It's no big mystery that the key to being a great coach is by also being a good psychologist. The great Scottie Bowman was known to be great at mind games. Mike Keenan was also a mind twister extraordinaire. But there are different ways to motivate subordinates. Many coaches such as Bowman, Keenan & Hitchcock use it more negatively, while a Jacques Demers or Don Cherry will be considerably be more positive & be known as a player's coach. St-Louis appears like a no-nonsense coach who's honest, will give it to you straight & will try to be fair with everyone. The way he speaks & takes the time to explain his reasoning reminds me of an intellectual. Not very many coaches today are like him & if he continues to be successful i wouldn't be surprised if various hockey organizations don't turn their attention towards such coaches. It's hard to imagine not wanting to play for a coach like that.
The comparison to Felipe Alou is a very good one. He had no time for mind games, he was a thinker & when he raised his voice everyone listened. He had everyone's respect, especially the players he coached. The bottom line he was, like St-Louis, a decent & humble person. How can you not like someone like that?