All his life, Martin St-Louis confounded skeptics. Too small. Atypical course. Never drafted. He reached the National League late, at 23. Nobody – except him – had any expectations. The Calgary Flames even submitted him to the expansion draft, before buying his contract to leave.
Posted at 8:45 a.m.
The Quebec striker hung on. His persistence paid off: he finished his career with a Stanley Cup, a Hart Trophy, an Art-Ross, three Lady-Byngs, a World Cup victory, an Olympic gold medal and a plaque at the Temple of Fame.
If anyone can pleasantly surprise Canadiens fans behind the bench, it’s him. Doubts ? The critics ? He feeds on it. Pressure ? He knows the song.
Now let’s be real. Never, ever, would the new Habs bosses have appointed the coach of a Connecticut bantam club at the head of the biggest franchise in history if he wasn’t someone close to them.
The truth ? Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have chosen a comrade. A man of confidence, who frequents the same social circles as them.
Hughes and St-Louis have known each other for over 30 years. In an interview with The Athletic, St. Louis said Hughes was his coach at the bantam level. The two went on to lead minor hockey teams on the same circuit, at the same time, in the Northeastern United States. Three of their sons are currently playing with the same team, the Northeastern University Huskies in the NCAA.
Gorton and St-Louis crossed paths with the New York Rangers in 2014-2015. Their sons played for the same sporting organization, Mid-Fairfield Rangers Jr, at the same time, but were not teammates. It is with this club that Martin St-Louis was associated until his appointment with the Canadian.
For a manager, there are advantages to surrounding yourself with people you know well. The adaptation period is shorter. Communication, easier. The learning curve, a little less steep. You also know exactly what to expect. Martin St-Louis is “a respected winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all those who have crossed his path”, underlined Kent Hughes. In short, a leader. A profile that the Canadian is sorely lacking.
(Parenthesis. Where has Shea Weber been for the past few weeks? Even injured, even in early retirement, the captain should have been on deck with the rest of the team, while the liner sank. End of parenthesis.)
That being said, we cannot ignore the very, very poor experience of Martin St-Louis as a coach. I insist: experience is not proof of everything. On the contrary. Leadership, pragmatism, creativity, emotional intelligence and the ability to resolve conflicts are equally or even more important hiring criteria. And maybe St-Louis will be able to compensate for his inexperience with other qualities.
But it will be a ball.
Let’s analyze things coldly. The Quebecer inherits a heartbreaking team. Pitiful. Unmotivated. From a club weighed down by the attitude of unfortunate veterans who, for weeks, each seem to have their own agenda. The arrival of two new bosses – Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes – had no effect. It’s even worse than ever. Since the major cleaning in November, the Canadiens have won only 3 of their 23 games.
How will these veterans react to being led by a coach recruit? By a coach who only yesterday was coaching 14-year-old boys? Above all, how will Martin St-Louis manage to impose his authority? It’s one thing to do that with teenagers who idealize you. It’s another thing to get there with disillusioned veterans, who hope to be traded to a competitive team as soon as possible.
Martin St. Louis has a big challenge ahead of him. It’s up to him to confuse the skeptics once again. It’s up to him to surprise us. It’s up to him to prove to us that if he got the job, it’s not because he frequents the same arenas as his bosses. It’s because he was the best candidate.