A documentary series reveals that while Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is always articulate and polite with the media, his communication style in the locker room is much more intense and profane when motivating his players.
St. Louis has stated that the ability to communicate is the most important skill for a modern NHL coach, emphasizing that he always tells his players his “truth,” though his tone varies depending on the situation.
This contrast is on display in the Crave series, The Rebuild: Inside the Montreal Canadiens. The show provides a behind-the-scenes look at St. Louis’s coaching methods, which include passionate, expletive-filled speeches.
His father, Normand St. Louis, expressed in the series that he is impressed by his son’s articulate press conferences and was initially surprised he became a coach, but is happy to see it.
The series captures several locker room moments. During a difficult losing streak in Buffalo, St. Louis drew on his own challenging career as an undrafted player who was once placed on waivers, telling his team, “There were days I thought I’d never score another goal in this league… sometimes you feel you’re never going to win another game. You just got to keep pushing.” The team won the game that followed.
He also showed a softer, more empathetic side when welcoming Patrik Laine after the player’s debut goal following time in the NHL/NHLPA player-assistance program. St. Louis told Laine his effort was “inspiring” and presented him with the game puck.
Perhaps his most fiery speech captured by the cameras came before a game against the Florida Panthers. He demanded maximum effort from the start, telling his players they needed to be “running off the dock, cannonballing in from the start,” rather than cautiously testing the waters. The team responded with a 4-0 win, with goalie Jakub Dobes earning a shutout in his NHL debut.
Dobes noted in the series that St. Louis’s speeches are highly effective at firing up the team, making them ready to play immediately after he speaks.
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