The Montreal Canadiens are high-flying and exciting to watch and head coach Martin St. Louis has been the conductor, making the symphony look so good.
Seldom in the 2000s anyway, would Habs fans see a rookie defenceman getting the amount of ice time that Lane Hutson has been getting. What's most impressive is that St. Louis just lets him play and Hutson has rewarded him for it. For a player to succeed, the coach's confidence and trust are huge factors, and Hutson has earned both.
But that isn't all that St. Louis has done, the hockey hall of famer understands the players and that mistakes are going to happen. His coaching proves that he is fine with mistakes, so long as they are used as a lesson. Hutson has been very good early on, but mistakes and turnovers are inevitable, the way to prevent him from losing confidence in them is by letting him learn on the fly and guiding him.
I'm not sure the Habs have had a coach since Jacques Demers as willing to let a young defenseman like Hutson fly free.
— Andrew Berkshire (@AndrewBerkshire) October 13, 2024
Marty St. Louis isn't perfect, but his way of handling players in general sparks joy for me.
The beautiful thing about the rebuild is that St. Louis is learning to be the best possible coach and the players are teaching him, just as he is them.
Patience has been important
It takes a special kind of person to be an NHL head coach, and one of the most important characteristics is patience. This is especially true for a team that is in uncharted territory, rebuilding is a process. St. Louis has plenty of it, you would expect that from a former player who had to grind so hard for a chance in the NHL.
The mentality of not being the biggest dog in the fight, but having the biggest fight in the dog is one that St. Louis uses to coach. With a team that is so young, having a guy who has been through it all demands the team's attention. The respect that he gives to each player is what the team buys in.
The patience that he exhibits to continue teaching and showing an array of ways to be harder to play against has been important. Winning is the end goal, but having a system that everybody buys into is huge. St. Louis has implemented one, but without the team and coach trusting each other, there's nothing.
Thankfully, both sides are taking things one game at a time, and after a loss, they come back swinging harder to get back in the win column.