BROSSARD – To pull off such an inspired sequence, it doesn’t just take skill. Mental health is also decisive and Martin St-Louis recognized this on this Bell Let’s Talk Day.
“A lot of it starts from there, you can have the best skills and be very strong physically, but if you’re not doing well mentally, you’ll never play at the peak of your abilities. It’s important, especially these days,” the Canadian coach first mentioned.
“As I get older, with my children, it becomes very important and sensitive. Dealing with that in my family helps me do it with our young players. Some are almost the age of my children. It’s an aspect that we care about,” he continued, speaking with affection.
It is obvious that St-Louis takes care of the mental health of its troops. Whether by protecting your players publicly, by speaking regularly with them, by making sure to help them in their development…
The Canadian can also count on the contribution of the renowned Jean-François Ménard, mental performance coach, who notably helped Joel Armia get rid of his habit of worrying about his mistakes.
The topic couldn’t be more timely with the addition of forward Patrik Laine who turned to the player assistance program when he was depressed by seeing the glass half empty.
Each person or athlete deals with everyday challenges in their own way. Brendan Gallagher could have blurred with the injuries that punctuated his career or during his production slumps or because of the criticism linked to his contract.
But Gallagher always seemed to enjoy pursuing his career.
“I’ve had tougher days, that’s for sure, but you need support around you. Still, you realize that people have problems much bigger than ours. It’s important to talk about it,” underlined the combative attacker.
Currently, the Canadian does not want to land his positive wave. It goes without saying that collective morale is at its best in such circumstances.
But that’s quite a change since November 7 when the Canadian was languishing in the cellar of the NHL rankings. After a 5-3 loss in New Jersey, St-Louis launched this sentence which startled many.
“When we freak out, we’re going to be dangerous,” he predicted.
-“Did I say that?” I’m not telling the whole truth, but I’m not telling lies. I went through that, I had a lot of success going through such a process. It requires commitment from the players,” explained St-Louis about his proven prediction.
Since then, thanks to the arrival of Laine, the arrival of Alexandre Carrier, the addition of Jakub Dobes and numerous victorious comebacks, the Canadian has climbed to 15th place in the NHL in 72 days.
“We feel comfortable, it shows in the team’s performance, it’s great progress. The goal has always been to build to become a competitive club against any opponent. This is where we are. We are happy with that, but we must continue to deserve the results. Just because you do it for a month doesn’t mean you have to think you have all the answers,” St-Louis commented.
That said, everyone in the organization relishes the opportunity to finally play important matches.
“We have been playing meaningful matches for a month, we felt that our game was coming. Now every game seems like a playoff game. Except you can’t slide for a few matches or worry about how others are doing. The parity is immense and the race is close. It’s a situation that we want to experience, it’s pleasant,” continued the coach, driven by his competitive spirit.
From rookies to veterans, the usual context is welcomed with open arms. That said, it’s even tastier for those who endured the lean years.
“It means a lot to me, it’s important for our team, we’ve been talking about it for a long time. We continued to believe in it even if the results were not there at the start. But it helps a lot to see that it’s currently paying off,” targeted Gallagher.
The contribution of a few young people was crucial in this turnaround. For Gallagher, the season is too far along to perceive them that way.
“They are no longer young players, everyone must do their part, the learning phase is over. We must be accountable for others,” demanded Gallagher
with a desire to win that is felt in this group.
