"During his short stint behind the bench last season, Martin showed he has the required qualities to lead the Canadiens in the right direction," stated vice president of hockey operations, Jeff Gorton. "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."

Before coaching, St-Louis experienced a stellar playing career, collecting 1,033 points (391 goals, 642 assists) in 1,134 regular season games with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers. He added 90 points (42 goals, 48 assists) in 107 playoff games and won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004. Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018, he won the Hart Trophy in 2004, the Art Ross trophy in 2004 and 2014, and was awarded the Lady Byng trophy in 2010, 2011 and 2013.