A reporter second-guessed Martin St-Louis and instantly regretted it

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Jonathan Ouimet
May 24, 2026  (0:26)

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Photo credit: Screenshot

Martin St-Louis was not in the mood for a deployment lecture late Saturday night.

A Montreal reporter pressed the Canadiens head coach on why he didn't shorten the bench in overtime, pointing to the 4th line being out there in the most critical minutes.

St-Louis didn't hide his reaction. The blunt answer that followed told you everything about how he felt being second-guessed after a Game 2 OT loss.

The Habs fell 3-2 to the Hurricanes. The series is tied 1-1 heading back to the Bell Centre. The pressure tightens from here.

Carolina enters Game 3 as the 2nd-ranked team in the league overall at 53-22-7 with 113 points. Not exactly a forgiving opponent on a road swing.

Montreal's regular-season numbers belong in the same conversation. 48-24-10, 106 points, 6th overall, plus a 7-3-0 mark in their last 10 before the postseason kicked in.

Coaches expect the deployment grilling after a loss. It's part of the job. What St-Louis pushed back on was the framing of the question, not the question itself.

A 4th line exists for a reason. So does trust. So does the matchup work that happens between shifts that fans and reporters don't see from the press box.

St-Louis has been one of the more transparent coaches in the league with media since he took the bench in 2022. That's why a sharp answer like this stands out. He doesn't give them often.

Was he wrong to play the 4th line in OT? You can argue both sides. But arguing it 30 seconds after the puck drops in the postgame presser is a different kind of timing.

The video tells the rest. St-Louis pauses. His face shifts. The words come out clipped.

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GM Kent Hughes hired this voice for exactly this kind of moment. Calm under pressure, but not soft. Honest, but not theatrical.

Game 3 lands at the Bell Centre with a series fully back on the table. The bench will be exactly as long, or as short, as St-Louis decides it needs to be.

The reporters will be watching. The room is on his side.

Previously

Huge blow for Montreal as superstar stays down after a vicious hit from Taylor Hall

Monster trade brewing between the Senators and Eastern rival

Fresh name just entered the Canucks coaching race and it makes too much sense

POLL

18 HOURS AGO   |   465 ANSWERS A reporter second-guessed Martin St-Louis and instantly regretted it Was Martin St-Louis right to push back at the reporter in his postgame presser ?

▢    Yes

▢    No

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