St. Louis will become the 32nd head coach of the Canadiens in the 2022-2023 season.

St. Louis was hired as an interim head coach during last season but has now been officially hired as the new head coach. He's become the 32nd head coach of the Canadiens although he's had no previous NHL coaching experience.

Martin St. Louis has signed a three-year extension which will keep him with the team through the 2024-2025 season. 

After firing former head coach Dominique Ducharme, who joined the team earlier in the season, the Canadiens hired St. Louis as an interim head coach. The Canadiens ended the year with Ducharme in last place in the NHL with an 8-30-7 record.

St. Louis' only previous NHL coaching experience was as a special teams consultant with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2018-19. Under St. Louis, the Canadiens posted a 14-19-4 record, and rookie Cole Caufield, who had 35 points in 36 games after St. Louis was hired.

Canadiens Vice President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton said: "During his short stint behind the bench last season, Martin showed he has the required qualities to lead the Canadiens in the right direction."

Gorton continued: "Despite difficult circumstances when he took over, he was able to bring a breath of fresh air to the locker room and the players benefited from it as much individually as they did collectively. Martin thinks the game at a high level, and we believe that he is the right person for this job."

Montreal General Manager Kent Hughes said: "Martin is a proven leader, a great communicator with a deep understanding of and passion for the game of hockey. His arrival brought a renewed energy to our group, and we look forward to him returning behind the bench to continue guiding our team for the foreseeable future."

St. Louis had 1,033 points in 1,134 games as a player with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Rangers and won the Hart Trophy as League MVP in 2004.