I get it; the last thing Montreal Canadiens fans want to hear right now is optimism. It has been a brutal couple of weeks as the Habs went from potential trade deadline buyers and playoff contenders to trade deadline sellers and draft lottery contenders. It has been a swift fall from grace. However, they have already rallied back from a severe deficit once this season, and some team members believe they can do it again.
Martin St. Louis has kept a positive attitude throughout this entire season. Even when things got really bad in October and November, he believed in the individuals in his dressing room. The belief shone through when they made themselves playoff contenders, and St. Louis is attempting to do the same thing again after this rough stretch.
I asked Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis after a 4-0 loss to Devils what he would say to frustrated #Habs fans who were excited during stretch where they went 13-3-1 and are now ready to give up on them after going 1-6-1 in the last eight games. Here's what he said: pic.twitter.com/ZaFc5uORxJ
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) February 8, 2025
Stu Cowan received a powerful quote from St. Louis about the direction the team is heading and the fans who are jumping off the bandwagon. It can't be easy for the players, and St. Louis is trying to keep it as positive as possible.
In reality, St. Louis' message is the same inspirational jargon that teams hear in dressing rooms worldwide. However, it likely means more from the Canadiens' head coach. He has been in the battles, was an intense player, and likely wouldn't say such meaningful things if he didn't believe them.
"I think it's the market. And both sides are part of it. For us, we just got to do what we do and keep trying to move up and keep trying to fight. I think this group's got some fight and a lot can happen. We got two months ... a lot can happen in two months. But if you quit, you're guaranteed one thing - you're not going to get what you want. "Martin St. Louis
It wouldn't be the first time St. Louis sparked a run from the Canadiens. He made some inspirational comments on November 7 when the Habs were at their lowest, and they rallied to record the third-best winning percentage in the league from November 10 to January 24.
“Go rewatch the game if you want,” St. Louis said back in November. “I felt good about the way we played tonight. I know we’re down two … we got a broken stick (on Juraj Slafkovsky before the first goal). We turn the puck over, kind of a bouncer, that creates their second goal. I felt we didn’t get much help … I’ll leave it at that. We didn’t get maybe a bounce here and there, but the engagement and the work and the intentions are right where I want them to be. We’re just not getting rewarded right now and that’s OK. We’re going to keep going, and we’re going to try to find maybe some answers for some players that are maybe fighting it, and we’re going to keep working on the collective game, but I think that’s in a good place.”
Will the strategy work again, or is St. Louis returning to the inspirational well one too many times? It's OK to believe in the team, but there comes a point when you have to wonder if they don't have the horses to compete this year. It doesn't mean this core won't do it in the coming years with St. Louis at the helm, but it'd take a miracle to do it this season.