2026 Olympics: Does Martin St-Louis belong behind the Team Canada bench?

Excitement is running high, especially now that we know NHL players will be able to take part…

And we’re wondering what the Canadian squad will look like, which will obviously be packed with talent.

There’s going to be talent on the ice, but there’s also going to be talent behind the bench, because it’s going to take some big hockey heads to lead a team as good as Canada’s.

Doug Armstrong, Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Salmond have been hired to head up management, and they’ll be the ones choosing the coaching staff.

Ultimately, one might wonder if Martin St-Louis belongs behind the bench, and this was one of the topics of discussion on the last episode of the “Exit the Zone” podcast .

Richard Labbé, Simon-Olivier Lorange and Stéphane Waite think it’s a little too early for St-Louis to get that chance…

But Jérémie Rainville, who hosts the podcast, disagrees:

I think so. He’s a leader. – Jérémie Rainville

It’s a bit premature because Martin St-Louis doesn’t have much NHL head coaching experience to date.

The Habs coach is a guy who loves the game, and there’s no one who can argue with that. He’s already played for the Canadian team at the Games, he knows the program, he also knows Ryan Getzlaf very well…

But hockey may be a world of contacts, but Team Canada’s executives are going to look at coaches who have experience behind the bench of a professional team.

They’re going to look at coaches who have already won in the past. And at that level, Jon Cooper’s name comes easily to mind.

Even as an assistant, I think it’s early days for Martin St-Louis.

Maybe my answer will be different in 2030, at the next Winter Olympics (after 2026)… But for now, it’s no.

In bursts

– Really?

– Another big deal in the PWHL.

– These are good points.