The Canadiens announced Tuesday night that Cole Caufield will start wearing No. 13 for the upcoming season in honour of Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were killed last Thursday night in Salem County, N.J., when they were struck by an alleged drunk driver while riding their bicycles after a wedding rehearsal for their younger sister, Katie. The Gaudreau brothers were supposed to be groomsmen for the scheduled wedding on Friday.
Gaudreau was preparing to enter his third season with the Columbus Blue Jackets after spending the first nine seasons of his NHL career with the Calgary Flames.
Caufield, 23, described Gaudreau as his hero on an Instagram post following Gaudreau’s death.
As a youngster growing up in Wisconsin, Caufield was inspired by Gaudreau, a New Jersey native who was eight years older. Gaudreau won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 as the top player in U.S. college after posting 36-44-80 totals in 40 games with Boston College.
Gaudreau showed small players could excel in the NHL and he finished second in league scoring in 2021-22, posting 40-75-115 totals with the Flames. Caufield is 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds, while Gaudreau was 5-foot-9 and 163 pounds.
Caufield won the Hobey Baker Award in 2021 after posting 30-22-52 totals in 31 games with the University of Wisconsin.
Caufield had a chance to play with Gaudreau for the first time on Team USA at this year’s IIHF World Championship and they were teammates in what sadly ended up being Gaudreau’s last game — a 1-0 loss to Czechia on May 23 in Prague.
In another Instagram post Tuesday night, Caufield explained why he was changing from No. 22 to No. 13.
“We lost an amazing person, both on and off the ice, in last week’s tragedy,” Caufield wrote. “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,” Caufield added. “I was lucky 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 honour 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.”
The Canadiens will open the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, Oct. 9, when the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre.
Caufield will be the ninth player in Canadiens history to wear No. 13, following Edmond Bouchard (1922), Alex Tanguay (2004), Michael Cammalleri (2010-12), Mike Brown (2016), Alexander Semin (2016), Max Domi (2019-20), Cédric Paquette (2022) and Mitchel Stephens (2024).