The Montreal Canadiens have named Martin St. Louis as the 32nd head coach in franchise history.
St. Louis, who was named head coach on Feb. 9 after Dominique Ducharme was fired, has signed a three-year deal with the club that will last the 2024-25 NHL season.
With St. Louis, the Canadians set a 14-19-4 record to close out the regular season, having been 8-30-7 before their arrival.
“We are delighted to have officially appointed Martin as head coach of the Montreal Canadiens,” said general manager Kent Hughes. “Martin is a proven leader, a great communicator with a deep understanding and passion for the game of hockey. His arrival brought renewed energy to our group, and we look forward to him coming back on the bench to continue guiding our team to in the foreseeable future. “
OFFICIAL: Martin St-Louis is the 32nd head coach in Canadian history #GoHabsGo https://t.co/g0lQseG2a3
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) June 1, 2022
“During his brief stint on the bench last season, Martin has shown that he has the skills to lead Canadians in the right direction,” added Hockey Operations Vice President Jeff Gorton. “Despite the difficult circumstances when he took over, he was able to bring a breath of fresh air to the locker rooms and the players benefited both individually and collectively. Martin thinks the game at a high level, and we believe that it is the right person for the job. “
While St. Louis had served as a special equipment consultant under John Tortorella with the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Canadians’ coaching job is in Laval, Que. the first native.
As a player, St. Louis played in 1,134 games for 16 seasons from 1998 to 2005 with the Calgary Flames, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers. Six-time All-Star winner and 2004 Hart Trophy, St. Louis had 391 goals and 642 assists during his career.
Internationally, he was part of the Canadian team that won the gold medal at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.
He was inducted into the 2018 Hockey Hall of Fame.