NHL players have found a new reason to tease Montreal Canadiens' sniper Cole Caufield.
When Cole Caufield attended the NHL Player Media Tour in Vegas, he was asked a lot of questions, and one of the funniest ones was probably his thoughts on his likeness in EA’s NHL 27. If you’ve seen a photo of Caufield’s digital alter ego, you’ll know exactly where he’s coming from. Needless to say, the picture has been making the rounds on social media and not for the right reasons.
When the Montreal Canadiens’ sniper was asked to comment on EA’s handy work, he replied:
I don't know what happened there. I look a little lost. I look like I need some sleep or some water. I don't know. It's tough. […] Every time I open my phone, it's there. Somebody will send it to me.
Caufield wasn’t the only one to notice either; his friend from the USNTDP, Trevor Zegras, who now plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, felt compelled to comment on Caufield’s likeness when he was asked about his own:
I like it. That's one of the better ones. I've seen some terrible ones. Some really bad ones. Like Cole Caufield's. It's awful. I send it to him every day because it's terrible.
That explains why Caufield says it’s always on his phone; Zegras must account for a lot of the times he opens it and sees his underwhelming self staring back.
Another USNTP graduate, New Jersey Devils center Jack Hughes, also mentioned Caufield’s alter ego:
I don't hate it. I think maybe there have been games in the past that are closer, but I saw some others that are pretty funny. Cole's is not picture-perfect. But I don't think mine's too bad.
Hughes and Caufield go way back, and the Florida native was more than happy to comment on the sniper’s 50-goal milestone at the end of last season, and it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s just as keen on teasing him.
The French say: Quand on se compare, on se console. Caufield’s likeness is so bad that it has become the one other players look at to convince themselves theirs isn’t too bad. It’s interesting to see that fans on social media weren’t the only ones to pick up on this; even the players feel so strongly that they’ve turned it into a way to chirp Caufield. One has to wonder if he’ll hear about it on the ice as well this season.
Though Caufield is likely not the only Canadiens player who feels he has a bone to pick with EA’s staff, Kaiden Guhle and Jayden Struble must not be very keen on their work either.
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