Rangers to Attend Funeral of Martin St. Louis' Mother as a Team

The New York Rangers are going to be there for a teammate during a difficult time.

According to ESPNNewYork.com's Katie Strang, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault announced Thursday that the players will all attend Martin St. Louis' mother's funeral in Montreal on Sunday.

France St. Louis passed away last Thursday after suffering a heart attack. 

The funeral was originally scheduled for Saturday, but that has been adjusted to fit her son's schedule. New York opens the Eastern Conference finals in Montreal against the Canadiens on Saturday, and the National Hockey League was unable to move the game to accommodate the service.

Coach Vigneault spoke on the matter, via Strang:

"

We were able to, yesterday, work with the NHL for schedule. Marty's [mother's] funeral was supposed to be Saturday. [They] couldn't move the time of the game, so Marty being the way he is, was able to move the funeral to Sunday. So Sunday, as a team we'll be able to attend his mother's funeral.

"

France's passing came the day before the Rangers were set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. St. Louis was back with his teammates and on the ice the next day. 

New York trailed Pittsburgh three games to one at the time but reeled off three straight victories to advance to the next round. The Rangers came together on the ice after the unfortunate passing, and now they will come together as one to show their support for a teammate during a tough time.