Caufield, college stars add ‘young energy’ to NHL playoffs
Associated PressWhen the Montreal Canadiens were one goal away from being eliminated in the first round, and then again when they were one goal away from reaching the Stanley Cup semifinals, Cole Caufield set up the overtime winner each time. “Any team that’s gone through a year is looking for some sort of spark, some sort of hope,” said Tony Granato, who coached Caufield at Wisconsin. “He’s really committed to his game and to the team, so putting him on the ice and seeing how he gets better on those little things every time he steps on, that’s how as a coach you gain more and more confidence.” For all the confidence Caufield shows on the ice, he oozes humility at the same time — something Granato believes is crucial when joining an NHL team late in the season as a young player. “He’s a guy, he moves past really quickly,” said Boston College assistant Brooks Orpik, who won the Cup once with Pittsburgh and once with Washington. “When a guy like Caufield can jump into the Montreal Canadiens lineup and add that type of energy to a team, Corey Perry gets better, Eric Staal gets better, Shea Weber gets better, Carey Price gets better because this young hungry kid’s flying around,” Granato said.
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