Martin St. Louis steps away from the Montreal Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis is stepping away.

In a stunning announcement, the Canadiens have announced that their head coach will be taking an "indefinite" leave of absence due to family reasons. The Canadiens have not shared any additional details, but obviously there is much concern around the beloved head coach and former National Hockey League star.

This appears to have been a sudden announcement given that St. Louis was by all accounts on track to coach tonight's game against the Calgary Flames. He will be replaced tonight by Canadiens assistant coach Trevor Letowski.

I want to wish Martin and his family all the best at this time with whatever they may be going through and I ask that you keep them in your thoughts as well.