Since Johnny Gaudreau's death, numerous NHL stars have paid tribute to the late Columbus Blue Jackets star. Montreal Canadiens star Cole Caufield is going the extra mile by changing from No. 22 to No. 13 to honor one of his heroes.
Caufield, 23, announced the number change in a touching Instagram post. Caufield wrote that, as a smaller player himself, watching Gaudreau succeed at all levels was an inspiration to him. Because of that, Caufield will now don No. 13 in hopes of keeping Gaudreau's spirit alive.
"The last few years playing as #22 have been some of the best years of my life," Caufield wrote. "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."
During the 2024 IIHF World Championship, Caufield even got to play with Gaudreau on Team USA. Caufield noted how special that was to him and said Gaudreau "was someone everyone gravitated towards."
Caufield was the No. 15 overall pick by the Canadiens in the 2019 NHL Draft, and there were certainly questions about his 5-foot-8 stature. However, Caufield has already thrived at the NHL level, tallying 77 goals and 67 assists in 195 games.
