MONTREAL — After weeks of anticipation following the Montreal Canadiens’ last-place finish, the interim tag is off and the man behind the bench is finally here to stay.
Martin St. Louis put pen to paper on a three-year contract to become the 32nd head coach in Montreal Canadiens history on Wednesday. The Hockey Hall of Famer revived hope within the Habs’ fan base despite one of the worst seasons in franchise history.
The 46-year-old Laval, Que. native, while conscious that there is a lengthy process in front of him, says he relishes the three-year opportunity to work with general manager Kent Hughes and vice president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton to rebuild the team.
“It gives me time and an opportunity to build something,” St. Louis said about the length of his contract. “It’s not something that’s done in a day but I believe that we’ve been making strides in the last two-three months last season, we won’t be starting from scratch. It will be about progressing one step at a time.”
Quickly turning the club into a contender is not part of St. Louis’s long-term plans. The Canadiens are already a young squad and plan on getting younger after the NHL Draft, where the team notably holds the first-overall pick.
For St. Louis, giving players an opportunity to play and develop is primordial to his tenure and “success will be a side-effect.”
“When you’re a young team, of course winning is important but will we be able to build something where we will have success year after year?” said St. Louis. “That might take a bit of time to build but if the plan is to always win the next game, you might win more games but I think that’s short-term success.”
“It’s about continuing the process to build an environment where the team will be making the playoffs year after year and the players will achieve their ceilings. If we do that, I think the players will be in an environment where they will be able to win when it counts.”
With the top pick…