In the second part of his interview with Jean-Charles Lajoie, broadcast on Tuesday, Martin St-Louis confided in his family.
The Canadiens head coach spoke very emotionally of the sacrifices those around him made to allow him to realize his dream.
“It’s a very selfish space as a top athlete. If you really want to reach your maximum potential, you have to be selfish. This is the most important thing. Your window to perform is so small. Sometimes you think it’s big and it shuts down pretty quickly if you’re not disciplined regarding your business. My discipline made me selfish in terms of how much time I might give to my family.”
The Quebecer also believes that it was to make up for lost time that he made the decision to leave the competition at the end of the 2014-2015 season.
“I have picked myself up since I retired. I’ve been a good seven years really being present. That’s a big reason why I decided to retire. I was 40, but I knew I might still play. I was so short of business and I was tired of being selfish with my career.”
St-Louis also reflected on the Rangers’ fabulous run in the 2014 playoffs as he grappled with the tragic news of his mother’s death.
“I was really close to my mother. It was hard. Me and my family were really grieving. I knew my hockey might help everyone deal with the situation. It was a distraction and an inspiration. It helped my team to get behind it a bit, but more importantly it helped my family. Honestly, I was mentally numb. It took me a while to realize it. Me, I just continued to help everyone get through it.
Since the death of his mother, the head coach of the Canadiens has made sure to keep his father close to him more than ever. He also wanted to praise him.
“My dad has always worked hard. He is the 10th of 14 children who grew up on a sawmill in Mont-Laurier. He started working when he was eight years old. He always had a work ethic. He worked for his family and he gave everything to his family. Ever since I was an adult, I’ve been so happy to have this man in my life. He always showed me things without really talking to me.
Watch the interview in the video above.
