Yahoo Sports Columbus Blue Jackets: Montréal's Cole Caufield Switches Jersey Number To Honor Johnny Gaudreau
On Instagram, Cole Caufield announced late last evening that he would be changing his number from 22 to 13 for this upcoming season to honor Johnny Gaudreau.
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In the emotional post, Caufield says, "We all lost an amazing person, both on and off the ice, in last week’s tragedy."
"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."
In regards to changing his number, he said, "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."
Johnny Gaudreau paved the way for smaller players to not only play in the NHL but excel in the league as well. Listed as 5-foot-8, 175lbs, Caufield has come into the league and did just that - excelled. In his first three full NHL seasons, Caufield is averaging 25 goals per season, and there are no signs of slowing for the young winger. Gaudreau averaged 24 goals per season in his first three full seasons.
Former Blue Jacket Cam Atkinson, also an undersized winger listed at 5-foot-8, 175lbs, although not as dynamic as Gaudreau or Caufield, averaged 23 goals per season in his first three full seasons. Atkinson also wore #13 and played at Boston College a few years before Gaudreau.
Johhny Gaudreau showed that not only can smaller players get drafted, but they can be superstars as well. Johhny was drafted in the fourth round even though he was the best college hockey player during his time at BC. Cam Atkinson was a 6th rounder after back-to-back 50-point seasons at Boston College. But, Caufield was drafted in the first round after two seasons at the University of Wisconsin. One can't help but wonder where Caufield would've been drafted had players like Johnny Gaudreau or Cam Atkinson not had excellent careers.
Caufield gets much respect for deciding to honor his hero Johnny Gaudreau.
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