![\"0925](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/0925-spt-habs-camp_305390605.jpg\")
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis speaks to reporters following training camp practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Sept. 24, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\nCanadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was probably talking to himself when he got home after Thursday night\u2019s 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators at the Bell Centre.<\/p>\n
The Canadiens blew a 2-0 lead they held midway through the second period and were beaten for the second straight game at the Bell Centre after losing their home opener 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The loss to the Predators dropped the Canadiens\u2019 record to 1-2-1 to start the season ahead of Saturday\u2019s game against the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre (7 p.m., SNE, TVA Sports). The Canadiens were 3-1-0 after four games last season.<\/p>\n
Being head coach of the Canadiens isn\u2019t an easy job.<\/p>\n
St. Louis received a huge ovation Tuesday night when his name was announced during the pre-game ceremony. After the game, he said he was flattered by the reception.<\/p>\n
After practice the next day, I asked St. Louis if he can describe what it\u2019s like being head coach of the Canadiens.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, it\u2019s busy,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like especially when the season starts there\u2019s so many moving parts. You have the individual, you have the collective game, you have the opponents. So you\u2019re constantly finding answers and it\u2019s looking for answers. So I find myself deep in thoughts quite a bit and sometimes I talk to myself and my wife asks me: \u2018Who are you talking to?\u2019 <\/p>\n
\u201cI got that from my dad,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cI love what I do. So I would say life as a head coach of the Canadiens is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not so amazing when your team blows a 2-0 lead on home ice. <\/p>\n
St. Louis said Thursday\u2019s game was the Canadiens\u2019 best at five-on-five this season, but they need to improve their special teams after going 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Predators went 2-for-5 with the man-advantage.<\/p>\n
After Thursday\u2019s game, the Canadiens ranked 27th in the NHL on the power play with a 7.7 per cent success rate (one-for-13) and 24th in penalty-killing with a 70.6 per cent success rate, allowing five goals on 17 opposition power plays.<\/p>\n
I asked St. Louis in his post-game news conference Thursday what his biggest concern is now \u2014 apart from special teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like a game like tonight my biggest concern is the morale for the boys,\u201d he said. \u201cStay in a good place emotionally. We played a good game. Life\u2019s not fair. Keep going. Tomorrow, the sun will shine, hopefully, and we\u2019ll go back to work. It\u2019s life. You just get up and go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis speaks to reporters following training camp practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard on Sept. 24, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n
After Thursday\u2019s game, I asked Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki if he can imagine what it\u2019s like being coach of the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a lot of stuff on his shoulders, obviously,\u201d Suzuki said. \u201cControlling the team, trying to get guys going, motivated. Picking up guys when they\u2019re down, congratulating guys when they\u2019re doing well. Talking to you guys every day. It\u2019s a tough position to be in. I think he\u2019s done an amazing job at it. He\u2019s getting better every year. So we\u2019re happy that he\u2019s our coach.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leaning on dad<\/p>\n
When the Canadiens hired St. Louis almost five years ago, he said his father was one of the people he would lean on.<\/p>\n
Normand St. Louis grew up on a family wood mill in Mont-Laurier, the 10th of 14 children. The family would listen to Canadiens games on the radio because they didn\u2019t have a TV.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey went to the TV store and the TV store would put the third period on through the window,\u201d St. Louis said during his first news conference after being hired by the Canadiens<\/a>. \u201cNobody\u2019s inside \u2026 everybody\u2019s outside watching, freezing, and my dad\u2019s on top of his brother\u2019s shoulders. \u2026 Being a fan of the Canadiens for so long and now to really be part of it \u2014 and trust me, he feels he\u2019s part of it, too.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cLike I did as a player, I\u2019m going to lean on my dad,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to have somebody to vent to, talk to, just so you\u2019re ready for the next day because you can\u2019t carry negative stuff to the next day. I do believe in this league the most important day is the next one and I know my dad\u2019s going to help me with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Normand puts a smile on my face every time I see him at the Bell Centre. He always seems to be happy and smiling with a Canadiens ball cap on his head. <\/p>\n \u201cNever had a bad day,\u201d St. Louis said about his dad with a big smile of his own Wednesday when I mentioned how happy Normand always seems.<\/p>\n \u201cAs simple as nights like last night after we don\u2019t get a win,\u201d St. Louis added. \u201cObviously, emotionally, a little disappointed. And Norm\u2019s in there (in the team lounge at the Bell Centre) with his Canadiens sweater, Canadiens hat and talking with everybody and a big smile on his face. That alone is sometimes all you need.<\/p>\n \u201cMy dad\u2019s not going to tell me what to do, but he reminds me that we\u2019re OK,\u201d St. Louis added.<\/p>\n Gone but never forgotten<\/p>\n St. Louis\u2019s mother, France, died suddenly from a heart attack 12 years ago at age 63. <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s smiling now, I\u2019ll tell you that,\u201d St. Louis said during his first news conference after being hired by the Canadiens. \u201cShe always told me: \u2018Show them, Marty,\u2019 and I know she\u2019s saying that: Yeah, you\u2019re showing them again.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite never being selected at the NHL Draft, St. Louis went on to become a Hall of Fame player. And, despite his only coaching experience before being hired by the Canadiens was with his three sons in Connecticut\u2019s Mid-Fairfield Youth Hockey Association, St. Louis has done an impressive job during the team\u2019s rebuilding process.<\/p>\n Happy 70th BDAY and Fathers Day to the man that I respect the most in this world. You don\u2019t pick your parents \u2013 I won big with mine! Thank you for showing me the way. J\u2019taime Pa pic.twitter.com\/bswUZDYo0u<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Martin St.Louis (@mstlouis_26) June 20, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n Mike Gilligan, who coached St. Louis for four years at the University of Vermont, has fond memories of seeing St. Louis\u2019s parents in the hospitality room at the school\u2019s Gutterson Fieldhouse arena.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter the games, we\u2019d always get to meet Marty\u2019s family and his extended family,\u201d Gilligan told me in an interview shortly after the Canadiens hired St. Louis.<\/a> \u201c(France) was just a beautiful lady. She and her husband, Normand, learned English and their English improved just as Marty\u2019s did as the years went on. It was nice to watch them start to walk around the facility with confidence and become friends with other parents of other players and fans. It was a great four years for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n French Connection Line<\/p>\n The Canadiens now have a French Connection Line with Phillip Danault at centre between Zachary Bolduc and Alexandre Texier.<\/p>\n \u201cIt almost feels like back in junior, to be honest,\u201d said Danault, who played four seasons with the QMJHL\u2019s Victoriaville Tigres. \u201cIt\u2019s special to have some Frenchies all together and mix it in with the whole team. We make jokes about it, too. It\u2019s awesome.<\/p>\n \u201cBut Tex is not from Quebec,\u201d Danault added with a smile about Texier, who is from France.<\/p>\n For the opening faceoff Thursday night against the Predators, the Canadiens had five players who speak French \u2014 and four Quebecers \u2014 on the ice with the French Connection Line, and Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier on defence. If Samuel Montembeault hadn\u2019t been injured the previous day in practice and had started in goal, all six Canadiens on the ice to start the game against the Predators would have spoken French.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a big change from May 10, 2021, when the Canadiens didn\u2019t have a single francophone player in the lineup for what was believed to be the first time in franchise history in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre. Danault, during his first stint with the Canadiens, was sidelined for that game with a concussion and Jonathan Drouin was absent for personal reasons.<\/p>\n When the Canadiens won their last Stanley Cup in 1993, they had several francophones on the roster, including Patrick Roy, Guy Carbonneau, Vincent Damphousse, \u00c9ric Desjardins, Denis Savard, Patrice Brisebois, J.J. Daigneault, Beno\u00eet Brunet, Stephan Lebeau, Gilbert Dionne, Donald Dufresne, Mario Roberge and Andr\u00e9 Racicot. The coach was Jacques Demers.<\/p>\n Montembeault is expected to miss 10-14 days with his lower-body injury.<\/p>\n Another hot start<\/p>\n For the second straight season, Bolduc is off to a hot start with three goals in the first four games. Last year, Bolduc also had three goals in the first four games, but finished the season with only 12 goals. <\/p>\n The Canadiens obviously like what they see in the 23-year-old Bolduc \u2014 who had 3-4-7 totals in 19 playoff games last season \u2014 signing him this summer to a four-year, US$16.8-million contract that kicked in this season with an annual salary-cap hit of US$4.2 million.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that, like any young player, it\u2019s about continuing to convince us how many minutes you should be playing,\u201d St. Louis said about Bolduc, who is averaging 13:08 of ice time this season after averaging 13:38 last season. \u201cAnd, sometimes, I know it can happen that you come out of a game and think: \u2018Damn, I should\u2019ve played more.\u2019 But it\u2019s about continuing to convince the coaches that you deserve more. I think, so far, he\u2019s done that. So we\u2019re trying to figure out the ice-time situation with everyone and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Bolduc is also playing on the second power-play unit and one of his goals came on the power play.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about continuing to earn his place,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cAnd we don\u2019t really know what his ceiling is. It\u2019s about continuing to develop as a complete player and being able to bring more than just scoring goals. We know he can score goals and he\u2019s going to score goals, but it\u2019s about continuing to push and convince us that he deserves more ice time.\u201d<\/p>\n Fond memories of Nashville<\/p>\n Canadiens GM Kent Hughes made a great move when he acquired Carrier from the Predators on Dec. 18, 2024, in exchange for defenceman Justin Barron.<\/p>\n The Canadiens had a 12-16-3 record at the time of the trade and then went 28-15-8 with Carrier in the lineup, making the playoffs for the first time in four years. The Predators put Barron on waivers last month and he was claimed by the St. Louis Blues.<\/p>\n Carrier has fond memories of Nashville, where he started his NHL career after being selected by the Predators in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n I asked Carrier before Thursday\u2019s game if playing against Nashville was still something special for him.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, a little bit because I still have friends over there,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s different management and stuff, so you kind of lose a bit of that FU mentality, if I can say that. But it\u2019s still exciting. I was there for four years, got drafted there in 2015, lots of friends, like I said, but I always want to beat them.\u201d<\/p>\n What did he enjoy most about Nashville?<\/p>\n \u201cThe weather was cool,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople are super warm over there \u2026 the southern hospitality. We really enjoyed the city, the people and also they gave me my first shot. I\u2019ll be grateful forever for that.\u201d<\/p>\n Baby boom<\/p>\n Carrier is one of several Canadiens who are new fathers after his wife, Alicia Lessard, gave birth to a girl named Olivia this summer. Other new fathers include Suzuki, Noah Dobson, Montembeault, Jake Evans (twin boys), and Josh Anderson. Mike Matheson\u2019s wife gave birth to their third child this summer.<\/p>\n The Canadiens\u2019 pre-game warmups at the Bell Centre are extra-special now with the wives standing behind the glass in the first row with the babies and the fathers stopping to greet them.<\/p>\n Carrier\u2019s wife, who is a pediatrician and co-owns a clinic in C\u00f4te St-Luc, and their daughter were both there for the home opener.<\/p>\n \u201cFirst time,\u201d Carrier said with a big smile. \u201cOlivia watched half of the first period and then she went down, put her to bed (in the Bell Centre family lounge) and she slept through the whole game. And then we came back home and she slept through the whole night. It was great. Apparently, she was looking everywhere. It was cool.<\/p>\n \u201cThey got home 10 minutes before I did,\u201d Carrier added about his wife and daughter. \u201cSo it was a good first experience.\u201d<\/p>\n The \u2018Wow!\u2019 factor<\/p>\n Canadiens defenceman Lane Hutson makes me go \u201cWow!\u201d at least four or five times every game with the moves he can make.<\/p>\n His favourite player growing up was forward Patrick Kane, who is back for a second stint this season with the Chicago Blackhawks, who selected him with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2007 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n I asked Hutson this week how Kane influenced his style of play as a defenceman.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know if I want to take his defence, really,\u201d Hutson said with a chuckle about the offensive-minded Kane. \u201cHe does so much great offensively. Maybe the way I think of it \u2026. I try to think what those offensive players are thinking. Maybe I have a better idea of what they\u2019re looking for and I try to mirror it and read plays off of it \u2026 guys like him who can make you look pretty dumb.\u201d<\/p>\n I asked Dobson what impresses him most about Hutson.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like to be his size and to be that dynamic and an impact player you have to have your unique way of doing it \u2014 and he does that,\u201d Dobson said. \u201cI think for him he\u2019s so fast-twitch, he\u2019s able to alleviate pressure. Guys probably feel like they have him boxed off a lot of times and he finds his way to get through just with his quickness and his hockey sense. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a tough guy \u2026 when it comes to one-on-one he\u2019s second to none in the league, I\u2019m sure,\u201d Dobson added. \u201cIf you went one-on-one vs. a lot of guys in the league, keepaway, he\u2019d have the puck most of the time. A special player for us and we\u2019re happy to have him on our side.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\tEditor\u2019s Picks\t<\/p>\n I asked Suzuki the same question about Hutson.<\/p>\n \u201cHis style is different,\u201d the Canadiens captain said. \u201cYou see his compete (level) first and foremost. It really jumps off the page and I think the way he can see the ice and see passing lanes and get open for himself is pretty special.\u201d<\/p>\n Last season, Hutson was listed at 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds. This season, he\u2019s listed at 5-foot-10 and 163 pounds, having grown an inch.<\/p>\n When I asked Hutson what that extra inch means to him, he said: \u201cNot much. I\u2019ve said it before, but when we get on the ice I feel like you\u2019re playing the same game, everyone\u2019s the same size in my head. Some guys just got to do it a little differently. On the smaller side, I have to do it differently, but the game doesn\u2019t change for me or anyone else. You just have to approach it differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Check the score<\/p>\n There was a funny video that went viral on social media last weekend of goalie Jacob Fowler pointing to the scoreboard late in the third period of a chippy Laval AHL game against the Syracuse Crunch on Saturday with the Rocket leading 5-1. <\/p>\n Fowler appeared to be rubbing it in to the Crunch players in a game Laval would end up winning 6-1. Fowler was called up by the Canadiens on Wednesday after Montembeault was injured and was in goal Thursday night against the Predators, stopping 15 of the 18 shots he faced with Nashville scoring two empty-net goals.<\/p>\n The Canadiens\u2019 Florian Xhekaj, who played with Fowler last season in Laval, said the players were kidding the goalie about the video after he got called up.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were like: \u2018What were you doing?’\u201d Xhekaj said with a laugh. \u201cHe was like: \u2018They didn\u2019t have the score up, so I was just trying to make sure.\u2019 He was saying it was just because he wanted the score up and he didn\u2019t want them to miss a goal. But I don\u2019t know \u2026 you can say whatever you want about it.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a great guy,\u201d Xhekaj added about Fowler. \u201cHe\u2019s so fun to be around. He\u2019s always cracking jokes. His game kind of speaks for himself. He\u2019s great in the net. He\u2019s always making big-time saves. I think he\u2019s a guy that everyone\u2019s comfortable with in net. He\u2019s just a funny guy. He\u2019s a clown, in a good way. He\u2019s awesome to be around. The boys love him.\u201d<\/p>\n Fowler will make his second straight start in goal for the Canadiens on Saturday night against the Red Wings.<\/p>\n End is near for Gallagher<\/p>\n Sadly, it\u2019s looking like this will be Brendan Gallagher\u2019s last season in the NHL.<\/p>\n The 34-year-old, who gave everything he had during 14 seasons with the Canadiens before being traded to Vancouver this summer<\/a>, was a healthy scratch for the Canucks\u2019 7-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Thursday night in Carolina.<\/p>\n The loss dropped Vancouver\u2019s record to 2-3-0. Gallagher is in the final season of his six-year, US$39-million contract with a US$6.5 million salary-cap hit. The Canadiens retained 50 per cent of Gallagher\u2019s contract in the trade to Vancouver in exchange for future considerations.<\/p>\n \u201cGallagher being a scratch isn\u2019t a huge surprise: he\u2019s been playing on the fourth line and has struggled to make an impact in limited minutes,\u201d wrote Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province<\/a>. \u201cHe was never the fleetest of foot and now that he\u2019s in his mid- 30s, he\u2019s struggling more and more to keep up.\u201d<\/p>\n In his first four games with the Canucks, Gallagher had no points and four shots on goal while averaging 9:56 of ice time. Last season with the Canadiens, Gallagher had 7-16-23 totals in 77 games while averaging 12:21 of ice time.<\/p>\n Gallagher was upset after the Canadiens made him a healthy scratch for 16 of their 19 playoff games last season, which led to him being traded to Vancouver. <\/p>\n He is another example of how Father Time is undefeated.<\/p>\n![\"1009](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1009-spt-habs_305657601.jpg\")
Canadiens\u2019 Phillip Danault takes a slapshot against the Nashville Predators in Montreal on Oct. 8, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n![\"1009](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1009-spt-habs_305659483.jpg\")
Canadiens defencemen Mike Matheson, right, and Alexandre Carrier compete with Nashville Predators Ryan O\u2019Reilly in Montreal on Oct. 8, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n![\"1007spt](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1007spt-habs_305622635.jpg\")
Canadiens\u2019 Lane Hutson reacts to the play against the Carolina Hurricanes in Montreal on Oct. 6, 2026. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n