Martin St. Louis is behind the Canadiens bench for the next three seasons

Martin St. Louis will remain behind the Montreal Canadiens bench for the next three seasons.

The Canadiens announced Wednesday that they have picked up a two-year option on head coach Martin St. Louis' contract.

The extension will keep St.Louis signed for next year through the end of the 2026-27 season.

Montreal hired St.Louis on an interim basis on February 9, 2022, following the dismissal of Dominique Ducharme. He was named head coach at the end of the season.

The 48-year-old from Laval, Que., went 75-100-26 in two years with the Canadiens.

St. Louis scored 1,033 points in his 17-year NHL career. He won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004, the same season he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's MVP and led the league in scoring.

St. Louis, who won his second Art Ross Trophy in 2012-13, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.