Martin St. Louis he has been appointed 32nd head coach of the Montreal CanadiensAfter being hired last season on an interim basis, without any prior NHL coaching experience,
St. Louis (46) has signed a three year extension through the 2024-25 seasons.
The Canadiens stunned the hockey world by naming St. Louis the replacement for Dominique Ducharme, their head coach. Ducharme was fired after Montreal lost the Stanley Cup Final in 2021 and fell to last place in NHL 2021-22 with an 8-30-7 record.
St. Louis never had to be behind an NHL or AHL bench. His only previous NHL coaching experience was with Special Teams Consultants for the St. Louis. Columbus Blue Jackets 2018-19
Montreal’s general manager Kent Hughes knew St. Louis from the time he was a college hockey player at the University of Vermont. Jeff Gorton, Canadiens vice-president of hockey operations, had once tried to hire St. Louis as a coach. New York RangersHartford’s minor league affiliate.
The Canadiens’ record under St. Louis was 14-19-4. His success was a major turning point for many players, not least the highly-regarded rookies. Cole CaufieldAfter St. Louis was fired, he scored 35 points in 36 matches.
Gorton stated in a team statement that Martin had shown that he is capable of leading the Canadiens in a positive direction in his brief time on the bench. “Despite the difficult circumstances he faced, he was capable of bringing a breather to the locker rooms and the players enjoyed the benefits as well as the collective. Martin believes in the game at a high standard, and we believe he’s the right person to do this job.
Hughes said that St. Louis was a happy team.
“Martin is a leader with proven results, and a great communicator who has a deep passion for hockey. Hughes stated, “His arrival brought new energy to our group and we look forward for him to return behind the bench as a coach for the foreseeable future.”
St. Louis, a Canadian native, had 1,033 point in 1,134 games while playing for the NHL. Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning Rangers, and winning the Hart Trophy in 2004 for League MVP. In 2018, he was inducted into Hockey Hall of Fame.