Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield has changed his jersey number from No. 22 to No. 13 for the upcoming season to honor Johnny Gaudreau, the Canadiens confirmed on Tuesday.
Johnny Gaudreau and his younger brother, Matthew, tragically passed away last week after being struck by a car while riding bicycles. Gaudreau and Caufield were teammates for Team USA at the IIHF World Championship in May.
On Instagram, Caufield expressed his condolences: “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. 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.”
Caufield and Gaudreau were among the shorter players in the NHL last season, standing at 5-foot-8 and 5-foot-9, respectively.
“I wore No. 13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” Caufield added. “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.”
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames are scheduled to hold candlelight vigils on Wednesday to pay tribute to the Gaudreau brothers.
