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The Mystery Behind Martin St-Louis’ Absence Explained
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The Mystery Behind Martin St-Louis’ Absence Explained

Originally posted on Dose.ca  |  Last updated May 21, 2026 11:35 AM ET
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On Tuesday, the day after Game 7 in Buffalo, Martin St-Louis didn't spend a quiet day in Montreal. No!

Instead, he headed to the New York City area to spend time with his family. The next day (yesterday), he wasn't at the Canadiens' practice at the Bell Centre because of this trip to the New York area.

We all remember the time Martin St-Louis left the team for family reasons. That was two years ago and came after one of his sons suffered a severe concussion. So many of us were worried—and rightly so—about the Habs' chances against the Hurricanes without Martin St-Louis, as well as the health of St-Louis's loved ones.

After all, when you sit out the playoffs for personal reasons, it's often serious.

Fortunately, Kent Hughes reassured everyone last night by stating that the reasons for St. Louis's absence weren't as serious as last time and that he would rejoin the team in time for today's game.

While browsing and chatting with people, I came across this post from the Brunswick School, a prep school located about an hour from Manhattan, whose graduation ceremonies took place on Tuesday night.

There was also a small additional ceremony yesterday in the late afternoon.

Given that Mason St-Louis, Martin St-Louis's youngest son, has just finished his time at Brunswick School and has already committed to Dartmouth College (NCAA), it's a safe bet that the reason behind Martin St-Louis's absence is related to his youngest son. At least it would be 100% positive this time, unlike his concussion two years ago!

It's worth noting that Mason St-Louis was drafted by the Sherbrooke Phoenix and could come play in Quebec before making the jump to the NCAA. Much like Justin BriseBois, son of Julien BriseBois, who is also with the Phoenix…

Ryan St-Louis: Less Fortunate

Martin St-Louis has two other sons in the United States: Lucas and Ryan.

Ryan has just completed his fourth year in the NCAA
, his third at Brown University
. Was this his last year in college? If so, he'll have his graduation ceremony this weekend
. Unfortunately for him, the Canadiens' schedule won't allow Martin St-Louis to attend.

That's fine with me, but…

Some people believe that the coach of a Final Four team shouldn't miss his team's only practice before the start of the third-round series.

In a perfect world, of course the coach should be on the ice for the team's only practice leading up to a series…

However, Martin St-Louis can count on excellent assistants, notably Trevor Letowski…

And we all agree that preparation will happen much more on video than on the ice. That's just how it is at this point in the year.

The Montreal Canadiens are a family built on strong values. The importance of family is certainly one of them, of course.

I'm on the side of those who have NO problem with this absence… but am I in the majority? Or am I rather alone on my island?

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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