Martin St. Louis Confirms Why He Took Leave Of Absence From Canadiens

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Graham Montgomery
March 26, 2024 (11:20 PM)

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Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis recently took a leave of absence from the team. Today he confirmed that the absence was due to a health emergency involving his son Mason.

Martin St. Louis breaks silence regarding leave of absence from Canadiens

When Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis left the team abruptly earlier this month many fans feared the worst. While things have certainly not been easy for the coach's family in the past couple of weeks, it appears as though things could have been much worse. Today, the Canadiens confirmed that St. Louis would be back behind the bench for the team's next game against the Colorado Avalanche this Thursday.

The Canadiens announced that head coach Martin St. Louis will return to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche.

It has since been revealed that Martin St. Louis was away from the Canadiens due to an injury his youngest son Mason suffered during a hockey game. The coach addressed this in his official statement which was released by the team today. He made sure to thank everyone for their support but clearly wanted to maintain a level of privacy as he asked fans and media personnel alike to remain focused on hockey for the rest of the season.

"We appreciate the Canadiens organization, our fans, and the hockey community for understanding and supporting us through Mason's injury and recovery. I would like to extend a special thanks to the doctors and nurses that took care of him during this time. I'd also like to thank everyone for respecting my family and our privacy, and I ask to please maintain a focus on the Canadiens team and the remainder of the 2023-24 season."

Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes has been fully supportive of St. Louis throughout this process. He previously made sure that the team did everything in their power to support the coach, while also protecting his privacy.

«Family comes first, I hope for everyone. We did everything we could to make sure he was able to go as soon as possible to be with his family. We don't have any other information at the moment as to when he'll be returning.»

- Habs GM Kent Hughes today on coach Martin St. Louis

The Canadiens will look to finish the season on a strong note with their remaining 12 games. The next will come this Thursday when the team takes on the Colorado Avalanche.

Source HockeyPatrol: Martin St Louis confirms the reason why he left the Canadiens