Montreal Canadiens Extend Head Coach Martin St. Louis

Later, in his golf tournament media availability, Montreal Canadiens General Manager Kent Hughes addressed the St. Louis contract extension.

“We’ve progressed every year; we’ve made the playoffs, last year we had a bump at one point in the year and then he was able to maneuver the team to the Conference Final,” Hughes pointed out.

“He hasn’t given us any reason to doubt him. The reasons we hired him weren’t simply for player development; it was because we thought he could become an excellent coach. He’s a bright guy with a very analytical mind and I believe Marty and our group will continue to get better.”

St. Louis was hired as interim head coach on February 9, 2022, and officially became the 32nd head coach in Montreal Canadiens history on June 1st, 2022. Since then, the Canadiens have progressed in the standings every season and accelerated what many thought would still be a rebuild this season into a Stanley Cup contending team. After not making the Stanley Cup Playoffs in his first two seasons behind the Canadiens bench, St. Louis has led the team to two straight appearances in the postseason. The Canadiens lost to the Washington Capitals in five games in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs and then last season, the Canadiens came within three games of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final as they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference Final.