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Martin St. Louis back coaching Canadiens after personal leave

DENVER — Montreal coach Martin St. Louis is back with the Canadiens after he left the team to be with his family.

Montreal announced on Monday that St. Louis will be behind the bench again for Tuesday night’s game at Colorado. The Canadiens went 1-2-1 while St. Louis was on leave.

St. Louis had been with his family to help with his son, Mason, 16, after he got hurt during a youth hockey game, and then suffered complications from the injury and was hospitalized. The Canadiens said Mason is now recovering at the family home in Connecticut.

“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,” St. Louis said in the team release. “As parents, nothing is more important to us than our three sons, Ryan, Lucas, and Mason.”

Assistant coach Trevor Letowski directed the team during St. Louis’ absence.

St. Louis, 48, was hired as interim coach after the Canadiens fired Dominique Ducharme in February 2022. He signed a three-year contract extension in June 2022.

Before coaching, St. Louis enjoyed a stellar playing career, totaling 1,033 points (391 goals, 642 assists) in 1,134 regular-season games with the Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. He won the Stanley Cup and the Hart Trophy as the league MVP with the Lightning in 2004 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.