MONTREAL – Martin St-Louis has had a phenomenal career as a player. Never drafted, he ended up earning his place in the Hall of Fame with a Stanley Cup ring (2004), more than 1,000 points (1,036) and more than 1,100 games (1,134).
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Aged 46, St-Louis will now embark on a second career. And the challenge will be titanic. The former winger inherited the position of head coach of the Canadiens after the dismissal of Dominique Ducharme. The day after a stinging 7-1 loss against the New Jersey Devils, Ducharme turned into a sacrificed lamb for the Habs’ horrible season (8-30-7).
St-Louis will find itself in the lion’s mouth without much coaching experience, at least in the NHL. He has already served in 2019 as an adviser to John Tortorella for the power play with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Rick Nash shared the same dressing room as St-Louis. He was with the Rangers for the last two seasons of the Quebecer in the NHL. Now director of player development with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Nash doesn’t believe his inexperience will be a major obstacle.
“When I played with Martin in New York, he was already a hockey teacher,” Nash said in an interview with the Journal. He inspired me a lot. I have rarely met a guy as competitive as him. He had returned to Columbus to help the power play. It was a short experience, but you could see he liked it. »
“Marty will lead the Montreal Canadiens, it’s big,” he continued. But if there is a guy to take up this challenge, it is him. I’m from the Toronto area, I know hockey is a different beast in Canada. Marty became an NHL superstar at a time when scouts wouldn’t even look at a player when he was under 6′ tall. He spent his whole life proving people wrong for not believing in him. The Canadian is now one more challenge for him. »
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Like Brind’Amour
Kent Hughes, general manager of the Habs, had said he would be looking for a modern-day coach, a good communicator. If he had offered a vote of confidence to Ducharme, just as Jeff Gorton had done recently, the new CEO has chosen to go with a new voice.
In St. Louis, Hughes opted for a coach in the mold of Rod Brind’Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes. In recent interviews, Hughes had said he was in love with Brind’Amour’s way of working.
“We’re not only adding an excellent hockey mind, but we’re bringing in Martin a respected winner and a man whose competitive abilities are recognized by all who have crossed his path,” Hughes said in a statement.
St-Louis has not signed a long-term contract with CH. He will assume the duties of head coach on an interim basis. At the end of the year, Jeff Gorton, Hughes and St-Louis will re-discuss future plans.
Several links
There are several paths that unite St-Louis to the two CH hockey bosses.
In his last season in the NHL with the Rangers in 2014-2015, St. Louis got to know Gorton well, who at that time occupied an assistant GM role at Glen Sather.
Martin’s son, Riley, plays for the Northeastern Huskies in the NCAA. This is the team of Jordan Harris and Jayden Struble, two CH hopefuls, but also the same team as Jack Hughes, the boy from Kent. Jack is one of the top prospects for the 2022 draft.
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A man of challenge
Frantz Jean had just landed in Denver when he heard the news for St. Louis.
“It was just a three or four hour flight from Tampa to Colorado, but the hockey world was moving quite a bit. Tuukka Rask announced his retirement with the Bruins, Dominique Ducharme lost his position with the CH and Martin replaced him. »
Jean, goalkeeper coach with the Lightning since the 2010-2011 season, knew the former number 26 well. He was not in shock.
“I’m not surprised to see him jump into the circle of coaches,” Jean told the Journal. As a player, Martin was very cerebral. He was a machine physically and he had immense determination, but he always knew how to dissect opponents and he always communicated well with his teammates. In our team meetings when we watched videos, he often intervened, he asked questions and he suggested adjustments. »
“He looked at more than the first level, he always went to the next level in his analyzes, he continued. He doesn’t have much experience of the job on a big stage, but he has lived. And he’s a guy who thrives on challenges. There are coaches who have never played in the NHL and they are among the best in the profession. I can think of Jon (Cooper) at home with the Lightning. »