In the future after firing Dominique Ducharme, the Montreal Canadiens newly-appointed interim head coach Martin St. Louis spoke to media on Thursday, saying it is an "honour" to take over the job.
"I grew up right here -- I am an enormous Habs fan," stated St. Louis, who's from Laval.
Seven years in the past, he was "capable of disconnect" from the professional recreation and cherished the time spent along with his household, together with three boys, he stated.
He known as it a "dream," nonetheless, to tackle such an enormous job in his hometown.
"I am very blessed to have such an incredible spouse that once more allowed me to pursue the factor that I all the time wished."
St. Louis spoke alongside government vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton and normal supervisor Kent Hughes.
Regardless of reaching the heights of the playoff remaining final yr, the Habs are actually struggling exhausting -- they're presently final within the league, have misplaced 13 of the final 14 video games, and have had a string of long-term participant absences resulting from COVID-19 and different causes.
- READ MORE: Montreal Canadiens fireplace head coach Dominique Ducharme, title Martin St. Louis as interim coach
Hughes stated that St. Louis was employed, regardless of little teaching expertise, due to his "analytical thoughts" and due to his distinctive enjoying profession, which Hughes has adopted intently for many years.
The 46-year-old is an NHL Corridor of Famer who spent a decade and a half with the Tampa Bay Lightning, serving as its captain in 2013-2014 and profitable the Stanley Cup in 2004.
When requested about coming in with no teaching expertise, St. Louis joked at first, saying "thanks, that is good," with a smile.
On a extra severe be aware, he stated that to him, "hockey is hockey" and he believes in regularly studying and enhancing, it doesn't matter what place he is in.
"I do not all the time have the solutions, however I do know that in life," it is necessary to hunt to enhance day-after-day, he stated. "The solutions are all over the place, you simply want to seek out them."
Somebody who comes from an extended profession teaching a special age group, for instance, is not essentially effectively ready to deal with a professional staff, he stated.
"Hockey is hockey for me," he repeated. "You must handle the personalities, first. After which take note of them," he stated.
About larger theories of teaching, "I do not take note of this junk," he stated.
He later stated he discovered as a participant to focus and tune out criticism.
"As an athlete, as a human, all that stuff that individuals need to doubt or discuss and say and remark to me -- It is all noise," he stated.
"There all the time been noise. Now, I've all the time been a man that blocked the noise and will get after it. And that is what I intend to do."
When requested about his plans for the Habs, that are vastly struggling and are presently final within the league, he stated "if there's something this staff wants proper now, it is to have enjoyable."
He additionally stated he desires to information the staff to attach extra "up right here," pointing at his head -- to ask them to refocus mentally on seeing the large image of the sport, quite than doubling down on bodily coaching.
He additionally stated that overly structuring the staff and their play is, to him, a mistake.
Below a strict system, "you field gamers into solely sure issues they'll do," he stated.
"And that was in all probability one of many issues that I hated essentially the most as a participant is [to] play in a system," he defined.
"I used to be an incredible participant after I was allowed to make reads, as a result of the very best gamers make the very best reads, however in case you take the reads out of the equation, these finest gamers turn out to be common."
New Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Martin St. Louis, proper and Canadiens government vice-president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton communicate to the media in Brossard, Que., Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Montreal Canadiens new head coach Martin St. Louis alongside GM Kent Hughes
Post a Comment