Gary Bettman steps in after Cole Caufield's jersey number change in honor of Johnny Gaudreau gets denied

Cole Caufield recently changed his jersey number to 13 in honor of Johnny Gaudreau, but it required a special exemption from Gary Bettman to make it happen.

The entire NHL world has been mourning the tragic passing of Johnny Gaudreau, and the impact has been particularly felt by some players. Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield took extra steps to honor his hero by announcing on Instagram that he would switch his jersey number to 13, a tribute to the former Flames and Blue Jackets star.

However, Caufield initially missed the deadline for making a jersey number change. According to Alexandre Tourigny from RDS, the NHL made an exception to allow the change.

Gary Bettman's decision to approve the exemption makes sense, given Gaudreau's popularity across the league. While it's uncertain if other players will make similar changes, it's clear that the league handled this tribute to Gaudreau thoughtfully and appropriately.

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

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