One of the underlying themes from the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far to date has been Montreal Canadiens' head coach Martin St. Louis ability to outcoach some of the best in the league. He has now won series against the Tampa Bay Lightning's Jon Cooper and the Buffalo Sabres' Lindy Ruff, two finalists for the Jack Adams Award, and already has a series lead in the Eastern Conference Final over the Carolina Hurricanes' Rod Brind'Amour, who won the award back in 2021.
At every step along the way, St. Louis has been able to make the right decision to put his team in a position to be successful. That might be due to him not being afraid to answer the tough questions, as was recently revealed by NHL on TNT reporter Jackie Redmond.
Martin St. Louis is not looking for protection for himself or the Montreal Canadiens during this playoff run
Prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final, Redmond talked about an interaction between her and St. Louis earlier in the playoffs. He was scheduled to have an in-game interview in Game 1 of the series against the Buffalo Sabres. However, right before the interview, the Sabres ended up just scoring to go up 2-0, and Redmond decided it wasn't a good time with how the game was going.
After the game, St. Louis asked Redmond why he wasn't interviewed, and she explained the reasoning. The response from the Canadiens' head coach was refreshing, but it also shows why he has been able to lead the team the way he has:
"I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to protect me, or our team. So whatever’s happening in the game - good or bad - come out there and ask me whatever you want. I’ll answer for it. I don’t want to be protected. And sometimes those interviews are more valuable when things aren’t going well."
That type of response shows a coach who is confident in his position, and even when things might not be going well, he isn't panicking. That type of steady leadership has helped the Canadiens navigate a young team through two series where they had to win a Game 7 on the road to advance.
It shows a level of accountability, especially in the moment, that isn't always found from coaches in not just hockey but professional sports. Martin St. Louis has been the perfect head coach to lead a franchise through a rebuild and almost have them ahead of schedule as they are only three wins away from being back to the Stanley Cup Final.
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