Any goal feels great, but the opening goal from Cole Caufield on Wednesday might have been particularly special for a few different reasons.
The Montreal Canadiens forward scored his club’s first goal of the season in their opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs, potting a one-timer on the power play to get things started.
More than that though, it was his first goal after switching his jersey to No. 13 in honour of the late Johnny Gaudreau, a player Caufield saw as his hero.
After scoring and celebrating with his teammates, the Canadiens forward pointed toward the sky as he skated back to centre-ice.
Caufield, 23, made the choice in the off-season to change his jersey number from 22 to 13, announcing the decision on Instagram days after Gaudreau’s tragic passing.
“He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level,” Caufield wrote. “I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.”
Gaudreau, listed at five-foot-nine, and Caufield at five-foot-seven, were among the shortest players in the NHL last season. But that didn’t stop either of them from producing at a steady pace for their clubs.
Caufield has always been a great contributor on opening night, as the Stevens Point, Wisc., native has scored in the Canadiens’ last three season-openers.
He’s the first Montreal player to do so since Vincent Damphousse did it in 1992, 1993 and 1994.
