Cole Caufield shows his respect for the late Gaudeau after scoring

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Austin Sabourin
October 9, 2024 (9:36 PM)

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Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield paid his respects for the late Johnny Gaudreau after scoring the first goal of the year for the Montreal Canadiens tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Early during his playing years, Cole Caufield once wore the number 13 on his jersey because of Johnny Gaudreau. Not long after Johnny Gaudreua's death, Cole Caufield announced he would be wearing number 13 this season to honour Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau who were both killed on August 19th.

In his first game wearing No. 13 to honor Johnny Gaudreau, Cole Caufield opens the scoring for Montreal. ❤️

Cole Caufield tonight has opened the scoring for the Montreal Canadiens against the Toronto Maple Leafs while wearing the number 13 on his back.

Slafkovsky set Caufield up with a cross crease pass on the power play for the opening night goal, and not long after Caufield scored, as he skated through centre ice he pointed to the sky.

For Johnny. ❤️

After changing his number to 13 during the off-season, he mentioned in a statement that he once got to play with his childhood hero at the World Championship for Team USA.

"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," Gaudreau wrote in an Instagram post on Sept. 3. "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."

Meredith Gaudreau, Johnny's wife made a statement on Instagram to Cole Caufield after he changed his number to 13 in the off-season.

"John would be so honored," Meredith Gaudreau wrote. "Cole wore my Gaudreau jacket home from a night out in Ostrava together during Worlds."

As seen on Thehockeynews:
Canadiens' Caufield Scores Season-Opening Goal While Wearing No. 13 To Honor Gaudreau