HIGHLIGHTS
- Cole Caufield is changing his jersey number for the new NHL season
- Caufield is honoring his late friend Johnny Gaudreau
- Read more about Caufield’s touching gesture below
Cole Caufield is pure class for changing his jersey number to honor Johnny Gaudreau.
The Montreal Canadiens forward announced on Instagram Tuesday that he will be changing his jersey number from 22 to 13 for the upcoming NHL season. He’s doing this to honor his “hero” and late friend, Johnny Gaudreau.
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Gaudreau, along with his brother Matthew, tragically died last week in New Jersey while cycling on their bikes. The two brothers were killed by a drunk driver while biking home from a rehearsal for Matthew’s sister’s wedding.
Caufield and Johnny played together for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Czechia earlier this year. Johnny was a source of inspiration for Caufield throughout his hockey career.
Caufield, who stands at 5’7″, credits Gaudreau for paving the way for smaller players in the NHL and proving they could excel at the highest level. Gaudreau himself was just 5’9″ and one of the shortest NHL players.
Despite his short stature, Johnny Hockey became an NHL superstar, scoring 743 points in 763 career games.
Caufield expressed his condolences to the Gaudreau family in a heartfelt Instagram post, explaining how much Johnny meant to him.
“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” Caufield said. “He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.”
Caufield reportedly submitted his number change request to the NHL after the deadline had passed. However, the NHL made an exception given the circumstances. There is no fee for NHL players to change numbers, unlike in the NFL.
Changement de numéro de Cole Caufield – on me confirme qu'il n'y a pas de frais reliés à un tel changement pour le joueur (contrairement à la NFL). Cela dit, la date limite pour effectuer le changement dans le cas de Caufield était passée et la LNH a fait une exception. @RDSca
— Alexandre Tourigny (@AlexTourignyRDS) September 5, 2024
Caufield has established himself as one of the NHL’s most exciting young scorers, notching 81 goals in his first 205 games. He will be extra inspired in 2024-25 as he pays tribute to his hero.