On TVA Sports, admiration for Martin St. Louis reaches disproportionate levels, turning him into a kind of hockey god whose every word and every decision is revered.
Anthony Martino, one of the channel's star journalists, distinguished himself recently by devoting more than two minutes to praising St. Louis, describing it as a creative force capable of turning everything it touches into gold.
Jean-Charles Lajoie, who has always criticized Saint-Louis since the beginning of the year, especially in his management of the trio, looked very uncomfortable. He preferred to look down rather than contradict Martino.
From using his best players to numerous isolation actions, Martin St-Louis is increasingly showing that he belongs among the NHL's elite in terms of development.
In fact, his style is perfect to make CH a dominant team for a long time. pic.twitter.com/CW1iCVuC1r
– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) February 19, 2024
It must be said that Lajoie was always attacking St. Louis in his way of getting favored players and putting them in his place due to a lack of personal love towards some people.
And Martino, in his lavish praise, did not fail to cite examples of players whose progress under St. Louis's tutelage was striking. Thus Juraj Slavkovski, Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were elevated to icon status, their successes largely thanks to St. Louis's masterful influence.
However, in this idealized picture painted by TVA Sports, the gray areas remain carefully obscured. Justin Barron and Arbor
What's worse is that Josh Anderson's case has been ignored. The once formidable player has completely changed, and not for the better.
Under St. Louis' guidance, Anderson lost his enthusiasm and confidence, becoming a shadow of his former self on the ice. A fact that TVA Sports seems to prefer to ignore, as adoration for St. Louis seems to blind its analysis.
Despite the Canadian's occasional successes, it is necessary to highlight Martin St. Louis's shortcomings as a coach. If some players shine, others crumble under him, and the team as a whole seems to stagnate, even decline.
The numbers speak for themselves: with the eighth defeat in eleven matches, the Canadian is dangerously close to his record set the previous season on the same date.
With a 22-27-8 record, Montreal has just two more points than the same period last year, and has won one fewer game.
Performances in overtime or in shootouts could partially mask that reality, but it's clear the team is struggling to truly progress under St. Louis's tutelage.
It is time for TVA Sports to be more clear in its analysis and realize that Martin St. Louis, despite his qualities, is not exempt from criticism.
Weaknesses as well as successes must be exposed, because this is how we can evaluate the work of the coach and truly develop the team.
Martin St. Louis is not a god. We need to tell TVA Sports to stand up and not lie down in front of Marty. This is why the coach's ego is exaggerated.
Jean-Charles Lajoie was the only person who dared to criticize the Montreal Canadiens coach on TVA Sports. Today he went to bed too.
misery…
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