Nov 3, 2022; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Montreal Canadiens Assistant Coach Stephane Robidas, Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Martin St. Louis and Montreal Canadiens Assistant Coach Alex Burrows discuss a play before overtime against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

Martin St. Louis' Passion Pushing Canadiens Towards Greatness

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI
By Tyler Major-Mcnicol | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Montreal Canadiens have come a long way from their losing days, and while there is still plenty of work to muck through, head coach Martin St. Louis' mind and passion for hockey have shone through and resonated with each player, whether in the dressing room or on the bench.

Watching the way his players talk about him, it's no wonder that the team is doing well and headed in the right direction. Marty is and was a player first, and that doesn't go unnoticed by the players, who feel it around the rink, the brilliance and truly special hockey mind that the head coach exhibits.

Cole Caufield mentioned in the recent installment of The Rebuild: Inside The Montreal Canadiens, season one episode, that Marty thinks the game is different than most, even mentioning that he is different from many other coaches.

The way St. Louis sees the ice and approaches the game has given the Canadiens a tremendous boost. They weren't expected to be a playoff team by onlookers, and ultimately, they didn't make it, but what was cooking behind the scenes had the team plenty excited about the 2023-24 season.

Martin St. Louis showed this move in practice back in 2022.

Yesterday, Mika Zibanejad pulled it off against St. Louis' team. pic.twitter.com/aJFaTCvjuu
— NHL (@NHL) December 1, 2024

One of the great examples of what Marty brings to the Canadiens is teaching Caufield, while using Caufield's righthanded stick, though he shoots left, to coach him up on a potential new way to threaten the opposition. Caufield took the advice and scored a beauty not so long after, but not before Mika Zibanejad pulled the move off against the Canadiens with St. Louis behind the bench.

For Canadiens fans, it is a no-brainer why Montreal is such a hockey-crazed city, and the cathedral that hosts it all, the Bell Centre, is a special place to play. Marty describes it as the only place he wants to be on a Saturday night.

Marty was just getting started, and judging by the way that the 2024-25 season ended, a 4-1 first-round exit against the Washington Capitals, the Canadiens achieved what they set out to do, making the playoffs after a 2023-24 season that wasn't at all the standard they were happy with.

Expectations will be higher this upcoming season, and St. Louis will go about his business with hopes of achieving greatness as the top priority, the same way that he has since the start, but with an improved squad.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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