Canadiens name Martin St. Louis interim head coach after firing Ducharme

The Montreal Canadiens, mired in a season-long tailspin, have fired Dominique Ducharme and named Hall of Fame forward Martin St. Louis as interim head coach.

The 48-year-old Ducharme was relieved of his duties Wednesday with Montreal languishing in the league basement at 8-30-7.

St. Louis, who ended a distinguished playing career in 2015, has no NHL coaching experience but served as a consultant with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2018-19 season.

St. Louis joins the Canadiens after a stellar 16-season NHL career that saw him collect 1,033 points (391 goals, 642 assists) in 1,134 games with the Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers.

The 46-year-old from Laval, Que., won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004 and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.

Just five foot eight, St. Louis loomed large as a player. He played in seven all-star games, won the Art Ross Trophy twice as the league's leading scorer and the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award and Hart Memorial Trophy.

The Canadiens went 23-46-14 record in 83 regular-season games under Ducharme — and 13-6 in post-season play, making the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 1993.

His dismissal comes in the wake of a 7-1 rout by the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday.

"Nobody likes to lose," Ducharme said after the game. "Guys' intentions are there. Within the game, there are moments where you need to bounce back and we need to do a better job of that."

In a statement, Hughes thanked Ducharme for his work with the club.

"At this point in the season, we felt it was in the best interest of the club to make a change," the GM said.

St. Louis has plenty of work to do in Montreal.

The Habs have given up