Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis appeared on the Missing Curfew podcast hosted by his former teammate Shane O’Brien on Friday. They touched on a few subjects: his amazing quads, his journey to becoming a coach, and one of his players, Arber Xhekaj.
The bench boss explained that in the last few years of his career, he knew he would become a coach, and he felt like he was already coaching many of his teammates. He didn’t know in what capacity he would be behind a bench, whether as an assistant or as the head, but he felt it was something he would eventually do.
St-Louis explained that the plan had always been for him to become a coach once the kids were out of the house, although he did tell his wife that the only way he would leave earlier would be if he were offered a head coaching job. He thought that’d never happen, but then Kent Hughes, whom he’d coached against in minor hockey, was given the GM job. He thought he might consider him, given they’d spoken about hockey a lot together, and he did.
The Canadiens’ pilot told the hosts that when he was first appointed, as he was making the six-hour drive from Connecticut to Montreal, he had a lot of people to call, and John Tortorella was at the top of his list. He credits his former coach with teaching him a great deal about core values and how to handle a team, and he still leans on him for advice, not only about hockey but also about life. St-Louis has a lot of respect and admiration for his former coach.
As for how he chose his assistants, when Luke Richardson was given the top job with the Chicago Blackhawks, he remembered playing against Stephane Robidas, the way he played, and his path to the NHL, and he was his first call. As for Trevor Letowski, he was there, and they developed a strong relationship progressively.
In the playoffs, he said the experience his young team got is invaluable; you can’t buy that. They’ve seen the intensity needed to win, and if they can bring that straight from the start of next season, the coach believes they’ll be in business.
Regarding Lane Hutson, he said what makes him different from the others is how much he works on his game every day. He didn’t mind that he wasn’t resting on rest days and optionals; he wasn’t going to put a stick in his wheels.
The coach also spoke glowingly of Cole Caufield:
The thing about Cole is that, first and foremost, he’s a very enthusiastic kid. To me, enthusiasm is the gas that you need for the season, and he puts a lot of gas on that. It’s contagious; it helps with the day-to-day operations of the NHL, and you can see it trickle to the rest of the team, which starts there with Cole. When I first took the job, building relationships was my priority, steering the culture in the right direction. I think the hockey was secondary, and then it eventually started. I remember having a talk with Cole. I’m not going to teach you how to score a goal, but I’m going to help you get more chances, and I’m going to try to help you become a complete player. That’s what you need to win in this league.
– St-Louis on Caufield
St. Louis compared him to Steven Stamkos in Tampa; he has a similar path, is on the right track, and is very receptive. That’s just about one of the best compliments he can give Caufield, considering how much time he’s spent with Stamkos in his career and how effective the former Tampa Bay Lightning captain was.
O’Brien also asked him about Xhekaj, saying You’ve got to love the emotion and the toughness you’re getting from that guy? To which the coach replied:
He’s another player who, to me, has come a long way, and he can do way more than fight. You know, people call him the Sheriff in Montreal; he’s very good at that, but there’s a lot of other stuff that he’s good at as well, and as a young defenseman, the most challenging part of the league is defending. You know, defending in short space, reading the rush, and all that. You forget that he’s still very young, and that’s going to keep improving, but he’s got a nice package. Alone without his thoughtfulness, and you know he can fight; take that out of the equation, and he’s still a very young, promising defenseman. If he has to fight, he will, but he’s learned to pick his spots. When he first came in, he felt that he had to do that, but we try to remind him that it’s part of the game, but you’ve got to play the game that’s in front of you as well. He’s learned to pick his spots, and he’s a lot of fun to coach, too.
– St-Louis speaks about Xhekaj
While some worry that Xhekaj may be on his way out of town because of how strict St-Louis has been with him, taking him out of the lineup, to me, it feels like he’s being tough on him so that he becomes a better player; that’s just growing pains. When the big defenseman has learned to play the game that’s in front of his first and foremost, he will have a regular spot in that defense corps.
Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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