Canadiens Make It Official: Head Coach Confirmed

He can finally drop the "interim" label. Martin St. Louis has now been officially named the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens. 

OFFICIAL: Martin St-Louis is the 32nd head coach in Canadiens history#GoHabsGo https://t.co/g0lQseG2a3

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) June 1, 2022

It's a three-year contract for the 46-year-old, taking him through the 2024-25 season.

St. Louis took over behind the bench on Feb. 9th for Dominique Ducharme, with the Habs struggling to an 8-30-7 mark. St. Louis oversaw a return to some degree of respectability for the team, as they finished 14-19-4 under his guidance. 

"Despite difficult circumstances when he took over, he was able to bring a breath of fresh air to the locker room and the players benefited from it as much individually as they did collectively,"said general manager Kent Hughes. 'Martin thinks the game at a high level, and we believe that he is the right person for this job.

"Martin is a proven leader, a great communicator with a deep understanding of and passion for the game of hockey. His arrival brought a renewed energy to our group, and we look forward to him returning behind the bench to continue guiding our team for the foreseeable future."

This is St. Louis' first head coaching job in the NHL. 

The 6-time All-Star was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018 after a 16-year playing career that included one Hart Trophy Award in 2004. 

 Photo Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports