François Lambert, the sharp-spoken businessman, was scathing when discussing the future of Martin St-Louis at the head of the Montreal Canadiens.
In a merciless statement, Lambert drew parallels between the recent departures of CEOs in the business world and the fate that, according to him, awaits the CH head coach.
And as usual, he did not hesitate to debunk everything that seemed incoherent to him, from sports management to the governance of Quebec companies.
Here are the words of François Lambert, which made more than one hockey and finance fan jump:
“The CEO of Stellantis has just left his position, just like that of Intel yesterday. Martin Saint-Louis should lose his position soon. It’s normal: they don’t deliver the goods, and that’s the price you pay when you are the leader or the coach.
Everyone ends up losing their jobs when sales and shares plummet on the stock market.
All ? No ! Marc Bédard, Lion’s CEO, who took the opportunity to sell shares at their all-time highs, is never mentioned in Lion’s woes. Even Christine Fréchette, the Minister of the Economy, allows herself to blame the federal government for these setbacks.
When you make a business plan that depends on all the possible subsidies left and right, you are the one responsible for the flop. Not the government!
I’m totally against investing a penny in Lion, but if we do it, we can’t do it with the same team in place, it’s ridiculous!”
This is an implacable verdict from Lambert.
For the businessman, CEOs who fail – whether they are at the head of a company like Stellantis, Intel, or a hockey team like the Canadiens – must be held accountable.
In his eyes, Martin St-Louis is no different from these big bosses who see their results collapse under their governance.
“They’re not delivering the goods.”
And when results plummet, whether on the stock market or in the general NHL rankings, Lambert believes that the ax must fall.
But that’s not all. By scratching Marc Bédard of Lion Electric, Lambert exposes a contradiction that he also seems to see in the management of the Canadian: a culture where those who fail seem inexplicably protected.
Like Bédard, St-Louis, according to Lambert, escaped the direct consequences of its errors thanks to undue protection.
Lambert establishes a link between the financial situation of Lion Electric and that of the Canadian, two entities which, according to him, suffer from the mismanagement of their leaders.
Just like Lion, dependent on subsidies, the CH, according to Lambert, is a team which survives thanks to the hope sold to the fans, but without delivering results…only failures.
He points out that, in business as in sports, continuing to invest time and money in a failing team with the same management is absurd.
And in the case of St-Louis, with his salary of $5 million per year until 2027, he does not hesitate to predict his imminent dismissal, a natural consequence of the Canadian’s downward spiral.
The comparison between St-Louis and Marc Bédard is cruel, but it hits the mark. Just as Bédard would have taken advantage of subsidies to keep Lion afloat, St-Louis seems, in Lambert’s eyes, to take advantage of a context of reconstruction to escape criticism.
The Canadian’s disastrous results, both on the ice and in advanced statistics, are in no way excusable.
“When you make a business plan that depends on all possible subsidies left and right, you are the one responsible for the flop.”
In the case of the Canadian, these “subsidies” could be seen as repeated excuses for a rebuilding team. But how long will supporters accept these justifications?
Lambert was merciless: St-Louis is in an ejection seat. According to him, the logic in sport and in business is implacable: if you fail, you leave.
With the departure of major CEOs like those of Stellantis and Intel, he sees a clear parallel for the CH head coach.
And while hockey fans may not be as familiar with Lion Electric’s travails, Lambert managed to draw an analogy that resonates: Whether on the ice or in the boardroom, leaders must deliver results. , or agree to give up their place.
François Lambert not only predicted the fall of Martin St-Louis: he exposed a dynamic which, according to him, is at the heart of the Canadian’s failure.
A team in rebuilding, protected by excuses and justifications, but unable to meet fans’ expectations.
What if Lambert is right? If St-Louis is truly the Marc Bédard of the Canadiens, a leader incapable of getting his team out of the doldrums, then sooner or later management will have to make a difficult decision.
Because as Lambert says so well:
“It’s ridiculous! We can’t continue with the same team in place.”
Remember that Lambert had also destroyed Geoff Molson.
“What if I ran my business like the Montreal Canadiens?
Before the season:
“I have everything in place and we are going to have the best syrup this year and I invite you to pay for it in advance”
During the season:
“Well, I have a machine that broke, the syrup won’t be what I thought, but we’re going to work hard”
“Okay, I didn’t have time to boil for 2 days so the water fermented a bit, but I’m going to do what I can with it”
“Okay, it’s been 3 days since there’s been a thaw so I don’t have any syrup for you so I’m going to offer you some “Aunt Jemima”
I know it’s not what I sold you at a high price, but it tastes like syrup
After the season:
“Well, I did what I could, but I wasn’t lucky. I know you expected more, but the weather wasn’t on my side.”
This is sarcastic because a business is not a sports team where you pay in advance for a show knowing full well that they can’t win them all.
An entrepreneur cannot lie to his customers, because word will spread quickly and the competition will knock him out.
The fact remains that even if it is a sports team, transparency would be essential.
The New York Rangers did this 2 years ago. They sent a letter to their supporters asking for patience.
This won’t happen in Montreal!
I’ve had season tickets for a long time and what I buy is hope, a spectacle and spectacular players, when I arrive at the end of the season at a game and I see half from the club that arrives from the Laval Rocket that I can go see play for $20 and I look at the price of my ticket ($260), I find myself a little nono to renew each year.
But I am an eternal optimist and I hope that next year the syrup they will offer me will be the one I tasted when I was little.
Basically, I buy the memory, their story! and not the present.
A dangerous game for any business, including the Canadiens.”
Lambert was straight to the point. The only way to respect CH fans in this collapse: fire Martin St-Louis.
