On Thursday, July 24, Montreal Canadiens’ coach Martin St-Louis will be taking part in a the “Shoulder Check” hockey game and since the roster announcement doesn’t specify that he’ll be behind the bench, it seems he’ll hitting the ice rather than standing behind the bench.
The event with NHL stars is held annually and prides itself on making kindness a contact sport. The initiative aims to remind people that we can all be there for one another and that sometimes, being there can mean just putting your hand on someone’s shoulder and letting them know you’re there for them.
The event will take place in Stamford Connecticut, not far from where the Canadiens’ bench boss used to have a waterfront mansion. St-Louis doesn’t spend the off-season in Montreal, he goes back to the USA and spends the Summer with his family residing in South Burlington, Vermont.
If you’re interested in seeing the Habs’ coach play, you can stream the game on Thursday night on the organization’s Instagram account. The game is set to start around 18:30 but players will get there earlier to interact with fans. Before the game starts, Swaggy P will be on hand to show some of his impressive skills on the ice.
St-Louis will be the only Canadiens’ representative but the lineup is still quite interesting: new Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras will lead the charge as always and will be joined by the likes of former teammates Mason McTavish, Fank Vatrano, Sam Colangelo and Cutter Gauthier.
Some of the NHL's best will be on display at the 2025 Shoulder Check Showcase, taking place on July 24th at 4pm ET! https://t.co/7CNa5ohiD9pic.twitter.com/aLeAf1OA7b
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) July 20, 2025
Goaltenders Spencer Knight, Jonathan Quick and Jake Oettinger will be manning the nets and facing players like Matty Beniers , Shane Pinto, Adam Fox, Ryan Leonard and Will Smith.
It will be interesting to see what St-Louis can still do on the ice, but there’s absolutely that he’ll be able to compete, the former player has kept himself in great shape and still likes to jog up and down the Bell Centre’s lower bowl stairs.
The Canadiens’ coach had an impressive NHL career, despite never being drafted. He spent 16 seasons in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the New York Rangers. In 1134 games, he gathered 1033 points.
Photo credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images
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