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Martin St-Louis goes off-script while losing his tempter to a now identified Quebec journalist

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Skyler Walker
May 25, 2026  (6:48)
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Martin St-Louis, the Canadiens head coach, made it clear he didn't like the question that came after Montreal's Game 2 overtime loss.

The Quebec journalist at the center of that moment has now been identified, and it adds another layer to a tense postgame exchange.

It was Guillaume Lefrançois of La Presse who asked Martin St-Louis about one of the biggest decisions of the night.

That question focused on overtime usage, especially why the Canadiens bench was not shortened in such a critical stretch of the game.

The issue was simple and direct. Why was the fourth line still getting ice early in overtime when the stakes were at their highest?

And more specifically, why was Oliver Kapanen on the ice in that moment?

A postgame moment that quickly drew attention

The exchange didn't take long to spread, because it touched a nerve after a loss that already had people second-guessing Montreal's bench management.

"A Montreal journalist asked Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis why he hadn't shortened the bench during overtime and had left the fourth line on the ice.

The Quebec coach didn't seem very happy."

That description matched what plenty of viewers seemed to notice in real time, especially from Martin St-Louis' reaction once the question landed.

Karine Hains also offered her own read on the sequence, and her wording only added to the spotlight around the moment.

"St. Louis didn't appreciate Guillaume Lefrançois' question about why his fourth line was on the ice early in overtime.

It looked like he gave him the Shane Wright look ."

What makes this story stand out is that the question itself was fair. It pointed directly at a coaching choice that became part of the result.

The defeat came fast in extra time after an error by Oliver Kapanen, which is exactly why the decision is now being debated.

Several Quebec analysts are now circling back to that moment and asking whether Martin St-Louis misread the situation.

For Lefrançois, this is also part of the job. He has covered the Canadiens for years, and this is exactly when a reporter is supposed to press for answers.