Gary Bettman intervenes as Cole Caufield changes his number in honor of Johnny Gaudreau

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Axel Williams
September 5, 2024 (1:49 PM)

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Cole Caufield revealed this past week in an emotional post that he would be changing his number from 22 to 13 in honor of Johnny Gaudreau.

Growing up as an American player, Gaudreau was a huge inspiration for Caufield. The young Montreal Canadiens star wanted to do something nice for his hero, and he was praised for it. After all, the Gaudreau tributes have been pouring in since his tragic passing last week.

However, according to Alexandre Tourigny of RDS, Caufield was also met with an unexpected hang-up. Essentially, the league is past the deadline in which you can make alterations to your jersey number. This means that Caufield's change was at risk of being denied.

That said, commissioner Gary Bettman stepped up and made an exception. Given the current circumstances, it is completely understandable as to why Bettman would make this move. Not to mention, had he decided against it, the optics would have been absolutely awful for the league.

There will certainly be more tributes for Gaudreau coming down the pipeline. After all, he is a beloved player who will be remembered fondly. Hopefully, the league continues to be accommodating towards those who want to make changes in honor of the former hockey star.

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