The Montreal Canadiens have announced the signing of head coach Martin St. Louis to a multi-year contract extension. St. Louis, who led the team to back-to-back playoff appearances, including a run to the Eastern Conference final last season, started coaching during a rebuilding phase. Initially hired on an interim basis following the dismissal of Dominique Ducharme in February 2022, St. Louis transitioned from coaching youth hockey to his first NHL coaching role. The 51-year-old from Laval, Que., had the interim tag removed after the season.
Details of the new contract were not disclosed. St. Louis, with a record of 163-155-47 in his fifth season as Canadiens coach, was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award in 2025 for leading the team to the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21. Despite being the youngest team in the league, Montreal was eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.
Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes praised St. Louis for his leadership of the young team, highlighting his communication and teaching abilities. St. Louis, inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, amassed 1,033 points in his illustrious career before retiring in 2015. His most notable season was in 2003-04, where he clinched the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Art Ross Trophy as the leading scorer with 94 points, and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning secure the Stanley Cup.