Canadiens’ head coach Martin St. Louis rejoins team, will coach Tuesday vs. Avalanche

St. Louis, 48, has been away from the team since March 16 to deal with a family matter. He rejoined the club in Denver on Monday. Assistance coach Trevor Letowski assumed the head coaching duties during St. Louis’ absence.

“I’d like to thank Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, along with Trevor Letowski, our players, coaches, and hockey operations staff for fully understanding and facilitating my need to be with my family for the past several days,” St. Louis said in a statement.

“Everyone within the Canadiens organization has been very supportive of my wife Heather and me as we fully focused on our son Mason and his recovery from a hockey injury. As parents, nothing is more important to us than our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.”

Mason St. Louis, Martin’s 16-year-old son, suffered an injury while playing in a game for U15 Mid-Fairfield in Connecticut. A week later, he suffered complications from the injury and was hospitalized. His conditioned has since stabilized and is now recovering at home in Connecticut.

“We appreciate the Canadiens organization, our fans, and the hockey community for understanding and supporting us through Mason’s injury and recovery,” St. Louis said. “I would like to extend a special thank you to the doctors and nurses that cared for him during this time. I’d also like to thank everyone for respecting my family and our privacy, and I ask to please maintain a focus on the Canadiens team and the remainder of the 2023-24 season.”

The Canadiens are 26-32-12 with 64 points, last in the Atlantic Division. They won 5-1 over the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. After the Avalanche game on Tuesday, the Canadiens then head back to Montreal for a five-game homestand.