Hard coaching and defensive system: Martin St-Louis is to blame according to Steve Bégin

We all have our own way of looking at things right now. The Canadiens won’t be in the mix… their players are too soft… the coach ‘s system isn’t right… there’s a lack of talent on the team… the guys are too small… everyone’s already injured…

But to have the chance to discuss it off on the record with a former Habs player, that’s next level.

I had the chance to sit down (virtually) with Steve Bégin, former #22 with the Habs, for a virtual coffee on Friday lunchtime. And we chatted…

How would you describe the start of the season, Steve?

“A roller coaster! You don’t always see the same team. The guys are capable of the best and the worst. The group is unstable!” – Steve Bégin

According to Steve Bégin, the most urgent thing is to find solutions to the players’ difficulties in their defensive zone.

“We need to adjust things as quickly as possible. We’re lost in our zone. We’re giving the opposing team too many chances. Maybe the defensive system needs to be reviewed.” –Steve Bégin

Bégin has his doubts about Martin St-Louis’s man-to-man system, which is becoming the talk of the town. He thought he’d see some improvement in this area this season, but that’s not the case. In man-to-man, when you’re beaten, you put your team in trouble.

But it’s not just the coach ‘s system that tickles Bégin; the guys have to be better without the puck, even if it’s cliché. It’s so important not to be drawn to the puck in the eyes of the Habs veteran. You can’t always look at the puck when you’re in your zone.

Don’t panic, but…
Steve Bégin isn’t ready to press the panic button just yet.

“We’ve started from the root. We have to be patient, not patch things up like we did for several years… add a piece here and there, then it doesn’t last long. We’ve never had such a talented bank of young people. The first line is full of talent, even if we’re entitled to expect more from Slafkovsky, Suzuki and Caufield.” –Steve Bégin

Except that Steve Bégin makes no secret of the fact; he can’t wait to see Martin St-Louis do some hard coaching.

“I can’t wait for the hard coaching to start. Martin St-Louis said it was going to start this year, but I don’t see it. I can’t wait to see it. It’s necessary to establish a winning culture, to not let the guys who don’t give you any on the ice, shift after shift. Otherwise, you’re contradicting yourself and it doesn’t work. Arber Xhekaj should have watched the game against the Kings from above. Struble was ready. Yes, you’re tough, but you have to be able to play the game, position yourself well, not make too many mistakes.” –Steve Bégin

He went so far as to mention that other teams weren’t fighting with Xhekaj right now, partly because having him in the penalty box (rather than on the ice) wasn’t good for them…

Is there room for Steve Bégin in today’s NHL?
As we all know, the NHL has come a long way in the past 25 years. When I asked Steve Bégin if today’s NHL was still attainable for guys like him, I struck a chord.

“I’m dyslexic, dysorthographic and T.D.A. People like me, they live with great challenges, but they also have superb qualities. We’re super persevering and very hard-working. To get where I am today, I always told myself that I was going to be the hardest worker, the guy who never gave up. I would have been the same today.” – Steve Bégin

Nevertheless, Bégin is aware that today, even depth players and hard workers have skills, which wasn’t the case in his day.

“Before, you could just be a grinder. Today, you have to have big, raw talent. When I was 10, my dad told me I had to rely on my cardio and endurance, that I had to work less on my feints and become a Dale Hunter. It would be different today. I would have watched videos on social networks in real time and tried to reproduce them.” –Steve Bégin

Steve Bégin gets involved
Just because his field hockey career is over doesn’t mean Steve Bégin isn’t still involved. Far from it!

From October 18 to November 1, he is spokesperson for the second edition of the J’aime mon DYS awareness campaign, aimed at helping young people come to terms with their learning disability(ies).