The honeymoon phase is over, and it's apparent St-Louis will no longer go easy on his players after disappointing performances like those in recent games, especially against the Washington Capitals.
As we reported in recent hours, for the first time since arriving in Montreal, Martin St-Louis lost patience and punished his players during practice.
However, there's another very important aspect that went slightly unnoticed but is mentioned in the excellent article by Jonathan Bernier (Journal de Montreal).
Punitive practice in Washington: St-Louis's patience has reached its limit.
Here's the relevant excerpt.
What stands out here is the phrase, «It's going to be like this, every time,» which he shouted to his players to warn them that from now on, when the team plays as poorly as they did on Thursday (or Tuesday), there will be consequences and punitive sessions.
The warning was very clear, and we love it.
Martin St-Louis has clearly warned his players that if they want to avoid these types of punitive sessions, they have to play better.
This is a first in Montreal, and it clearly marks a new era for Martin St-Louis.
Big changes are coming to Montreal, both in response to recent failures and in St-Louis's approach to coaching.
Now, it's up to the players to respond appropriately, and it all starts tonight!
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