While the Quebec health system is bogged down in deficits, budget cuts and overloaded establishments, another financial debate is capturing attention: the exorbitant salary of Martin St-Louis, head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.
With a team languishing in the bottom of the NHL standings, St-Louis currently earns US$2.9 million per season.
However, it is the contract which will come into effect from the 2025-2026 season that enrages fans: $5 million per year until 2027, which will position him second among the highest paid coaches in the NHL. .
In the same area of ”money makes you jealous”, the recent disclosure of the salaries of Quebec doctors by the RAMQ revealed dizzying figures: 324 doctors pocketed more than a million dollars in 2023, an absolute record.
Among them, eight exceeded the 2 million mark, and one general surgeon reached nearly $3 million, the highest income recorded in Quebec since 2014.
These figures are particularly striking in a context where the Quebec health system suffers from underfunding, staff shortages and long waiting lists.
These revelations create growing frustration, but also fertile ground to draw a parallel with the controversial salary of Martin St-Louis.
Since 2014, the number of millionaire doctors has nearly doubled, from 166 to 324. This increase is attributed to a combination of factors, including fee-for-service, remoteness bonuses, and increased practice costs and of equipment.
According to the Federation of Specialist Physicians of Quebec (FMSQ), up to 70% of this income can be absorbed by these fees.
Despite these impressive figures, the health system continues to crumble. In 2023-2024, health establishments recorded a deficit of $1 billion, forcing budget cuts without reducing care, according to Geneviève Biron, president and CEO of Santé Québec.
This paradox amplifies public outrage, which sees these astronomical salaries as an illustration of misaligned priorities.
As the debate over millionaire doctors rages, Martin St-Louis’ salary becomes a symbol of perceived waste and injustice.
Quebec’s highest-paid general surgeon in 2023 earned around $3 million, a figure similar to Martin St-Louis’ current salary (US$2.9 million).
But while the first saves lives in an overloaded system, the second leads a hockey team in full reconstruction and without notable success.
Starting in 2025-2026, St. Louis’ salary will reach $5 million per year, placing him second among the highest-paid coaches in the NHL.
During this time, only eight doctors in Quebec have crossed the $2 million mark. This comparison amplifies the feeling that St. Louis is overpaid for a role where the results fall far short of justifying such compensation.
Both in the health system and in the Canadian organization, the public perceives a culture where personal relationships and privileged statuses take precedence over performance.
In the case of doctors, it is fee-for-service payment that is criticized, favoring those who “maximize” actions to the detriment of the quality of care.
For St-Louis, it is the friendship with Kent Hughes and his past notoriety which seem to have prevailed over his lack of experience.
As the health care system is constantly called upon to “do more with less,” the idea that a hockey coach can earn $5 million to lead a mediocre team raises a fundamental question: Where are our priorities?
This feeling is amplified by cuts to public services, contrasting with the culture of abundance perceived in areas like the NHL.
The parallel between the salaries of doctors and that of Martin St-Louis reveals a social and symbolic divide. The sky-high numbers on both sides don’t go unnoticed, but where doctors can justify their income with endless hours and life-saving stakes, St. Louis struggles to convince that it deserves elite status among NHL coaches .
In both cases, these salaries become symbols of a system perceived as dysfunctional, where efficiency and results are often overshadowed by status and privilege.
For Canadiens supporters and Quebec citizens, these realities fuel a common anger at what they see as a growing gap between those who receive and those who truly deserve.
The contrast is stark between the team’s performance and the size of this contract. Where multiple Stanley Cup champion coaches like Jon Cooper ($5.5 million) and Mike Sullivan ($5.3 million) justify their salaries with years of success, Martin St-Louis continues to learn about the heap, with disastrous results and obvious tactical confusion.
“When we think of a pee-wee coach paid like a two-time Stanley Cup champion, it almost becomes insulting to the history of the Canadian. » writes a user on social networks.
The Canadiens organization seems to act like a “country club”, a place where personal relationships take precedence over results.
This perception was amplified with the premature extension of St. Louis’ contract by Kent Hughes this summer.
The contrast is all the more striking since Rod Brind’Amour, coach of the Carolina Hurricanes and a true strategist, only earns $2 million per year, less than St. Louis’ current salary.
The unveiling of the salaries of Quebec doctors also added a layer of frustration.
While 324 doctors earn more than a million dollars annually, some even exceeding 2 million, the population is outraged by endless waiting lists and declining health services.
These numbers resonate painfully when compared to the $5 million that Martin St-Louis will soon receive to coach a rebuilding team in the basement.
“How can we justify that an inexperienced coach touches so much while doctors save lives in an underfunded system? »
Supporters, already frustrated by a dragging reconstruction, see these tactical errors as proof that St-Louis is sometimes overwhelmed by its role.
And with a salary that will soon rival those of the league’s top coaches, the indulgence is quickly crumbling.
In this context, calls for change are becoming more and more pressing. The Canadian’s sporting situation, combined with the media explosion surrounding salaries in the NHL and in the health system, places Martin St-Louis in a delicate position.
Money in Quebec…makes you jealous…
If the Canadiens do not quickly redress the situation, St. Louis’ $5 million per year will become the symbol of a monumental organizational failure.
And the supporters, already at the end of their patience, will not remain silent.
Here are the top 5 highest paid doctors in Quebec according to the RAMQ and the top 5 highest paid coaches in the NHL.
Doctors
General surgeon: $2,939,413
Omnipraticien: 2 429 301 dollars
Interniste: 2 419 523 dollars
Ophthalmologist: $2,292,113
Radiologist: $2,146,042
NHL head coaches
Mike Sullivan (Penguins) : 5,5 millions de dollars
Jon Cooper (Lightning): 5.3 million dollars
Peter Laviolette (Rangers): $4.9 million.
Jared Bednar (Avalanche) : 4,9 millions de dollars
Bruce Cassidy (Golden Knights) : 4,5 millions de dollars
Martin St-Louis will therefore be in 2nd place starting next season.
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