New Survey Results: No Votes for Martin St-Louis as Preferred Coach to Play For
The arrival of Martin St-Louis at the helm of the Montreal Canadiens surprised many.
However, time quickly proved his worth, as his unconventional methods have helped develop many of the team's young players.
His experience in the game makes him a respected coach, having been both a secondary player and a superstar during his career.
Many believe that St-Louis alone is a reason to come play in the city.
However, a poll conducted by Michael Russo of The Athletic has cast some doubt on this.
For which coach, other than your own, would you like to play? Not a single player named Martin St-Louis, which is truly surprising
Indeed, the journalist asked the question during the NHL's most recent media tour across North America and Europe: for which coach, other than your own, would you like to play?
The result is striking for the Canadiens' head coach, as he received no votes from the 32 players present. This vote was dominated by Florida's two coaches, Jon Cooper and Paul Maurice.
Is this concerning for the future? Absolutely not!
It's important to remember that, even though he's now one of the league's most tenured coaches with his team, St-Louis is still a relatively new coach. He has only 201 games of NHL coaching experience and is just starting to make a name for himself. Over time, his reputation will grow. We know that players in the league are like a fraternity, constantly talking about what's happening here and there. So, it's only a matter of time before St-Louis becomes more recognized.
Moreover, this poll only surveyed 62 players (Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky represented the Canadiens during these two events and couldn't vote for St-Louis). The results could have been very different with a larger sample size.
We also recall that the Canadiens' coach didn't make the top 16 in the NHL's coach rankings, landing in 23rd place with four votes. The reasoning was the same: a lack of experience.
NHL - Super 16: Cooper, Maurice top coach power rankings
There's no reason to worry about these popularity polls. St-Louis appears to be the right coach to lead the Canadiens for now, and he will have plenty of opportunities to climb the ranks in the coming years.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe that Martin St-Louis is one of the top 12 head coaches in the NHL? | ||
| Yes | 392 | 63.8 % |
| No, he never will be | 42 | 6.8 % |
| No, but he will be one day | 180 | 29.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
