A captain’s commitment

Caroline Moquin-Joubert hopes to keep the Stingers women’s hockey team a perennial winner

SportsFeatureAnthony Maruca — Published November 5, 2024 5 minutes

The Stingers’ newest captain did not play with the team in her first season. The global pandemic in 2020-21 caused seniors to opt in for another year of student-athlete eligibility. For newcomers like Moquin-Joubert, this meant less opportunity to earn ice time due to the volume of more experienced players already on the roster. 

Moquin-Joubert said, “owning your role, giving your best effort, and staying positive,” were some of the pillars that kept her motivated as she awaited her opportunity. 
 
Despite the limited opportunities, Moquin-Joubert’s consistent effort captivated the attention of head coach Julie Chu. 

“What I saw with her early on was the commitment to getting better,” Chu said. “She didn't need to be a different style of player to shine on our team. She could utilize her tools to be successful.” 
 
Moquin-Joubert maintained a stoic approach to her work, keeping a positive mindset as she awaited her opportunities. 

“You have to take it one day at a time,” she said. “We’ll all have our moments. None of us are perfect.”
 
She seized the opportunity to show her ability on the ice in her third year, last season. Chu explained how her skillset helped the team. 

“She’s a really physical player, someone that’s intense and takes away time and space very well from opposing players. She has a great shot too,” Chu said. “The energy she brings and her ability as a player is what motivates her teammates on the ice.”
 
Moquin-Joubert’s season was cut short due to a serious lower-body injury that she suffered in the final playoff game before the U Sports Championships. 

“I was really, really, really mad,” she said about the injury.

She had suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage in the ankle area while trying to recover a puck in the offensive zone. 
 
Despite a broken bone, she didn’t want to stay down. 

“Even through the pain, she wanted to be there for the rest of the game,” said Léonie Philbert, fifth-year veteran and longtime teammate of Moquin-Joubert.
 
The injury kept her off the ice when the Stingers took home the national championship. 

“Not being able to play at nationals was tough, but I was so proud of the team, they were so dominant on the ice,” Moquin-Joubert said.
 
The recovery process brought out Moquin-Joubert’s competitive nature, as the rehabilitation was frustrating. 

Despite the adversity she faced throughout her recovery process, she used it as fuel heading into the upcoming season. 

“I’m even more hungry for this year,” she said.

“I’m even more hungry for this year.” — Caroline Moquin-Joubert

Moquin-Joubert’s off-ice work earned her the “C” on her jersey. When told she was being named captain, her reaction came with mixed emotions. The position came with a lot of pressure, and she worried initially about the big shoes she would have to fill. 

“I won’t be able to be as great as they were,” Moquin-Joubert said, referring to the past leadership group, including former captain Emmy Fecteau. 

The Stingers captain felt better once Chu reassured her she was right for the job.
 
“Through a consistent commitment to our culture, giving her best, and being a good teammate, she was recognized as the team’s captain,” Chu said. 
 
Although the coaches have an important say in who gets awarded the captaincy, they also give the players’ perspectives some influence. Leah Kosowski, another veteran and longtime teammate of Moquin-Joubert, said players recommended a teammate by answering questions on Google Forms. 

“The coaches have the final say, but the fact that she was named captain shows that she was a respected candidate by her teammates,” Kosowski said.
 
Moquin-Joubert’s journey from a first-year player on a loaded roster to a seasoned veteran is what helped her develop the skills necessary for the position of captaincy. Her peers often praise her work ethic, authenticity and humility when asked about her leadership qualities.
 
She also handles the burden of being a dual-sport athlete. 

“She always works hard in everything she does,” Philbert said. 

Moquin-Joubert recently helped the Concordia flag football team to the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) championship. 

“Despite all that she has going on, she doesn’t complain,” Kosowski added. 
 
Kosowski appreciates Moquin-Joubert’s unique character and authenticity.

“She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind,” Kosowski said. “There’s not a lot of people that are like that, and she’s respected because of that.”

The team has a stuffed bumblebee, named “Da Bee.” It is given out in the locker room postgame to the player of the game, decided by the previous winner. 

“[Moquin-Joubert] broke the rules by giving it to two different players for the same game, just because she felt they deserved it,” Kosowski said.
 
Moquin-Joubert embraces a team-first approach, even when discussing the team’s success. She credits her coaches for this quality.

“It’s not a winning culture, it’s a team-first culture. It ends up in wins, but yes, it’s primarily a team-first culture,” Moquin-Joubert chuckled when asked about her role in maintaining winning ways. “We embrace what Chu and [associate coach] Caro[line Ouellette] want us to bring to be successful.”

The team relies on three main premises based on this culture.

“Everything is earned, owning your role and controlling what can be controlled,” the captain explained. 
 
Moquin-Joubert understands it may be tough to get on board with the team’s culture as a newcomer. 

“At first, you don’t really get it,” she said. “But, as time passes, you start to feel it yourself.”
 
Moquin-Joubert talked about the structure of the leadership group as a means to maintain a strong culture. 

“It’s good to have a strong leadership group like we do,” she said. “We have younger girls in it, too. I can see myself in the newcomers.”

She later emphasized that those younger girls will have the experience necessary to keep the culture beyond this season.
 
Her first season as team captain has gone as planned, as the team remains undefeated with a record of 4-0 as of Oct. 31. Moquin-Joubert is confident her team is prepared for any adversity they will face as they attempt to win back-to-back national championships. 

“It’s a process. We’re starting hot this year, but it’s going to be a battle the rest of the way,” Moquin-Joubert said. “We’re ready for it.”

This article originally appeared in Volume 45, Issue 5, published November 5, 2024.