The Montreal Canadiens have announced that head coach Martin St-Louis will rejoin the team ahead of their game against the Colorado Avalanche.
St-Louis had to take personal leave earlier in the month to take care of a family-related issue.
He extended his thanks to the organization for giving him the opportunity to be with his family during the difficult situation.
“I’d like to thank Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, along with Trevor Letowski, our players, coaches, and hockey operations staff for fully understanding and facilitating my need to be with my family for the past several days,” said St-Louis. “Everyone within the Canadiens organization has been very supportive of my wife Heather and me as we fully focused on our son Mason and his recovery from a hockey injury. As parents, nothing is more important to us than our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.
“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 who cared for him during this time.”
Seeing as St-Louis requested privacy, there were very few details available at the time, which is par for the course in these situations. The Montreal Canadiens have since announced it had to do with St-Louis’ son, Mason.
Mason was injured while playing hockey in Connecticut. The situation worsened a week later and necessitated Mason’s hospitalization.
St-Louis kept in contact with the team during his absence, but most importantly, he was there to support his family when they needed it most.
It was a good reminder of what matters most in life.
And, of course, hockey takes a backseat in these situations.
Thankfully, Mason’s situation has since improved and St-Louis will re-join the team as they prepare to face former Hab Jonathan Drouin and the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. The puck drop is scheduled for 9 pm ET.
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