DENVER – The Canadiens announced on Monday that head coach Martin St-Louis will return to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Colorado Avalanche.
St-Louis, who had been away from the team since March 16 to be with his family, has rejoined the Canadiens on Monday in Denver. Assistant coach Trevor Letowski had assumed the team's head coaching duties during St-Louis' absence.
«I'd like to thank Geoff Molson, Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, along with Trevor Letowski, our players, coaches, and hockey operations staff for fully understanding and facilitating my need to be with my family for the past several days,» St-Louis said upon his return to the team. «Everyone within the Canadiens organization has been very supportive of my wife Heather and me as we fully focused on our son Mason and his recovery from a hockey injury. As parents, nothing is more important to us than our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.»
Mason St-Louis, 16, is the youngest of Martin and Heather's three sons. He suffered an injury while playing in a game for U15 Mid-Fairfield (Connecticut). A week later, Mason suffered complications from the injury and was hospitalized. His condition has since stabilized, and he is now recovering at the family home in Connecticut.
«We appreciate the Canadiens organization, our fans, and the hockey community for understanding and supporting us through Mason's injury and recovery. I would like to extend a special thank you to the doctors and nurses that cared for him during this time. I'd also like to thank everyone for respecting my family and our privacy, and I ask to please maintain a focus on the Canadiens team and the remainder of the 2023-24 season.»
