NHL override deadline to allow Cole Caufield to honour Johnny Gaudreau with jersey change

The NHL can sometimes be harsh with their rulings, but with Cole Caufield looking to honour Johnny Gaudreau, they quickly bypassed a rule to make it happen.

Cole Caufield is one of many players in the hockey world that found inspiration in Johnny Gaudreau, who overcame so much, including his size to make it at the next level, and that influence has certainly shown during all of the tributes to the former Flames and Blue Jackets star in the past week. Caufield's recent announcement on Instagram was as touching as any, as the Montreal Canadiens star revealed that he would be making the change to No. 13 in honour of the player he beautifully referred to as his hero.

Thankfully, the change was allowed, as the NHL have a deadline for players to make that switch, which Caufield didn't quite make, but given the overarching circumstances, Gary Bettman and the NHL swiftly overruled the deadline and allowed the switch, according to Alexandre Tourigny.

It's unclear yet if any other players around the league will make the switch, but given the similar size and play style, there's no player better set up to honour the memory of Gaudreau and his iconic No. 13 than Caufield, who looks to carry the Canadiens back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024/25.

Source: Habs FanaticsThe change of Cole Caufield's jersey number was prohibited, Gary Bettman had to respond

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