The Canadiens announced Saturday morning coaching consultant Roger Grillo has cancer.
“The Canadiens organization learned in the past weeks that coach consultant Roger Grillo is battling cancer,” the team said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with our colleague and our friend. We stand with him and his loved ones during his fight. We fight for Roger.”
The Canadiens hired Grillo last September ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Grillo was an assistant coach under head coach Mike Gilligan at the University of Vermont when Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was a player there for four seasons, starting in 1993-94.
“Rog, obviously, he’s been a great resource and I’ve used Rog my whole life and to have him on the day-to-day it’s been big,” St. Louis told reporters after Saturday’s morning skate at the Bell Centre ahead of a game against the Utah Mammoth (7 p.m., Citytv, SNE, TVA Sports). “He took some time away for obvious reasons and now there’s a plan in front of him.
“We’re glad to have him here for the time being, but I think he’s going to be in and out a little bit,” St. Louis added. “But we’re thinking of him. Stuff like that is real, sometimes it hits closer. I’ve gone through it with my dad, now one of my best friends. You’re there to support him and it’s just part of life.”
Grillo left for Brown University after St. Louis’s final season at Vermont in 1996-97 and was head coach there for 12 seasons until 2008-09. He joined USA Hockey as a regional manager of the American Development Model in 2009, before being named to director of player development in 2022.
The 61-year-old has coached at USA Hockey player development camps and also lectured at USA Hockey coaching clinics. He was also head coach of the 2006 and 2007 U.S. Under-18 Select teams that competed at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. He served as president of the American Hockey Coaches Association from 2003-05.
“Roger’s an older guy,” St. Louis said a few months after Grillo was hired by the Canadiens. “We have a young staff so Roger’s an older guy and has a lot of wisdom. I think he’s helped us in staying organized in the war room. Whether it’s in the practice and how we log everything. I feel we have a lot of content with our thoughts, our ideas, or how we do things. I feel Roger is kind of the jar that holds that … kind of keeps it all together. That’s what I was envisioning. Having a jar that could keep it all together.”
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