While being head coach of the Montreal Canadiens comes with a lot of pressure and scrutiny, Martin St. Louis is not hesitant to show gratitude.
After assuming his position in the Canadiens’ annual team photo on Monday, the 48-year-old was asked whether he thought his father, a lifelong Canadiens fan, would be proud to see him in the shot.
“I don’t think my dad needs me in a team photo to be really happy with what his son is doing. But it’s a reminder that I’m very blessed, fortunate to have this job, and I don’t take it for granted,” he explained.
“I know my dad is very excited,” he added.
Part of the reason St. Louis, now in his second full year behind the Montreal bench, is so beloved by fans is due to his unique and refreshing approach to coaching, especially with younger players.
After revitalizing the offensive production of Cole Caufield, he has now been tasked with helping rookie Juraj Slafkovsky live up to the hype that came with being selected first overall at the 2022 Draft.
The Slovakian forward, who had a slow start to the season, netted his first goal in over 30 games after St. Louis moved him to the top line following RafaĂ«l Harvey-Pinard’s injury.
“I feel like sometimes things just happen for a reason. What made the decision easier for me is [Slafkosky’s] play defensively,” St. Louis explained when asked about promoting the winger. “You gotta be responsible and he’s been that, for a 19-year-old.”
And in typical St. Louis fashion, the Laval native used one of his unique metaphors to get his point across, comparing Slafkovsky’s progression to using the navigation app Waze.
“When it tells you how much time it will take, how many miles, and then you get into traffic, do you turn around or do you continue? If you miss an exit, do you get frustrated and return home or do you get rerouted to still arrive at your destination?” he asked rhetorically in French.
“I live my life like that and that’s what we’re doing with Slaf,” St. Louis added. “Slaf is going to reach a nice destination. We don’t know exactly how much time it will take and sometimes there’s traffic and you can’t get angry about it and can’t get discouraged about it. Sometimes you miss an exit, but you find your way back.”
Now 5-4-2 to start the season, St. Louis and the Canadiens will keep trying to navigate to road to success when they take on the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Centre on Tuesday.
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