The Blue Jackets have announced that former Ranger Marty St. Louis has been hired to be a special teams consultant.
St. Louis teams up with his former coach in Tampa Bay, and former Rangers coach, John Tortorella.
Tortorella said that St. Louis made himself into a Hall of Famer player “through sheer determination, hard work and a great understanding of how to play the game the right way.”
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St. Louis said, “I truly love the game. I have been coaching my boys since my retirement, so I am excited to share my knowledge while still being able to coach my kids. I’m looking forward to working with the coaching staff and players in Columbus.”
Last April, Larry Brooks wrote that the Rangers spoke with Marty St. Louis about “taking over” the Hartford Wolf Pack when he retired. (NY Post)
Brooks said that the timing wasn’t right then, but. that St. Louis was possibly in contention to be an assistant coach this year with the Rangers. (NY Post)
In September, St. Louis said that he was spending most of his time coaching his three sons in hockey as well as being a partner in a private equity company. (The Athletic)
When St. Louis was asked about his former teammate Brad Richards joining the Rangers front office, St. Louis said “Yeah, I could see him being in management. I’d like that. Maybe some day he’ll hire me as a coach.” (The Athletic)
In July, when asked by John Giannone about possibly becoming a coach in the NHL, St. LOuis said “It’s something I see myself trying and liking, timing is everything. Right now I’m focusing on my kids and this is time you can’t get back and it’s been a blast. I’m gonna keep doing that for now and take it a year at a time.”
In May, when he was on the 31 Thoughts Podcast, St. Louis said, “I’m definitely interested, there will be a time and a place for that, hopefully it won’t be too late for me. Right now it would take a lot for me to leave my kids. I’m enjoying seeing their development and being part of their everyday life.” (Sportsnet)
Adam Rotter: St. Louis and Tortorella have an excellent relationship and it’s no surprise that Torts would call on one of the best players he ever coached to help a struggling PP. I do think that ultimately, maybe even next season, St. Louis will join the Rangers in some capacity because he wants to stay involved in hockey and working for the Rangers would still allow him to be at home in Connecticut. St. Louis working with Columbus though could benefit the Rangers in that he should be spending a lot of time with Artemi Panarin and, if asked, provide the Rangers with first hand information on a player they may make a big investment in.