The hockey world came to a standstill this Summer when it heard of the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets star winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew [https://thehockeynews.com/news/gaudreau-family-releases-statement-on-deaths-of-johnny-and-matthew-gaudreau], but for one Montreal Canadiens in particular, it hit harder. The panel discusses whether Montreal Canadiens' Cole Caufield is about to achieve elite status in the NHL. Cole Caufield idolized Gaudreau growing up, he was a successful player of diminutive size and a real inspiration for the sniper in the making. At the end of last season, with the Canadiens out of the playoffs, the right winger was invited to represent his country at the World Championship and he was happy to go. For a little over two weeks, he got to play and practice with Gaudreau and realized that he was more than just a great hockey player, but also a great human being who soon became a friend. Often on a hockey team, players give each other nicknames and Caufield became known as Eloc, his name in reverse, which Gaudreau really liked. Fast forward a few months later, and his life was taken unexpectedly. To honour his memory, Caufield changed his number to 13, but he also made another change, one that wasn't visible to the rest of the world, but was there nonetheless. Since the start of the season, he's been writing Eloc inside of his glove with a Sharpie, just one more little wink at Gaudreau. When the Montreal Canadiens hold game used equipment sales of auctions, Caufield items are always extremely popular, but I'm guessing this season's gloves will be even more sought after with this very special addition. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains] Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens
