Martin St-Louis is here to stay. Without real surprise, the head coach of the Canadiens has just signed a three-year contract extension and will be able to remove the word “interim” from his curriculum vitae.
Posted at 8:03 a.m.
During the Habs’ end-of-season review at the end of April, general manager Kent Hughes indicated that “the interest of both sides is to agree that Martin should return” for “ideally at least three years “. So it was only a matter of time before it all came together. And that’s what happened Wednesday morning.
St-Louis will therefore have the difficult task of restoring the image of the Canadian after a season of misery.
“We are pleased to have Martin officially become the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens,” Kent Hughes said in a statement. “Martin has undeniable leadership qualities in addition to being an excellent communicator and passionate about hockey. He has a wealth of experience and a very deep understanding of our sport. His arrival at the helm of the team has breathed new energy into our group and we are excited that he will continue to guide our team in the years to come. »
“Since his arrival at the helm of the team, Martin has shown that he has the qualities required to lead the Canadiens in the direction we want to go,” said the vice-president of hockey operations of the Canadiens, Jeff Gorton. “Despite the difficult conditions that prevailed at his debut, he was able to bring a breath of fresh air to the locker room and the players benefited both individually and collectively. Martin is a great hockey head and we believe he is the right person to do the job. »
Without experience
The day the Canadiens announced the hiring of St. Louis on an interim basis, February 9, the team had just suffered a severe 7-1 correction at the hands of the New Jersey Devils. A 13e defeat in 14 games. Dominique Ducharme had just been fired after 83 games spread over two seasons.
The arrival of St. Louis had created shock waves throughout the NHL. If his successful career on the ice needed no introduction, it was quite another for the one behind the bench of a team. The 46-year-old was previously the 13-and-under assistant coach for the Mid Fairfield, Connecticut Rangers, the team his son played for.
Many were therefore skeptical.
And some were quickly confused. We will remember the first press conference of the new head coach: his confidence and his attitude devoid of any nervousness had impressed more than one. But we were waiting to see what the result would be on the ice.
CH lost St-Louis’ first three games behind the bench. The team then seemed to transform, picking up eight wins in nine games. A rare ray of sunshine in this season of misery. Except that in the next 26 games, the Habs only won seven games. He also went through a historic nine-game losing streak.
“Experience Now”
The Canadian therefore remained in the bottom of the standings, but the arrival of St. Louis seemed to give new energy to some players. In particular Cole Caufield, who had only found the back of the net once since the start of the season under Ducharme. Under his new coach, the small forward exploded offensively, scoring 35 points, including 22 goals in 37 games, and taking sixth among rookies.
In the end-of-season review, several players praised the work and impact of St-Louis since his arrival at the head of the team. Jeff Petry, who had a rocky season, had good words for his coach: “Since Martin arrived, I have found my game,” he said.
The return of the head coach behind the bench was only a formality. As management begins a rebuild, the work of St-Louis has only just begun. But the Quebecer is no longer a rookie, as he said himself at the end of the season: “I have experience now”.