Martin St. Louis Leaning on New Canadiens Goalie Coach

The Montreal Canadiens made a coaching change on Jan. 28 that exposed something head coach Martin St. Louis rarely discusses. When asked about the organization's decision to fire goalie coach Eric Raymond and promote Marco Marciano from Laval, St. Louis offered an unusually frank assessment of his own limitations.

The move came after 53 games of inconsistent netminding that has seen the Canadiens rank 26th in the league with a team save percentage of .879. Samuel Montembeault and Jakub Dobes have both struggled significantly compared to their previous performances, forcing management to make a change despite holding a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

St. Louis didn't hide behind coach speak when discussing the transition. He acknowledged that goaltending represents unfamiliar territory for the former forward who built his Hall of Fame career on offensive skill and creativity rather than understanding what happens at the other end of the ice.

Admitting What He Doesn't Know

The Canadiens head coach was refreshingly direct about his lack of expertise in evaluating and developing goaltenders.

"It's the one position that I don't really know," St. Louis said in a press conference. "I'm going to have to watch like 10,000 hours and really dive in to really understand what this coach does well."

That honest self-assessment speaks to the trust St. Louis is placing in Marciano, who has spent nearly a decade developing goaltenders in Laval. The new goalie coach brings extensive organizational knowledge and relationships with Montreal's current netminders, having worked with several of them during their time in the AHL.

St. Louis made it clear he's relying heavily on Marciano's track record rather than trying to micromanage a position he doesn't fully understand.

"I don't know Marco Marciano that way," he said. "I think he's got a great track record. I think he knows goalies. I think it's an easy transition for the organization."