Player Insight: Why St-Louis Is The Perfect Canadiens Coach

Few would have predicted Martin St-Louis would be among the five longest-tenured coaches in the NHL by the time he accumulated two complete seasons as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

A losing record while coaching a rebuilding team is to be expected, but what St-Louis has accomplished in that short time frame has been remarkable.

A team that lacked direction, skill, and purpose now seems to be overflowing with potential thanks to a coach who understands how to get the best from his players.

Martin St-Louis’ Relatability

St-Louis holds a significant advantage over most coaches.

His ability to relate to the trials and tribulations of a hockey season has led to an important bond with his players, a bond born from understanding and experience.

St-Louis started his professional career as an undrafted player who was only offered a tryout by the Ottawa Senators ahead of the 1997-98 season, despite being named an NCAA First-Team All-Star and being a Hobey Baker finalist in his last season with the University of Vermont.

Once the Senators released him, St-Louis settled on signing a two-year contract with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the now-defunct International Hockey League (IHL).

He would go on to become one of the best players in the NHL, as evidenced by his impressive collection of accolades from the 2003-2004 season in which he became a Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning. St-Louis won the Art Ross Trophy as the highest-scoring player in the league, the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, and the Ted Lindsay Award as the most valuable player chosen by his colleagues in the NHLPA.

Few can better relate to the entire spectrum of emotions involved in playing professional hockey. He understands the frustration of players simply looking for an opportunity to shine, while also having a firm grip on the realities of being a player under the spotlight who is expected to produce every night.

A great example of his range is how he has handled the development of the Canadiens’ top line. Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caufield all took major steps in their development under St-Louis’ watchful eye.

He has his finger on the pulse when it comes to putting his players in positions to succeed. He also knows when to give more responsibility to his players once they are ready, as he did with Slafkovsky this season.

Martin St-Louis Development Skills

Only a handful of coaches in NHL history have shown the ability to develop players on the fly in the same manner as the Canadiens head coach. He has gained a reputation around the league for being a development whisperer to young players. Consequently, it has given General Manager Kent Hughes the confidence to go out and trade for young players who could be considered reclamation projections, such as Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook.

The reason why St-Louis has been so adept at developing talent is a little easier to understand from a player’s point of view.

As a player, all you want from your coach is for them to believe in you and instill confidence that allows you to play to the best of your abilities.

St. Louis is a master at this, and it goes beyond his penchant for motivating players with mid-game speeches. His ability to connect with his players helps him navigate the choppy waters of professional sports communication.

Simply put, he knows what to say, and when to say it.

He also understands how to keep the voracious Montreal media at bay when a player needs a little space to grow. His comments regarding Slafkovsky‘s development are a perfect example of this phenomenon.

“Do guys use Waze?” asked St-Louis when pressed on Slafkovsky’s relatively slow development. ” You put in your address, and let’s say you’re going to a nice place and you put your address in it, it tells you how much time it’ll take, how many miles, and then you get into traffic. What happens with your arrival time? Does it drop or go up? Do you turn around or keep going?

“You keep going. If you miss an exit, do you get frustrated and go home? Or do you get rerouted and still end up at the destination?”

Playing Style Martin St-Louis Implemented

Hockey players have goals and desires. They all want to lift the Stanley Cup, and ideally, make a little money in the process.

But there’s one undeniable truth linking all hockey players around the world.

They play because they love hockey. And they love hockey because it’s fun. Unfortunately, this is often forgotten in the grind that is an 82-game professional hockey season.

This leads us to the second truth of professional hockey.

Players thrive when they have fun.

With that in mind, St-Louis immediately implemented a system of free, fun, and flowing hockey, and it has been the perfect match for a young team searching for its identity.

Players want to learn from St-Louis. They’re willing to be taught by him because of his illustrious career, not to mention how he has handled his rising stars. He instills a competitive culture, which is crucial, but he also reminds them of why they fell in love with hockey in the first place.

Because it’s fun.

It’s the exact message he gave to top prospect Lane Hutson before he jumped on the ice for his first professional hockey game.

“I want him to have fun,” he said.