The Montreal Canadiens Named Martin St. Louis Interim Head Coach After Firing Ducharme

The Montreal Canadiens have a new head coach. Habs General Manager Kent Hughes has announced that Martin St. Louis will replace Dominique Ducharme as the team's new interim head coach.

The news was reported Wednesday afternoon only hours following the firing of Dominique Ducharme. In a statement released by the National Hockey League, Kent Hughes said he is "very happy to welcome Martin to the Canadiens organization."

"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."

In 2021, Ducharme led the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1993. But the team's lacklustre performance in the 2021-2022 season prompted a promise from Hughes to shake things up.

"The team's not where we had hoped it would be, or the Canadiens had hoped it would be, at this point in time," Hughes said on January 19. "My opinion is, some of that is circumstance. But there's no question that there need to be changes."

Martin St. Louis has had quite a successful 16-year career with the NHL. The Laval-native formerly played for the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers, and Tampa Bay Lighting — securing the 2004 Stanley Cup with the Florida-based team.

In addition to his knowledge and skill surrounding the sport, Martin was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, offering the Montreal Canadiens a glimmer of hope for the future.

The NHL stated that Martin will address the media on February 10 at 11:30 a.m. alongside GM Kent Hughes and Executive Vice-President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton.