The Montreal Canadiens announced on Monday that head coach Martin St. Louis is set to rejoin the team and assume his position behind the bench for Tuesday’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. St. Louis, who had been on leave from the team since March 16 to attend to family matters, has reunited with the Canadiens in Denver as of Monday. Assistant coach Trevor Letowski had filled in as interim head coach during St. Louis’ absence.
St. Louis sent his gratitude to Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, Trevor Letowski, players, coaches, and the entire hockey operations team for their understanding and support. He noted he needed to prioritize time with my family and added, “The Canadiens organization has been incredibly supportive of my wife Heather and me as we focused entirely on our son Mason and his recovery from a hockey-related injury.” He explained that his job as a parent is his priority and he will always have to be there for his three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.
Sixteen-year-old Mason, sustained an injury while playing for U15 Mid-Fairfield in Connecticut. A week later, Mason faced complications from the injury and required hospitalization. The reason St. Louis can return to the Canadiens is that Mason’s condition has since stabilized. He is now recuperating at the family residence in Connecticut.
St. Louis said:
“We appreciate the Canadiens organization, our fans, and the hockey community for understanding and supporting us through Mason’s injury and recovery. I would like to extend a special thank you to the doctors and nurses that cared for him during this time. I’d also like to thank everyone for respecting my family and our privacy, and I ask to please maintain a focus on the Canadiens team and the remainder of the 2023-24 season.”
St. Louis Has Always Had His Priorities in Order
From the moment Martin St. Louis took the job as the coach of the Canadiens, he made it clear his family was his priority. In fact, St. Louis went from coaching youth hockey to being an NHL head coach. He took a short-term contract at first because he wanted to ensure he could handle being away from his family as often as being a head coach would require. At the time of his hire, Elliotte Friedman reported “To this point, Martin St. Louis is signed for the rest of the season. Sounds like the plan is to see how this goes, then talk at the end of the year about the future.”
Things worked out well and St. Louis accepted the extension the Canadiens wanted to give him from day one. It’s not a surprise at all they would be happy to let him take care of his family and return when he saw fit.
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