St. Louis will take 'fresh look' at Canadiens as coach, Bowman says

Scotty Bowman said Martin St. Louis' greatest value to the Montreal Canadiens won't be the points and wins the new coach's team earns this season.

St. Louis' most important role short term, the winningest coach in NHL history said, will be providing management with ground-floor roster analysis heading toward the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline on March 21, and his assessment of the Canadiens' assistants moving forward.
Montreal named St. Louis coach Wednesday to replace the fired Dominique Ducharme. Six assistants -- Alex Burrows, Eric Gravel, Mario Leblanc, Trevor Letowski, Eric Raymond and Luke Richardson -- remained in place when St. Louis became the 32nd different Canadiens coach since they were founded in 1909.
The 46-year-old native of Laval, Quebec, was introduced to the media on Thursday, 7½ hours before coaching his first professional game. Montreal lost 5-2 to the Washington Capitals that night, 2-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday and 5-3 to the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday to extend its losing streak to a season-high 10 games (0-8-2).

Bowman, whose 1,244 victories are the most by any NHL coach, led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup championships -- in 1973, then four consecutively from 1976-79.
He watched his former team push through the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, advancing to the Final for the first time since their 24th and most recent championship in 1993, then for a variety of reasons plummet this season to the bottom of the NHL standings with an 8-32-7 record.
"I guess we'll all see whether Marty stays on as coach after this season," Bowman said Thursday from his winter home in Florida. "Maybe he's back next year in the front office. But I think what the Canadiens want him to do to begin is evaluate the players heading toward the trade deadline, and evaluate the assistant coaches.
"I think Marty's got a job with Canadiens after this season. They're revamping their whole hockey operations department. He'll provide a fresh look at what they have to work with as they head to the deadline six weeks away.

Scotty Bowman speaks highly of Martin St. Louis' determination and self-confidence.
"Look at where he came from -- an undrafted, small (5-foot-8) player who made himself a career, won two scoring championships, the Stanley Cup and was elected to the Hall of Fame. Marty has a lot of determination. He's sure of himself and he's not lacking in confidence. He'll have the respect of the players in the room and his assistant coaches."
Never in their 105-year NHL history have the Canadiens authored or been saddled with as much change as they have in the past year, on the ice and in the front office, from the firing of coach Claude Julien last Feb. 24 through the hiring of St. Louis, key players leaving via free agency, contracting COVID-19 or injured for long stretches.

Martin St. Louis during Class of 2018 Hockey Hall of Fame induction weekend.
"Think of all the changes that have happened with Montreal in the last year," Bowman said. "They lose (forward) Corey Perry to [the] Tampa Bay [Lightning] and (forward) Phillip Danault to [the] Los Angeles [Kings], they've been hit with many injuries, COVID, they lose (goalie) Carey Price and captain Shea Weber ... I've never seen a team get shredded like that. The expectations this season after you get to the Final, then no traction at all this year.
"It's a terrible disappointment, but when you analyze the list of things that have happened to them, it's mind-boggling that so much could happen almost all at once. It would be hard for them to continue with what they had. New management comes in with a mandate to rebuild. It's never easy to do but they have to a rebuild, there's no question about that. With 32 teams and the salary cap, it won't be easy."
Bowman was a great motivator behind the benches of the St. Louis Blues, Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, his nine Stanley Cup championships one more than the record set by his idol, late Canadiens coach Toe Blake.
Upon his introduction on Thursday, St. Louis took a page from Bowman's playbook.

Martin St. Louis is introduced as the Canadiens coach on Thursday.
"You have to inspire them a little bit, you've got to motivate them," St. Louis said of what he hopes to bring to the Canadiens. "At the end of the day, this is the National Hockey League. And every game, they should put their best foot forward to be as productive as they can to help the team win.
"For me right now, it's getting them excited to play hockey again. They've gone through some tough times this year, obviously, with injuries, COVID, but my job coming in is just inspire them. And I think it's one of my strong suits."
Bowman will be among the interested observers with the Canadiens setting off under St. Louis. And if St. Louis doesn't pile up the wins, he suggests, don't think the new man isn't doing important work.
"Marty has excellent credentials," he said. "It's quite a challenge but I don't think his success this season will be judged by wins and losses."
Photos: Getty Images, Hockey Hall of Fame