Whether Johnny Gaudreau knew his impact on hockey or not, Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield's new No. 13 and Wednesday's vigils are helping make it known in a big way.

Although NHL players have a general sense of their impact on the hockey world, not even the best of the best can easily understand what their success means to those around them.

That includes fans, teammates and other players at all levels of the sport. And that's especially the case when remembering Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who both passed away last Thursday.

Wednesday evening's candlelight vigils in Columbus and Calgary were proof, with attendants in Columbus spending a 13-minute, 21-second moment of silence honoring the brothers.

"Something I'll very dearly miss: I had this little thing with John where I'd pick him up and give him a bear hug, and I wouldn't let him down until he told me he loved me," Erik Gudbranson said in a speech at the vigil in Columbus. "And he wouldn't tell me for a long time. But I know up here, today, that it was because he enjoyed the hugs. We just miss him so much."

In Calgary, Flames captain Mikael Backlund spoke about how Gaudreau would encourage him to take things a little less seriously and enjoy the ride.

While it’s truly devastating to see the hockey community lose two vibrant members in Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, one element of Johnny Gaudreau’s footprint on the sport he loved was showing what smaller-sized players can do at hockey's top level.

That was evident on Tuesday evening when Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield announced he switched his jersey number to 13 in honor of Gaudreau, who inspired him.

Like Johnny Gaudreau, Caufield is smaller in physical stature than the average NHLer. Gaudreau measured in at 5-foot-9, while Caufield stands at 5-foot-8. 

But although eight years separated Gaudreau from Caufield, Gaudreau’s successes at the NHL level gave Caufield something to admire and aspire to. And Caufield’s decision to change his jersey number from 22 to 13 speaks volumes of the respect he had for Gaudreau’s example to follow.

There will be other young players coming up through the levels of the hockey world who were encouraged to pursue their dreams because of what they saw Gaudreau do in his 11 NHL seasons, as well as his impact on the international hockey stage. But for Caufield to come out this quickly to pay homage to Gaudreau, you have to appreciate both the honoree and the honor-er for what they’ve achieved in their lives.

As the tragedy that killed the Gaudreau brothers shows, tomorrow is never promised, so it is better to tell people who positively affect your life as soon as you can. That’s what Caufield did with this jersey change, followed by Wednesday's vigils.

Like all players, we hope Caufield has a long and productive on-ice career and a happy life off the ice. Just by being himself, he’ll inspire future generations of smaller players to give it their all. But at a time of such great loss, his choice to tip his cap to Gaudreau is a lovely touch that deserves to be noticed and praised. We will continue to hear many stories of Gaudreau’s effect on scores of elite players, but Caufield’s act was especially sweet.

In his own way, Caufield has reached out to the Gaudreau family and expressed himself as best he could. And when Canadiens fans and hockey fans in general see Caufield wearing No. 13 from now on, Gaudreau’s legacy will brighten and grow.