Canadiens name Hall of Famer Martin St. Louis as new head coach

The Montreal Canadiens have named former NHLer Martin St. Louis as their interim head coach, the team announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes just a couple of hours after Dominique Ducharme was relieved of his head-coaching duties.

"We are very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization," general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement. "Not only are we adding an excellent hockey man, but with Martin we are bringing in a proven winner and a man whose competitive qualities are recognized by all who have crossed his path."

St. Louis, 46, is not expected to address the media until Thursday, ahead of Montreal's game against the Washington Capitals.

The retired winger registered 1,033 points (391 goals, 642 assists) over 16 seasons played with the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was part of the Lightning's Stanley Cup-winning team in 2004.

It isn't clear yet how St. Louis, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018, will help turn things around for the downtrodden Habs. Montreal is currently the worst team in the league thanks to an abysmal 8-30-7 record and a complete lack of consistency following a truncated 2021 season which saw them make their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 1993. 

The Canadiens plan to "reassess things" at the end of the season with regard to whether St. Louis will be behind the bench beyond the 2022 season, per The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. 

As of Wednesday morning, the assistant coaching staff that worked with Ducharme was still in place. There has been no word yet as to whether they will stay in place now that St. Louis has taken over.