The Martin St Louis Thread

[Sorinth]

In the 11 games played since the blowout loss against Pittsburgh our SA/G has been 25.8. And only twice have the opponents hit 30 shots. Obviously Carrier helps a lot here playing 9 of those 11 games, but the coaching staff deserves a lot of credit as well, especially given how much they were questioned early on.

 

[Rapala]

In the 11 games played since the blowout loss against Pittsburgh our SA/G has been 25.8. And only twice have the opponents hit 30 shots. Obviously Carrier helps a lot here playing 9 of those 11 games, but the coaching staff deserves a lot of credit as well, especially given how much they were questioned early on.

This is not the same staff we started the season with seriously.
The fact that Marty wanted to hire Grillo because he KNEW he was not a great coach and he wants to be one says everything.

How much stuff is getting done behind the scenes that is only now reflecting on his bench management?
How much have the drills they've implemented impacted the actual games because it's like a switch got turned on.
The balance Carrier brings is something but the improvements we are seeing are everywhere.
Our fore-check has become a form of defending starting in the Ozone we've not had anything like it in recent memory.

Putting Evans with Suzuki and Caufield while sitting Slaf in the third won us the game in Colorado as much as Dobes' heroics did.
Marty's best coached game for the Montreal Canadiens to date.

 

[Kimota]

I didn't like how Marty responded to a journalist about the hitting Ghule was doing in the first. Marty was all like "hitting should not be oh I'll have 10 hits on my list, it should happen only when necessary". While I get what he is saying I always have the impression with him that he doesn't like when there's too much physicality. It's not true that hitting should only be a way to "separate the player from the puck". The way Ghule did it in the first played a huge psychological factor in the dominance. He gave energy to the crowd, to the players and it is an intimidation factor against the other team. The only reason they rebounded was that they have absolute beast and gamer on the other side named JT Miller who thrives in that environment and he kept putting the Canucks back in the game. But Ghule was dominant outthere in the first in particular.

 

[HabbyGuy]

This is not the same staff we started the season with seriously.
The fact that Marty wanted to hire Grillo because he KNEW he was not a great coach and he wants to be one says everything.

How much stuff is getting done behind the scenes that is only now reflecting on his bench management?
How much have the drills they've implemented impacted the actual games because it's like a switch got turned on.
The balance Carrier brings is something but the improvements we are seeing are everywhere.
Our fore-check has become a form of defending starting in the Ozone we've not had anything like it in recent memory.

Putting Evans with Suzuki and Caufield while sitting Slaf in the third won us the game in Colorado as much as Dobes' heroics did.
Marty's best coached game for the Montreal Canadiens to date.

This is true. (Although I think you're underselling Grillo)

Marty wholeheartedly believes in his concepts, the development of his players, and what he's trying to implement. He doesn't wan't any other voices confusing or muddying his message. (Torts will tell you all about Marty's disdain for certain types of coaching) Marty wants to do it his way and his way only.

He's convinced this is what will ultimately bring this team success, as any coach should. Grillo is here to help support Marty's plan, not get in his way.

It's the same dogged determination and stubborness that made him the great player he was. He clearly has a mind for the game.

Will it work? We shall see, but it seems to me wagering against Marty has historically always been a bad bet.

I for one am glad he's our coach, because if it does work, we will of hit the jackpot. His potential is considerable. He's a communicative dream for the players, who surely appreciate his forward thinking and the type of modern hockey he wants them to play.

He's still a work in progress, just like our team, but so far so good.

Noone can tell me this team isn't on the right path.

 

[HabbyGuy]

This is not the same staff we started the season with seriously.
The fact that Marty wanted to hire Grillo because he KNEW he was not a great coach and he wants to be one says everything.

How much stuff is getting done behind the scenes that is only now reflecting on his bench management?
How much have the drills they've implemented impacted the actual games because it's like a switch got turned on.
The balance Carrier brings is something but the improvements we are seeing are everywhere.
Our fore-check has become a form of defending starting in the Ozone we've not had anything like it in recent memory.

Putting Evans with Suzuki and Caufield while sitting Slaf in the third won us the game in Colorado as much as Dobes' heroics did.
Marty's best coached game for the Montreal Canadiens to date.

Oops I think I misread your post, I apologize, I first read it as Marty hiring Grillo because he (Grillo) wasn't a good coach, wasn't a threat to Marty, and because Marty wanted to be the one who has say on everything.

Sorry man. You're right both Marty and the team are making great progress!

That said I still stand by my post.

 

[ahmedou]

Keep the beardou MSL...

MSL beardou is giving us some luck!

 

[Naslundforever]

I hope that binary-convo-inducing problem yes or no thread died.

Msl getting d for patience with a lot of these guys. Also goaltending and Carrier but overall it’s fun to see the team gel and believe in itself.

 

[the]

Meh... I'm bored. Fire him

 

[salbutera]

This in essence is what makes MSL perfectly suited for this generation of player… traditional coaches would’ve ripped into CC for that retaliatory penalty late in the game…

 

[red devil]

This in essence is what makes MSL perfectly suited for this generation of player… traditional coaches would’ve ripped into CC for that retaliatory penalty late in the game…

St Louis answer on why he didn't bench him

 

[eklund the clown]

I have no idea what has transformed this team in the last few weeks but if MSL has anything to do with it i give him full credit.I wanted him fired a month or so ago because it looked like whatever he was preaching the players were not listening.I hope this is the turning point and not just a blimp on the radar.Keep it up Marty and the team.It's been a while since i was excited to watch this team but last night and last week were awesome

 

[ReHabs]

This is not the same staff we started the season with seriously.
The fact that Marty wanted to hire Grillo because he KNEW he was not a great coach and he wants to be one says everything.

How much stuff is getting done behind the scenes that is only now reflecting on his bench management?
How much have the drills they've implemented impacted the actual games because it's like a switch got turned on.
The balance Carrier brings is something but the improvements we are seeing are everywhere.
Our fore-check has become a form of defending starting in the Ozone we've not had anything like it in recent memory.

Putting Evans with Suzuki and Caufield while sitting Slaf in the third won us the game in Colorado as much as Dobes' heroics did.
Marty's best coached game for the Montreal Canadiens to date.

Credit should always be given for growth. Your observation about Grillo is interesting.

I have no idea what has transformed this team in the last few weeks but if MSL has anything to do with it i give him full credit.I wanted him fired a month or so ago because it looked like whatever he was preaching the players were not listening.I hope this is the turning point and not just a blimp on the radar.Keep it up Marty and the team.It's been a while since i was excited to watch this team but last night and last week were awesome

I said it about a month ago but like the roster, MSL is also a growing coach. Just like Hughes is a growing GM. There are different thresholds and guardrails against firing them or trading away a problematic player but expectations for a minimum performance and minimum results are there for everyone -- Barron squandered his opportunity here and the opportunity cost of retaining him was too high, so out he went. With MSL, at no point did it really didn't seem like the runway had run out -- the team was too young and coach was not expected to produce a dominant playoff team. I criticised the crap out of MSL's messy tactics and the apparent non-development of so many players but firing him this year didn't seem like it would be reasonable. So, if he's grown as a coach and the team has grown with him, how lucky and great for everyone.

 

[teamfirst]

MSL deserve full credit for the way they turn this season around as much as he deserved all the critics he got for the pisspoor play of his team early on.

 

[Frankenheimer]

MSL deserve full credit for the way they turn this season around as much as he deserved all the critics he got for the pisspoor play of his team early on.

No, a lot of it was undeserved. People citing his won loss record as relevant? Classifying him as the worst coach in history? Saying the locker room culture was bad?

Some of us chose to look at the big picture and to see the project as consisting of a series of interconnected problems (Special teams, line configuration, development of certain players at the costs of team performance) that needed to be resolved, while many were only concerned with wins/losses as sole metric. This lack of patience could have resulted in MSL's dismissal, which would have been a huge mistake.

The way I see it, MSL is probably the best coach Montreal (as a city) has had since Felipe Alou. At that time, Alou's promotion was entirely unexpected, yet when you hear him speak, there was an intelligence and understanding of people that went beyond sports. He understood the metaphor of sports as a means of growing as an individual and in that philosophy you were the best version of yourself when you were the best person you could be, not just in sports, but in life. It was always interesting to listen to him, because you could see a brain at work, not just reaching for boilerplate answers. It's clear MSL has that impact on our young players.

So yeah, I'm a bit riled up that some fans, reflected in media circles as well, almost chased him out. We have a gem of a coach and I hope fans start recognizing it.

 

[1909]

I have no idea what has transformed this team in the last few weeks but if MSL has anything to do with it i give him full credit.I wanted him fired a month or so ago because it looked like whatever he was preaching the players were not listening.I hope this is the turning point and not just a blimp on the radar.Keep it up Marty and the team.It's been a while since i was excited to watch this team but last night and last week were awesome

Laine, Carrier, Dobes and a healthier Dach made that team better, not MSL by himself.

 

[Kennerback]

MSL deserve full credit for the way they turn this season around as much as he deserved all the critics he got for the pisspoor play of his team early on.

I agree with this. Buck stops with him.