On April 25, during a press conference in the middle of a first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was asked how he unwinds after a game and his candidly laid back, unexpected answer drew widespread attention. “I watch Seinfeld,” said the affable 51-year-old. “I’ve watched Seinfeld like, I mean, what is it? Nine seasons? I probably watched them four times in a row.”
St. Louis continued: “Seinfeld is the show that they can let me disconnect from everything. It’s a show about nothing, so you can just think about nothing, and you don’t even have to actually watch it. You can just listen to it because you know the characters, and it’s so it’s easy to fall asleep. For me, Seinfeld makes me disconnect. So here you go. Try Seinfeld.”
Talk about a ringing endorsement.
Martin St. Louis during the April 25 press conference.
Photo: sportsnet.ca
Well, three months later, on July 23, St. Louis not only got to meet the famed comedian in the flesh, but he also got to present him with a personalized No. 1 Canadiens jersey backstage before one of Jerry Seinfeld’s two sold out Just For Laughs Montreal show at Place des Arts.
Seriously: who did not see this coming? It’s an easy win-win. Had it not happened it would have been a travesty and one heck of a missed PR opportunity. Every armchair publicist would be asking the question, “Why did this not happen?”
Anyway, I’m glad it did. And by the way, St. Louis’ favourite character on the sow is Jason Alexander’s George Costanza — and it has nothing to do with shrinkage.