Gary Bettman responds after Cole Caufield's jersey number change request is denied
Cole Caufield recently changed his jersey number in honour of Johnny Gaudreau, but it took a special exemption from Gary Bettman to get it done.
Over the past week, the entire NHL world has been in mourning over the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau, and for some players around the league, it has certainly hit harder than others. One player that took extra steps to honour his hero was Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, who recently made the announcement on Instagram that he would be changing his jersey number to 13 in honour of the former Flames and Blue Jackets star.
The emotional tribute was met with plenty of respect around the league, but it almost didn't happen, as Caufield reportedly missed the deadline to make a jersey number change, with Alexandre Tourigny revealing that the league instead made an exception.
- HabsOnReddit
This makes sense for Gary Bettman, as Gaudreau was beloved around the league, and given how easy it was to waive the exemption for Caufield, it made complete sense as it was the perfect way to honour Gaudreau. It's unclear at this point if any other players around the league will make the same choice, but for now, it's safe to say that this has been handled perfectly by Gary Bettman and the league.
Source: Habs Fanatics
The change of Cole Caufield's jersey number was prohibited, Gary Bettman had to respond
| POLL | ||
Was this the right move for Gary Bettman and the NHL to make? | ||
| Yes | 290 | 65.8 % |
| No | 151 | 34.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
