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 five-foot-nine; Caufield is five-foot-seven.
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 honour 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.”
WATCH | NHL mourns Johnny Gaudreau’s death:
NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, a 31-year-old forward for the Columbus Blue Jackets, and his younger brother Matthew were killed Thursday night when they were hit by a car while riding bicycles in their home state of New Jersey.
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.”
WATCH | How Gaudreau overcame obstacle en route to NHL stardom:
Sean McIndoe, senior NHL writer at the Athletic, says Johnny Gaudreau will be remembered as a ‘great family man’ and an inspiration for a lot of kids, especially those who have been told they won’t make it in their sport of choice due to their size. ‘Even as the smallest player on the ice just about all the time, he’s out there putting up fantastic numbers,’ McIndoe said of the Columbus Blue Jackets star, who died Thursday at the age of 31.