Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield said he is changing his number to 13 in a tribute to his hero, Johnny Gaudreau.
Gaudreau, 31, and his younger brother, Matthew, were killed last Thursday as they rode bikes along a New Jersey road and were struck by a suspected drunk driver.
Caufield, 23, long admired Gaudreau for proving players didn’t have to be physically imposing to succeed in the sport. Gaudreau, who most recently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, was just 5-foot-9; Caufield is 5-7.
Caufield wore No. 22 in his first four NHL seasons but donned No. 13 as part of the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2018-19.
“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” Caufield wrote on Instagram late Tuesday. “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, a Wisconsin native, and Gaudreau played together on the U.S. team at the IIHF men’s world championship in May in the Czech Republic.
“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 posted.
“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.”
–Field Level Media