Head coach Martin St-Louis is looking for “hockey players”

A new season for the Montreal Canadiens is upon us. A season during which head coach Martin St-Louis will try to move his team up in the standings and during which he will succeed in entertaining journalists with notions that are very much his own. For the first statement, we will have to wait. The second, in fact, is already underway.

After the “chairs” and the geolocation application Waze, to identify only two, St-Louis advanced, Wednesday, on the notion of “hockey player” compared to “someone who plays hockey”.

In top form, as the Tricolore training camp began with physical tests and medical examinations on Wednesday in Brossard, St-Louis answered a question from a journalist on what his clear definition of what a Montreal Canadiens player should be in 2024-25 could be.

“There’s a big difference between being a hockey player and being a hockey player. And I think guys know the definition of a hockey player. It’s a big difference,” St-Louis said during a media scrum, while noting that the Canadiens have been engaged in the process of developing hockey players for two years.

“He’s a guy who plays the game , not just his game. He plays the game ,” St-Louis then responded when asked what he considered a “hockey player.”

“Sometimes it takes a physical element. Sometimes it takes talent. It’s a guy who recognizes what’s coming his way, who’s able to do all those things, to adjust. The game is never the same, there are different situations. You have to be ready for anything. You have to be brave. It takes hockey players.”

Asked to give a concrete example of a player he has seen make such a transition, St-Louis identified two within the Tricolore.

“You look at a guy like Cole [Caufield], who’s always been a very talented, goal-scoring guy. I know last year there was a lot of criticism that he wasn’t scoring as many goals, but he took a big step toward becoming a hockey player. He was playing more of a complete game . He was involved physically, he was winning battles. He wasn’t just on the perimeter getting his touches. He’s a great example.”

“With the veterans, you look at a player like ‘Savy’ [David Savard]. We’ll say he’s a hockey player, ‘Savy’,” St-Louis added.

“When you have a lot of them, you’re in a good place.”

Fewer players

While the camp officially got underway on Wednesday, it won’t be until Thursday that the 57 players, 15 fewer than last year, will take to the ice at the CN Sports Complex, divided into three teams.

“I think it was time this year to not be so numerous. Last year, we had four groups for intra-team matches. This year, we have three. It will allow us to be a little more precise, to attack things more quickly.”

St-Louis said he is excited to get back to work.

“You always get the excitement with a new beginning. It takes that. You have to be excited. That’s what starts it all. I think we have that.”

If St-Louis is so excited, it is perhaps also because it understands that it is starting to have more and more quality players on hand, even if several are still very young.

However, the Canadiens’ head coach intends to use the next two weeks, including the six preparatory games, to evaluate the progress of all his young players.

“You try to give them opportunities. We’re going to have intra-squad games, practices. It’s evaluation every day. It’s not necessarily evaluating during a game. It’s their habits on the ice, their intentions, their attitude, their work ethic. You’re always being evaluated. And the games, that’s part of that.”

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