At the traditional Canadian golf tournament, held a few days ago, Martin St-Louis had a succinct answer when asked about his goals for the season. For now, he only had training camp in his sights, he explained.
Posted at 6:00 a.m.
He was definitely not joking. During discussions with representatives of The PressTuesday, he twice mentioned the camp that begins this Wednesday in Brossard, even before a first question is asked about it at the very end of the conversation.
This first camp as head coach, St-Louis is keen on it. A lot. He spent the summer imagining it, preparing for it. He concedes that this summer season has probably been “more difficult” than the next ones will be. He will then have a canvas that he can modify or improve as needed.
From his first outings until his retirement at almost 40 years old, he participated in dozens of training camps, but never as master of ceremonies. Of the 74 guests whose identity the club revealed on Tuesday, only 23 will remain by mid-October. For a man who revealed a few minutes earlier to hate announcing to a player that he is scratched from training, it is quite a mandate (see the chronicle of Alexandre Pratt).
Since being hired by the Habs last February, the neophyte coach has quickly learned the ropes of the trade. From managing the bench during a game to confusing schedules on the road, he’s got his hands dirty. However, the camp, “I have to get through that”, he decides.
“Afterwards, I will have confidence, I will have this experience. The rest is day by day, it’s what comes before you. »
This camp, however, will have nothing “special” in its progress, assures St-Louis. Many newcomers will be part of the roster that will start the season. It will therefore be necessary to proceed to learning “gradually”. An approach that he had also advocated last winter when he arrived at the head of the team.
You can’t give them the book on the first day and say: boys, that’s how we play.
Martin St Louis
His priorities: the physical conditioning of his men and immediate access to “competition mode”.
Quickly, he will warn his players: “A good camp will not necessarily make you win the first game of the season. But a bad side will make you lose it. »
“If the guys don’t show up in good shape, they’ll play catch-up quickly,” he adds. No need to look far to prove him right: a year ago, CH players paid dearly for a too short summer during which rest and fitness were compressed. With a Stanley Cup final that ended on July 7, the club’s coaching staff couldn’t work miracles. This time around, it is understood that apart from long-term injuries Carey Price and Paul Byron, the squad will be fully prepared.
St-Louis also expects high intensity from the first training sessions and even more from the first preseason game.
“We have to be demanding of ourselves and that, when we play the game, we play for real,” he said. The more you approach these matches as real ones, the more ready you are going to be. But if you play at 50%, you’re going to have a hard time playing 100% the night of the first game of the season. »
We guess that this first duel, scheduled for October 12 at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Martin St-Louis has long circled on his schedule.
“If we do all that, we give ourselves a good chance of winning this match,” he predicts.
In short
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jake Allen
“Protect the player from himself”
The Press asked Martin St-Louis if some decisions he made last season would have been different if he could go back. Faced with his hesitation, we suggested the management of goalkeepers, which has been the subject of much criticism. After a long recovery from a lower-body injury, Jake Allen was given 11 starts in 12 games in March and April, after the Canadiens were long out. He got injured again and missed the end of the campaign. Samuel Montembeault, for his part, was forced to play for several months despite a wrist injury. “Yes, it’s a good example,” admitted the coach. It’s something I need to pay more attention to. Sometimes you have to protect the player from himself. They are all competitive. I learned a lot from this experience and I will try to manage it differently this year. »
The “values” of Alex Burrows
During the offseason, St. Louis gave a vote of confidence to his assistants Alex Burrows, Trevor Letowski and Eric Raymond. Burrows, in particular, will therefore be back despite a mixed record at best, while the Habs are one of the worst teams in the league on the power play since he was in charge of this phase of the game. In his defense, his boss emphasized Burrows’ “values” and his positive influence in the locker room. “He’s a cultured guy, who deserved everything he got,” continued the coach. He’s a hardworking, damn good guy. I’m not worried that he’s going to give us everything he’s got and make sure our power play is in the right place. St-Louis points out that the NHL’s good offensive units are above all well-honed, and that stability has been rare with the Habs for two years. In addition, “for coaches as for players, you have to be patient”. “I’m not worried that Alex will find the answers,” he concluded.
The tablet on the bench: yes, but…
The presence of digital tablets accessible at any time on the players’ bench is not a consensus in the hockey world. Martin St-Louis is nuanced on this subject. “I like that, it’s relevant information, but you have to use it at the right time,” he says. He is upset when his men consult the tablet as soon as they return to the bench and thus deprive themselves of the action that takes place before their eyes. “You miss the perception of the game, you don’t know if your boyfriend is getting hit from behind or if your defenders are burned,” he explains. In general, the use of this tool does not bother him, “but in dead time”. All smiles, he nevertheless admits that as a player, he himself would have had “trouble not looking at her”. “It would have helped me to spend less time reviewing all my appearances after the matches,” added the man who has always been a big fan of video, laughing.
Advanced statistics: yes, but…
Training camp and exhibition games over the next few weeks will be an experience for the Canadiens’ coaching staff. For the first time, we will be using the services of the brand new advanced analysis and statistics department, headed by Christopher Boucher since this summer. A few meetings have already taken place in order to find a modus operandi between the two sections of the hockey department. However, it is “day to day” that this new relationship will be tamed. Martin St-Louis calls himself a defender of advanced statistics, but argues that they only tell “part of the story” which is a hockey game. He will therefore have to determine with his colleagues the key elements to analyze and the manner of exchanging information so that the cohabitation is as harmonious as possible. In the recent past, several professional teams, in hockey and elsewhere, have reported friction between analysts and coaches. “We will find our niche, assures St-Louis. But it will take some getting used to. »