Nick Suzuki speaks up on Cole Caufield’s Team USA snub ahead of the Olympics
Photo credit: Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images
It’s rare for the Canadiens’ captain to step outside his usual reserve to voice such a strong opinion, but this time, it had to be said.
Since the announcement of the U.S. roster for the Olympic Games, disbelief has been widespread in Montreal.
Leaving out a natural goal scorer like Cole Caufield, who already has 32 goals this season, simply doesn’t make sense.
And let’s be honest, it’s not just the opinion of fans in the stands at the Bell Centre.
Nick Suzuki, who will himself be wearing Canada’s colours, took advantage of an interview with Gino Reda to set the record straight regarding Bill Guerin’s decision.
Nick's message is clear: Team USA made a monumental mistake.
Nick Suzuki on Cole Caufield being left off Team USA :
"As his teammate & friend, I think it was definitely a miss for them. Hopefully that helps my team Canada make it further. He’s a special player, he just finds ways to score. Scoring is the toughest thing to do in the NHL."
- via HabsOnReddit
"As his teammate & friend, I think it was definitely a miss for them. Hopefully that helps my team Canada make it further. He’s a special player, he just finds ways to score. Scoring is the toughest thing to do in the NHL."
- via HabsOnReddit
As a teammate and close friend, the captain didn’t hesitate to label this omission as a "miss" by the American decision-makers.
Let’s call it like it is: scoring goals is the hardest job in the NHL, as No. 14 rightly pointed out.
Passing on such an offensive weapon in a short tournament is an extremely risky gamble.
Will this decision involving Cole Caufield come back to haunt the Americans?
It’s very possible, and Suzuki even seems to see it as an advantage for his own team.
With a slight grin, he hopes the decision will help Canada go deeper in the tournament.
While Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, Oliver Kapanen, and Alexandre Texier will live the Olympic dream, Caufield will have to watch it from home.
It’s frustrating for the player, no doubt.
But for the Montreal Canadiens, there is a silver lining.
Caufield will have the chance to rest and recharge his batteries for the final stretch of the season.
As Suzuki pointed out, Caufield is a special player who always finds a way to score.
Still, seeing the captain go to bat so publicly for his winger says a lot about the chemistry in that locker room.
Also read on Montreal Hockey Fanatics :
Canadiens make multiple lineup decisions ahead of game vs the Jets as Arber Xhekaj gets scratched
Canadiens make multiple lineup decisions ahead of game vs the Jets as Arber Xhekaj gets scratched
Previously on Montreal Hockey Fanatics