Cole Caufield could finally bring the Rocket Richard Trophy home
It has been a remarkable season for forward Cole Caufield, who scored his 39th goal of the season on Sunday night against the Anaheim Ducks. As Stu Cowan notes, if Caufield reaches 40, it will be the first time since the 1993-94 season that the Canadiens have had a 40-goal scorer, a feat last achieved by Vincent Damphousse, who scored exactly 40 goals.
Caufield has gotten into this position after an excellent stretch of games since returning from the Olympic break. He has had seven goals now in eight games since returning and has scored a goal in back-to-back games.
It is basically a guarantee that he is going to lead the team in the category and be the first player in over 30 seasons to have 40 goals. However, he has the chance to achieve something long overdue: becoming the first Montreal Canadien to win the trophy named after the franchise’s greatest legend.
Cole Caufield has a chance to win the Rocket Richard Trophy this season
The Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy is awarded each season to the league’s top goal-scorer and began being awarded during the 1998-99 season. The trophy is in honor of Maurice Richard, who played 18 seasons for the Canadiens from 1942-1960 and still owns the franchise record for career goals with 544.
During his 18-season career, Richard led the league in goals on five occasions with a career-best of 50 during the 1944-45 season. What makes it even more impressive is that he accomplished this mark in only 50 games.
The irony is that a trophy named after a Montreal Canadiens player has never been won by a Canadiens player. However, that could change this season if Caufield can continue the pace that he currently is on.
Entering Monday, Caufield is second in the league in goals with 39 and is now only five behind Colorado Avalanche’s forward Nathan MacKinnon.
With 17 games left for Cole Caufield and 18 games left for MacKinnon, five goals might be too much of a lead to overcome. However, Caufield has already made up ground since the Olympic break, as MacKinnon has had only four goals in nine games.
It has been a special season for the Canadiens’ forward and being the first player to win the award and bring it back to Montreal would just be the perfect final touch.
