The Montreal Canadiens hired Martin St-Louis on Feb. 9, 2022, replacing Dominique Ducharme, who had just led the team to the Stanley Cup Final.
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Since taking over the Canadiens on that cold February day, all but four other teams have fired and hired new coaches, thrusting St-Louis to the top of the list regarding longest-tenured head coaches in the NHL.
The four names ahead of him on the list are:
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Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning) Mar. 25, 2013
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Mike Sullivan (Pittsburgh Penguins) Dec. 12, 2015
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Jared Bednar (Colorado Avalanche) Aug. 25, 2016
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Rod Brind’Amour (Carolina Hurricanes) May 8, 2018
Interestingly, only Bednar has won the Stanley Cup during St-Louis’ time with Montreal, beating Cooper in the 2022 Final. Meanwhile, Sullivan is a two-time winner (2016, 2017), the same as Cooper (2020, 2021), while Brind’Amour has yet to lead the Hurricanes into the Final.
Regarding St-Louis’ place among his active peers, he currently ranks 11th in career wins (75) and needs the Canadiens to get at least 25 in 2024-25 to reach 100 for his career.
However, he ranks seventh in losses, with 100 in two and half seasons. St-Louis would rank sixth, but Lindy Ruff (Buffalo) rejoined the coaching ranks and has 432 in his career to be the active leader in this category.
Related: Canadiens Chasing Milestones in 2024-25
Moreover, St-Louis is one of nine current head coaches who never led a team to the Stanley Cup playoffs, whether with their current clubs or previous ones.
In Canadiens history, here’s a breakdown of St-Louis rankings ahead of the 2024-25 season:
St-Louis has three seasons left on his current deal, and with at least one of the coaches above him on the longest-tenured list on the hot seat, there’s a chance he will see his name move up one or two spots by the end of his deal.
Obviously, the goal in Montreal is to return to the postseason, but with every game and every win, St-Louis continues to climb the charts as the team rises in the standings.
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