Canadiens sign head coach Martin St. Louis to multi-year contract extension

LAVAL — Martin St. Louis ushered the Montreal Canadiens out of a rebuild. Now he’ll have the opportunity to guide them through a competitive window.

The head coach signed a multi-year contract extension Monday as the Canadiens held their season-opening golf tournament. St. Louis, who was entering the final year of his deal, is now under contract through the 2029-30 season.

“I love what I do, and if they give me the vote of confidence that, ‘Martin, you’re the guy,’ I’ll continue. And if I’m not the guy, it’s OK,” St. Louis said. “I am humble enough to know that it’s not just because you put so much effort into something that you will always succeed, but my heart is in the right place, and I love being the coach of the Canadiens.”

So far, St. Louis has only trended upward in Montreal.

The 51-year-old from Laval, Que., has helped the upstart Canadiens to consecutive playoff berths, including a trip to last year’s Eastern Conference final, after taking over during a full-scale rebuild.

Montreal hired St. Louis on an interim basis following Dominique Ducharme’s dismissal in February 2022, giving him his first NHL coaching job after he had previously coached at the youth level. The Canadiens removed the interim tag at the end of that season.

“When Marty came in, it was probably the biggest change,” captain Nick Suzuki said. “It was pretty dark in those days when we were losing and finishing last place in the whole league, and Marty found ways to challenge us to keep things fun and light and not let the pressure of everything get too heavy, and every year we’ve gotten better.

“He’s probably my favourite coach, ever, so it’s nice to have him locked in with us. I feel like he’s gotten better every year, he’s pushed us every year. He’s such a hockey nerd, for lack of a better term.”

St. Louis is the NHL’s fourth-longest tenured active coach, behind Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper, Colorado’s Jared Bednar and Carolina’s Rod Brind’Amour.

He has a 163-155-47 record entering his sixth season as Canadiens coach and was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2025 after leading Montreal to the playoffs for the first time since 2020-21.

“Marty has done a terrific job leading our young team,” Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes said in a statement. “He is a great communicator and teacher. We look forward to his continued efforts to mold this group into a championship-calibre team.”

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, St. Louis, an undrafted player, totalled 1,033 points during a decorated career before retiring in 2015.

His most decorated season came in 2003-04, when he won the Hart Trophy as league MVP, the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s leading scorer with 94 points and helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Stanley Cup.

“His experience as a player, everything he overcame to be what he is, the way he works at it every day. He’s never somebody that (says), ‘I have all the answers,’” Canadiens president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton said. “You’re not gonna walk in a room with Marty and he’s gonna just shut everybody down. He has that thirst to get better all the time.”

St. Louis, who added former Detroit Red Wings head coach Derek Lalonde to his staff for the upcoming season, joins his president of hockey operations and general manager on long-term deals.

Gorton and Hughes signed five-year extensions with the franchise last October.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.