Cole Caufield to don Johnny Gaudreau's jersey number 13; candlelight ceremonies planned for Wednesday

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield announced that he will be changing his jersey number to 13 as a tribute to his idol, Johnny Gaudreau.

Gaudreau, 31, and his younger brother, Matthew, tragically lost their lives last week while riding bikes on a New Jersey road. They were struck by a suspected drunk driver.

Caufield, 23, has always looked up to Gaudreau for proving that size does not determine success in the sport. Gaudreau, who most recently played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, stood at just 5-foot-9, while Caufield is 5-7.

In his first four NHL seasons, Caufield wore the number 22, but he previously wore the number 13 during his time with the U.S. National Team Development Program in 2018-19.

In a recent Instagram post, Caufield wrote, "I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him. He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others."

Caufield, who hails from Wisconsin, and Gaudreau were teammates on the U.S. team at the IIHF men's world championship in May in the Czech Republic.

Reflecting on his time with Gaudreau, Caufield shared, "Getting to play with your hero is something that most people only dream of. I was lucky enough to be Johnny's teammate this past summer and it didn't take long to realize how great of a person he was."

"He was the most welcoming, genuine, and funniest guy I have ever met. He was someone everyone gravitated towards and I took every chance I could to be around him. Not only was he an amazing hockey player and teammate, but he was down to earth and truly cared about every person he encountered," Caufield continued.