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Alexandre Texier is currently stealing the show in Montreal. The Frenchman has just enjoyed two dream nights at the Bell Centre, collecting four goals and six points in 26 hours in front of his fans.
He's proving that a change of scenery is really, really good for him.
And yesterday, after the game, Martin St-Louis gave Texier some love. He praised the Frenchman's talent, but above all, he said he knew what Texier was capable of, having seen him up close in Columbus, when he was supporting John Tortorella.
However, during his appearance on 5 à 7 tonight, Luc Gélinas recalled something interesting in connection with all this: when Texier came to Montreal, St-Louis' discourse was quite different.
At the time, he said he didn't want to say too much about the player… because he didn't really know him. Oh well.
Alexandre Texier:
St. Louis didn't appreciate him, so St. Louis gave him a place to shine
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 9, 2026
So, in reality, it's obvious that the coach lied at some point in this case. And we agree that it's logical to think that he lied when he said he didn't know him.
And in fact, it's defensible: it's a way of not showing any bias towards him in order to evaluate the player he is today.
St. Louis explained yesterday that, at the time, he had been asked by the Blue Jackets to keep an eye on Texier in the AHL, given that he was a promising prospect for the club. It's clear, then, that he knew the player he was.
But on the other hand, it had been almost 10 years since all this had happened. Keeping it under wraps was a good way of creating a natural progression for Texier.
But, once again, it's a reminder that nobody is smart enough to be able to lie in the long term. And we agree that in this case, it's a pretty harmless lie… but it's still peculiar to see the difference between the two speeches, hehe.
Overtime
– Speaking of Texier.
The blossoming of Alexandre Texier | “It's great to see this talent coming to the surface” -Antoine Roussel https://t.co/F8Yq1Iu19e
– 98.5 Sports (@985Sports) January 9, 2026
– You can feel it.
Habs captain Nick Suzuki on welcoming new players to the team:
“I think it's our style and just the camaraderie in the room. I think we lift guys up. We do a good job of bringing them in and treating them like family right away.”
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) January 9, 2026
– The Mammoth wants to add a big name.
David Pagnotta: Re Mammoth: They remain a team…that would love to go and make a big splash; I'll give you the disclaimer, it may happen in the offseason…but I think they're aggressive enough where we could see something happen in-season – DFO Rundown (1/7)
– NHL Rumor Report (@NHLRumorReport) January 9, 2026
