I admit my pleasant surprise. So much so that, after Martin St-Louis’ first press briefing as head coach of the Canadiens, I searched my memory: when was the last time the words, attitude and confidence of a new coach of a Quebec team surprised me so much?
Posted at 6:13 p.m.
I delved into my memories to find the answer. It was May 22, 1992, nearly 30 years ago. That day, following a disappointing start to the season, the Expos named Felipe Alou team manager. With his confidence and his charm, this extraordinary man bewitched his audience. It was all there: the deep knowledge of his sport, a desire to change things, a well-felt human touch and an occasional dash of humour. Alou was a bearer of hope.
St-Louis, although not the most talkative of players during his career, provoked a similar reaction in me. The man has presence. His dark jacket and blue shirt highlighted his lively eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. Throughout, he gave off an image of authority, showing no nervousness.
When a journalist asked him about his lack of experience, recalling that he had only managed teams at a “very, very junior” level, St-Louis smiled and said: “You’re nice , it seems to me that it was pee-wee…”
This line impressed me. Instead of beating around the bush in the hope of avoiding this crucial issue, he confronted it directly. This illustrates his grit. And while he admitted his lack of experience behind the bench, he did a good job in the hope of minimizing the consequences. “If you just want easy things [dans la vie]it’s hard to grow as a human,” he said.
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For now, the comparison between Alou and St-Louis stops here. The former, also a gifted player, was the best manager in the history of the Expos and enjoyed enormous love from the Quebec public. More importantly: Alou entered the post with a huge baggage in coachinghaving held several roles with the Z’Amours over the previous 15 years.
St-Louis’ path after his playing career does not have this richness. He was an exceptional striker with an uncommon strength of character. His accomplishments are inspiring and he commands the admiration of the entire hockey community.
But once this observation has been made, let’s face reality: the fact that St-Louis has never led a team is not anecdotal. It will be argued that removing obstacles and surprising people who do not believe in him is his trademark. GM Kent Hughes reminded that you should never bet against the new coach.
The argument is solid, but does not fully convince me. St-Louis had been playing hockey since childhood before becoming an NHL superstar. His experiences on the rink were many and varied.
In his new role, nothing will serve as an anchor, if not the lessons learned from the coaches who led him. It is surely a huge asset when a former player wants to become a commentator in the media, but it is very little to lead an NHL team.
Key players exercise strong leadership in the locker room, but this ascendancy is different from that required of a coach. We will see over time if St-Louis will successfully cross this border. For the CH, the bet is huge.
The experiment attempted by the Canadian may have repercussions in the NHL. If St. Louis is successful, other organizations will consider handing their team guides over to a former star, no matter how inexperienced.
We would then witness a paradigm shift where the quality of the links with the administration in place would become more important than a well-filled track record, as is already the case with the Canadian.
As a result, many coaches waiting for their chance to reach the NHL in the American League or the junior ranks may never get the chance. Some of them are surely worried about it since the announcement of the appointment of St-Louis. Because for him, “dreaming” of taking a place behind the bench of an NHL team was enough to get the job. Let’s face it, he hit the jackpot.
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The words of St-Louis, who speaks frankly, left no doubt: he wishes to remain coach of the Canadiens for a long time. He does not come to Montreal as a “substitute teacher”, he launched with vivacity. If he does not take offense at the label of “interim” head coach, he does not see his position as such.
Can he succeed? Despite my reservations, I think so. His remarks lifted the veil on three crucial aspects of the coachinga profession he has obviously given a lot of thought to.
On a technical level, he made an enlightening distinction on the difference between a system and a concept of play, and indicated the need for his players to “read” the action on the ice.
In terms of the overall psychological approach, he indicated that players must be happy to perform well, which is the a b c of modern management. All this while remembering that a player hurts his image and his career if the effort is not there.
Finally, on the relational level, he explained that each member of the team was a different man and that this had a determining impact on the way of leading him.
If St-Louis can transform all his thoughts into concrete actions, if he has the patience to lead players less gifted than him, if he knows how to pull the right strings at the appropriate times, if he does not let himself be overwhelmed by the immense public notoriety which is now his and if he learns very, very quickly, then perhaps he will surprise us once again.
Certainly, the intention is there. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen.
Good luck, Martin St-Louis!