Johnny Gaudreau's family makes public statement regarding Cole Caufield changing his number to 13

After news of Gaudreau's passing was confirmed by the Blue Jackets and his family, Canadiens forward Cole Caufield made a huge gesture to the late forward. He changed his number from 22 to 13, the same number that Gaudreau wore in his NHL career. He credited Johnny Hockey for part of the reason why he worked so hard to make the NHL as the former Flames and Blue Jackets forward proved that even small guys can be star players. Gaudreau stood at 5'9" while Caufield is listed at just 5'6".

Former Flyers center Kevin Hayes, who signed with the Penguins this summer, commented on Caufield's post announcing his number change. Shortly after that, Meredith responded saying Johnny loved him. She seems to imply that Gaudreau would have been honored to hear that Cole changed his number just for him.

Caufield set career highs last season with 28 goals and 65 points. He will likely be in a position to break those records again this season as the Canadiens look to come out of their rebuild. With new talent surrounding him, Caufield and the Candiens could very well surprise some fans this year but it may be a stretch for them to make the playoffs. Perhaps though, Caufield can channel the energy of Gaudreau not only to lead him to new personal bests, but also to new levels of team success.

Source: HockeyFeed
Gaudreau family responds to Cole Caufield wearing #13.