Cole Caufield to honor his "hero" Johnny Gaudreau by wearing jersey No. 13
Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield is changing his jersey number to 13 to honor Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed along with his brother, Matthew, by a suspected drunk driver in Salem County, New Jersey, last week.
Caufield and "Johnny Hockey" were teammates for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Championships in Prague.
"Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of. I was lucky enough to be Johnny's teammate this past summer and it didn't take long to realize how great of a person he was," Caufield wrote in an Instagram post. "He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered."
Caufield wore No. 22 in his first four seasons in the NHL but said on Instagram that he wore No. 13 before "because of Johnny."
Gaudreau developed into an NHL superstar despite his size, listed as only 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds. He scored 243 goals and 743 points in 763 career games with the Calgary Flames and Columbus Blue Jackets and made seven All-Star teams.
In four seasons, Caufield has established himself as one of the most exciting young scorers in the game. And like Gaudreau, he's doing so as what many would call "undersized" at 5-foot-8.
"He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level," Caufield wrote. "I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others."
Montreal drafted Caufield with the 15th overall pick — one selection after the Flyers took defenseman Cam York — in the 2019 NHL draft. At the time, some Flyers fans were upset that the team had passed over Caufield for York.
Caufield has 81 goals and 149 points in 205 career games with the Canadiens.
Here's what Caufield wrote on Instagram in full:
We all lost an amazing person, both on and off the ice, in last week's tragedy. My deepest condolences go to the entire Gaudreau family, especially Johnny's wife and two kids, who I had the pleasure of meeting. Nothing will be able to fill the void in their families and loved ones hearts, but I hope it provides some comfort to know how these two positively impacted the lives of so many. They will truly be missed.
Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of. I was lucky enough to be Johnny's teammate this past summer and it didn't take long to realize how great of a person he was. He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered.
The last few years playing as #22 have been some of the best years of my life. It truly has been a dream come true and I will forever hold those memories and that number close to me. I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him. 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.
Rest in Peace, Johnny hockey.