Every once in a while, the Montreal Canadiens land upon a player who stands out from the rest and gets the crowd on its feet every time he touches the puck.
From his infectious enthusiasm to his electrifying offence, many would agree that Cole Caufield is the first player to reach that level since former defenceman PK Subban graced the Bell Centre ice.
And as it turns out, Subban is a fan of the 22-year-old’s progression. The ex-Hab even posted a video to X on Friday, singing Caufield’s praises.
“If I am a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, living in Montreal right now, I am so excited to go to the Bell Centre to watch Cole Caufield every night,” Subban said.
King Coleđź‘‘#ColeCaufield #Canadiens #NHL #hockey pic.twitter.com/an02yDvj4b
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) October 27, 2023
The former Canadiens d-man and beloved Montreal figure even compared Caufield’s game to that of current Habs coach Martin St. Louis, whom Subban played against on multiple occasions.
“Martin St. Louis is one of the toughest players I played against in my career, and Cole Caufield looks no different,” Subban said after pointing out the fact that Caufield has netted 80 points in the 90 games he’s played since St. Louis took over as head coach in February 2022.
After scoring the game-winning goal in overtime in Thursday’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Caufield surpassed Brayden Point by becoming the first player in NHL history to net six career OT winners in less than 190 games.
In fact, the Habs winger has done it in just 130.
“It’s the big moments. That’s how you become a superstar,” Subban emphasized, noting that Caufield is reaching major milestones while playing for a team that’s not very strong on paper.
“This is a tough team to play on. This isn’t a great hockey team,” Subban said of the organization that drafted him back in 2007. “But this guy has found a way to stand out.”
The Norris Trophy-winning blueliner ended his two-minute video on Caufield by offering fans a range of potential nicknames to choose from.
“Cole Caufield is all-world. Whether you want to call him King Cole, Twos, Superstar, Saku next coming, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “This guy’s the real deal.”