government’s heavy debt, have periodically pushed global investors to step away from U.S. markets, a move that’s come to be called “Sell America.”

In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady ahead of an announcement coming in the afternoon from the Federal Reserve on interest rates. The widespread expectation is that it will hold its main interest rate steady.

The Fed cut rates several times last year in hopes of shoring up the job market, but inflation remains stubbornly above its 2% target. Lower interest rates could worsen inflation while giving the economy a boost.

Lower interest rates could also further undercut the U.S. dollar’s value, which would help U.S. exporters. Trump has been pushing aggressively for lower rates.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.25% from 4.24% late Tuesday.

As global investors have stepped away from the U.S. dollar due to political instability and other worries, prices have surged for gold and other metals as investors searched for something safer to own. Gold’s price topped $5,000 per ounce this week for the first time, and it added another 3.5% to $5,258.70.

In stock markets abroad, indexes sank in Europe following better performances in Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.7% to another record, thanks in part to a 5.1% leap for chip company SK Hynix, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rallied 2.6%.

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

The Fearless Girl statue stands in the snow in front of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

Specialist Michael Pistillo works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

People stand in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Shanghai, Nikkei and New York Dow indexes at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)