In the second part of his interview with Jean-Charles Lajoie, which was broadcast on Tuesday, Martin St-Louis confides in his family.

The Canadiens head coach spoke very emotionally about the sacrifices his community made in order to achieve his dream.

“It’s a very selfish space for a top athlete. If you really want to reach your maximum potential, you have to be selfish. That’s the most important. Your time window for performance is so small. Sometimes you think it’s big and it closes up pretty quickly if you’re not disciplined in your business. My discipline made me selfish in terms of how much time I could devote to my family.”

The Quebecer also believes he made the decision to leave the competition at the end of the 2014-2015 season to make up for lost time.

“Since I retired, I’ve stood up. I’ve been really present for a good seven years. That’s a big reason why I decided to retire. I was 40 but I knew I could still play. I had so little to do and tired of being selfish about my career.”

St-Louis was also reflecting on Rangers’ fabulous run in the 2014 playoffs as he dealt with the tragic news of his mother’s death.

“I was very close to my mother. It was hard. Me and my family really mourned. I knew my hockey could help anyone deal with the situation. It was a distraction and an inspiration. It’s helped my team figure it out a bit, but more importantly, it’s helped my family. To be honest, I was mentally deaf. It took me a while to realize it. I just kept helping everyone get through it.

Since the death of his mother, the Canadians’ head coach has been more careful than ever to be close to his father. He also wanted to praise him.

“My father always worked hard. He is the 10th of 14 children who grew up in a sawmill in Mont-Laurier. He started working when he was eight years old. He always had a work ethic. He worked for his family and he gave everything for his family. Ever since I grew up I’ve been so lucky to have this man in my life. He always showed me things without really talking to me.

Watch the interview in the video above.