Martin St-Louis‘ wife must be scratching her head when she hears Martin St-Louis talk about bikinis.
The coach of the Montreal Canadiens is no stranger to punchy words to illustrate his remarks during his exchanges with the media.
After using a striking image by declaring that his team had “vomited on itself” following the frustrating defeat against the Washington Capitals, St. Louis once again surprised by calling on…the bikini of a young lady on the beach.
During his morning press briefing before the matchup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis was asked about the performance of his star forwards, including Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky.
While their stats are positive, the coach was looking to point out that those numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“I watched the 2004 Netflix Red Sox special, a great documentary”he began, referring to the film about the Boston baseball team’s exploits in that year’s playoffs.
He then cited former Red Sox manager Grady Little, who had an interesting statistical comparison.
“He compares it to the girl at the beach with a little bikini. She shows you something, but she doesn’t show you everything! » St-Louis explained with a smirk. “
That’s statistics, boys, they don’t show everything! »
This metaphor not only captured the attention of the journalists present, but it also helped lighten the atmosphere in a context where tension was evident in the press room.
After several disappointing performances from its team, St-Louis was obviously looking to send a message to its players while defusing the pressure.
Before this statement, Martin St-Louis displayed a serious look and a resolutely firm attitude towards his players. Visibly unhappy with the recent results, he did not hesitate to be scathing in his comments.
Asked about his team’s commitment and the need to change their mentality, he replied:
“It’s a team decision. When you want to win in this league, it’s not a magic pill. »
He insisted that victory depends on a collective effort and that the answer lies with the players.
When a reporter mentioned that David Savard continued to block shots despite the unfavorable score, St-Louis praised his leadership:
“Savi is always going to have a long leash with me because he has honest, strong actions, and he always takes care of the team. »
However, he also hinted that other players needed to raise their level of play and commitment:
“We don’t have enough stocks that take care of the rest of the team. »
It is clear that Christian Dvorak was targeted here. We’re betting that St-Louis won’t send him on the power play tonight.
The coach reiterated that his team must adopt a new attitude to overcome the current challenges. “It’s not about strategy or structure, it’s about mentality and attitude,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of each player making decisions that benefit the entire team, even if it doesn’t benefit them personally.
With the woman in the bikini, Martin St-Louis cleverly reminded us that individual statistics do not always reflect reality on the ice.
He therefore invites his players to look beyond the numbers to focus on the small details that make the difference in a match.
Between frustration and the desire to motivate his troops, Martin St-Louis continues to use strong images to communicate with his players and the media.
Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky must take off their bikinis and put on their one piece swimsuits.
