The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: Marco D'Amico on why Cole Caufield’s 50-Goal Season Is Just the Beginning

Episode Date: April 10, 2026

Marco D'Amico of RG Media to break down Cole Caufield scoring his 50th goal of the season, becoming the first player for the Montreal Canadiens to reach the milestone since Stéphane Richer in 1989–90. The two discuss the electric atmosphere at the Bell Centre, Caufield’s development under head coach Martin St. Louis, and why his offensive breakout could be sustainable moving forward.The conversation also dives into the continued growth of Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, the impact of young stars like Juraj Slafkovský and Lane Hutson, and what this new core means for the future of hockey in Montreal. Marek and D’Amico also discuss the unique pressure and history that comes with playing in one of hockey’s most iconic markets.Leave a voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/TheSheetEmail us: [e-mail] TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼 Ninja: https://www.sharkninja.ca/ninja-crispi-pro-6-in-1-countertop-glass-air-fryer-rose-quartz/AS101CRS.html?utm_source=Meta&utm_medium=Paid+Social&utm_campaign=H1NinjaCrispi&utm_content=NinjaEN&dwvar_AS101CRS_color=cdb9b8Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@FNBarnBurner🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoffReach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the meantime, what a wonderful night it was at the Bell Center yesterday. Fans are always full of value and the team was as well. Marco D'Amico joins me now. Senior editor for RG Media. Marco, first of all, thanks so much for stopping by. Can you sort of paint the picture of Montreal last night and paint the picture of Montreal this morning? What's a, I would say, almost circus like last night in terms of just the way that everybody was both elated, entertained, and excited.

You know, everyone, I felt like the whole city was willing Cole Cawfield to that 50th goal. When it finally happened, it was almost poetic. You know, you would have assumed that he would have scored before. He picks the goalie that's likely going to win the Vesna to line up his 50th goal of the season, because that's just Cole Cawfield. And, you know, again, the building just erupting in the way that, you know, you couldn't even hear, hear Michel Lacroix, announce Cole Cawfield's goal

because it was just being drowned out by the fans. And I think this morning, you know, although all eyes are on Cole Cawfield, there's obviously questions about Michael Hage and when he's going to sign now that his season's over, so there's a lot of questions on that. But I think there's just a realization of the journey

that Cole Cawfield has been on, being that top talent that slid all the way to 15 in the 2019 draft, to now being able to look at, you know, the last seven years and say it was all worth it. It was a gift, right? That was a complete gift to the Montreal Canadiens at that position. That would have been the Vancouver draft that he fell to the Montreal Canadians at that position. You know, it's always awkward, you know, that sometimes like that final push.

And for Cole Cofield, it was, you know, those final few games and the frustration and gripping the stick. And I thought it was, bluntly, I thought it was pretty funny. When he was asked after the game, you know, what do you want to? to say to the Montreal Canadiens fans here, cheering wildly, and he says, sorry it took so long, which is, listen, man, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, another great chapter in, in, in Montreal canadian's lore.

Um, how do you think he's been, like, the last little while, like, we really started to see some frustration. It's almost if, you know, he, he, he, he scored last night with that wrist shot on on Vasilevsky and, like, it wasn't like, you know, a monkey off the back. It was like, a gorilla off the back for Cole Coffield. Like, I watched this. Like, oh, thank God, he did it. now we'll wait for Suzuki in 100.

But your thoughts on his feeling when he finally got the 50? Yeah, I mean, those around Cole Coughfield felt like, you know, it was starting to weigh on him to a degree. But not to the point where he started getting down on himself, not to the point where it kind of became a problem. No, it was more he didn't want to be a distraction to the team, you know, and I think you kind of saw it on the ice last couple of games prior to, you know, Slavkovsky, no looking a completely white,

open Nick Suzuki to try and find a double covered Cole Cawfield. It's just that kind of dynamic and he just felt like he didn't want to be the focal point anymore when it came to this chase and I totally understand him. You know, was there frustration? Absolutely. I mean, there was significant frustration. He got robbed quite a few times in the last couple of games before he was able to sink one past Vasilevsky last night.

But I think that passion is what makes him perfect for this market because not many types of people can play in Montreal and be a star player and withstand that kind of pressure because they're scoring 50 goals and then there's scoring 50 goals in Montreal when it hasn't been done in 36 years like I haven't been alive since Stefan Rish 8 scored 51 goals in 1990s. He was good Marco. I was alive. He was really good. He was really good player.

No, but like I understand like the gravity of it too. And that's the thing about Montreal and everyone that's played there will talk about it. And generally in positive terms. But the one thing that I've always felt about Montreal specifically, like I always make the joke that there is no original six. There's an original one. The Montreal, Canadians, everybody else is an expansion team. But it's true. You go back to 1917.

Like it's the original one. And there is a history that comes along obviously with that. And sometimes and the fans carry it. some of the players carry it coaching staff but make no mistake about it like when you walk into that building there is the weight of history you know there's the the ghosts of the forum that like all of that stuff like I'm a sucker for all that shit I love it I think it's fantastic and I think it's it's folly for us to think that players don't in some regard and in some way feel the same thing I don't know that Cole Coffield cannot feel that kind of I wouldn't say pressure but at least

that kind of weight when you have, you know, a Steve shut in the Canadians' alumni section, or you have, you know, like, comparisons to Stefan Rishi, or, you know, you have a Bob Ganey who captained teams that had 260 goals scores on them at certain moments. Like, there is so much history there. And I feel like the benefit is that he's not the only one chasing history. and I think that helped a lot in that sense. Nick Suzuki, we could talk about him and probably will, and he's chasing his own thing. But just as a captain for a second,

Nick Suzuki just being that shoulder for Cole Cofield because they're both chasing something. And one still has a little bit of chasing to do. But when you look at how this young team and core has been kind of put together, it gives you those vibes from those 70 dynasty teams, not necessarily because they're going to be as good, but because they're as tight. and I think that's what allows them to overcome some of these, I guess, heavy moments because

with history comes a lot of expectation. And if you were able to meet that expectation, it takes an army to get that kind of a player to that point. And that's exactly what this team is doing. You know, it's interesting you mentioned Steve Schutt now, one of the great goal scores of the 1970s, but interestingly enough, he had the 60 goal season. And then, like, he had a lot in the 40s of 47 and a 45, but he never got 50. He had like that one season where it really popped and he got 60.

When you look at Cole Coughfield and the way that he scores goals, like when I look at like smaller players, and Alex De Brinkett went through this as well. You know, you look at their history. And until they get to the NHL, they've always had the ability to find ice and a lot of it around and open so they can get the shot off. That changes in the NHL.

and all of a sudden, oh man, this used to work when I was playing at the program. Like, I could get the shot off now in the NHL. I'm having a really hard time. But obviously he's figured it out. And specifically on Saturday nights, I want to ask you about that in a second here. But when you see Cole Cawfield score 50, unlike Steve's shot in the 70s, I don't look at Cawfield and say, okay, you know what? That's the ceiling for Cole Cawfield.

Because I think what we've seen is a guy, and you've been right there to document all of it, a guy the game in, game out, has spent all this time figuring out how can I get to a spot where I have enough time to get this shot off. All I need to do is get this shot off. To me, it doesn't look like this is just going to be like a one and done for Cole Cofield. It's sustainable and ethical offense, and I think a lot of that comes down to the work in the video room that's been done by Martin St. Louis and the coaching staff, helping him not only be just a high octane offense kind of player,

which he most certainly was in the program with 72 goals in his draft year. I think what you're seeing from Cole is that if he hadn't improved his two-way game, if he hadn't increased the intensity of his forecheck, if he hadn't added the layers in his game in the neutral zone that allowed him to cause all those turnovers to then bring the puck back up the other way, I still think we'd be talking about a 40-goal score and not a 50 goals score. and not a 50 goal score because those defensive layers

not only help him produce offense off the rush because they're going back on the counterattack, they're helping him find confidence in being able to put himself out there in the defensive zone and go back the other way with him. We've seen him do it a couple of times this season. And that's what makes him part of one of the best five-on-five lines in hockey. It's not simply just because he can bury them more than the opposition.

It's because he's burying them in spite of the opposition because he's shutting them down because of the details in his game. And that, to me, is sustainable long term. None of his 50 goals in an empty net. All of those, like, what, 28 of those goals are game winners or go-ahead goals. So it's very sustainable and it comes at the most important times. And I feel like when you have a player like that, that's not only found the soft ice, but is making that soft ice for himself,

that is where you see the makings of a goal score. sorry, that could be in the running for the Maris Richard Rocket Trophy yearly. You know, it's interesting, you mentioned Marty St. Louis, turning essentially a 40-goal score into a 50-goals score. That's ripped right out of the pages of Scotty Bowman in the 70s. Like, Scottie Bowman would always talk about, you know, if you're a head coach, you have a 40-goal score. It's not your job to turn him into a two-way guy or turn him into a defensive player to, quote-unquote, round out the game. But offense can't start with defense. He would always say, you have a 40-goal scorer.

your job as a coach is to turn him into a 50 goal score. You have a 50 goal score. It's your job to turn that guy into a 60 goal score. To me, Marty St. Louis is one of the most fascinating coaches in the entire NHL. Because as much as he is at new school and make no mistake about it, he is, I hear you talk about him. And the first thing that pops in my mind was like someone from like that glory era of the 1970s with the Montreal Canadiens in Scotty Bowman.

What do you take away from either conversations, experiences, or just watching how Marty St. Louis is around this team and how he handles one of the most important franchises in the NHL. Yeah, there's definitely that new school ability. I mean, he gives players agency in how they're treated and how they're coached. And I think that's very much a new age kind of blend. But at the same time, he does also come from the church of Tortorella in terms of being able to have that old school tie to the way.

way that hockey was played and an understanding to the way that hockey was played so that he can bring about a more nuanced approach to his coaching style where there are heavy expectations and he's not going to take anything less than what he's looking for and he's going to be building towards what he wants those players to be but at the same time having that personal approach and being able to bring his experiences as a guy that everybody else doubted in his own developmental path to the conversation and I think that in and of it's itself brings about a different layer of respect from the players. They feed off that.

And that experience, that leadership, especially early on in that rebuild, was so clutch for them to be able to find their confidence and their identity. What you're seeing right now is simply just a natural extension of what he laid the groundwork for. And now those players are rising up to seize those opportunities, be Caulfield, Suzuki, Hudson, Slifkovsky, the list is long. Let me get to Suzuki here. So the old saying, sometimes the biggest fortune is not getting what you want.

And I go back to Montreal and Vegas looking to make the Max Patscher-ready deal. And Montreal is saying, well, take the Cody Glass kid and Vegas saying, nah, can I interest you in something in a size three Nick Suzuki instead, which of course turned out to be. Again, we talk about luck and Cole Cofia falling to 15. Luck is always part of it. We don't like to talk about it because we want to pretend that we understand everything. You can quantify everything.

But what a stroke of luck for the Montreal Canadians, not getting what they wanted for Max Pacherey. sometimes the best trades you make are the ones you don't make at all and sometimes it's the trades that are afforded to you as a counter so i think you know with nick i go back to his own sound days it was all as just a player that was the smartest guy on the ice and it was projectable that he was going to be an impact player in the n hl but i don't think anybody had on on their bingo card that he'd be scratching a hundred right now and that's a testament to him that's a testament to his detail. That's a testament to the confidence that he's built. And I felt like every single stage of his career, he's simply just surpassed the expectation. Like there was a significant conversation coming out of junior, whether he would be a center or a winger. And we fast forward now, what, eight years? And the conversation is, is he the, you know, the high end runaway Selke winner this season. And so like, it's a completely different dynamic. He is. He is. I, I, I,

I think so too. Like, if I had a vote, Jeff, like, he would be the selfie winner for me. And I would wonder what Nick Suzuki's point totals could be if he wasn't tasked with being the team's shutdown center as well at the same time. Like, it's the same thing with Barkov, you know, a couple of years ago when as Florida was taken off. So I'm glad you mentioned the Owen Sound O HL team, the attack. So there was a teammate of Nick Suzuki's on Owen Sound, a guy that he was a guy that he was. at Brady Lyle. Okay, so they're buddies.

And so Brady is in the, was in the Boston Bruins organization after junior. And he's playing at Providence. Now, the one thing that all of our viewers and listeners need to know is Nick Suzuki loves Patrice Bergeron, players like that, and Bergeron specifically. And so Brady Lyle is playing for Providence,

and he takes number 37. And apparently Nick called him up and essentially said, like, what are you, you cannot be in the Bruins, in Providence wearing Patrice Bergeron's number. Like, you need to, like he carries with him, one, he's an outstanding player, but he carries with him a sort of sense of what's right and what's wrong. Like, you cannot be in that organization wearing 37. That is reserved for Patrice Bergeron.

I don't care if you're playing in Providence. You do not wear 37. It's like James Higgins, right? Boston Bruins. Like, oh, I like number four. I've worn four. Yeah, he ain't going to put on number four in Boston kid. tough luck but i mean that nick susuqi story i'm sure marco resonates with you absolutely and i think

whenever you talk to nick like the most by the book kind of you know dedication to the game but a respect for what came before him like the conversation that he has about the legends that have come and gone uh you know i i think back to the to the gila fleur a memorial night and how he really took that seriously and having all those alumni present and showing up and being there. And rather, you know, I go back to that night, who had himself a game that night was one Patrice Berserle. You know, so like it goes to show you the passing down of that seriousness,

that passing down of that appreciation. And you look at Nick today in terms of what he means to the Canadians, and very much there's that reciprocal relationship now with the players that have come before, where he understands the gravity of being the Montreal Canadiens captain. much so and done to such a high degree that it was one of the main points that Doug Armstrong and Team Canada used to justify selection was there is nothing more pressure cooking like than being the captain of the Montreal Canadians.

And so utilizing that and making sure that he understood that history was big for this team. The fact that he's moved on now to be that kind of a player as big or as impactful as Bergeron was for the Bruins is a testament to his work ethic and ability. Okay, Marco, let me tell you a little bit something about myself. So every time I fly to Montreal, every time I travel to Montreal, I get off the plane and I always say one thing to myself. I'm going to try to see how deep I can get into the province only speaking French.

Simply a parli en French. She can parley a little bit, but a bit. Okay. A petit bit. And I've never made it from the airport to the Sheraton. that is always like the Uber like halfway through it's like okay let's just quit with the act like let's just get and I've never be able to make so let me ask you this how is next French coming along because mine I've never made it from the airport to the hotel could Nick Suzuki make it from the airport to the hotel I think Nick Suzuki is a very reserved individual so he's never going to be exuberant with his French but he can get by he can definitely get by he could get from the airport to the hotel then unlike me I'm sure I'm sure. I feel like Nick Zizuki can get from the airport to his hotel in any country in the world.

Just because he'll figure it out. Just because he's smart. When it comes to the Montreal Canadians, first of all, like I've always told people, like the one experience everybody has to have is Saturday night Bell Center. The lights go dark, cold play, ghost of the forum, like all like you have to have it. Even just thinking about it. I just get like that. Oh, it's like that. That shiver that you only get in in Montreal.

But it's more than just that for me. It's like it's the one place in the National Hockey League where when I'm there, I wake up and I'll go to the gym and I'll go have a breakfast in old Montreal, the cobblestone streets. And every cafe, every restaurant, everybody's talking about the game. It's like that whole city revolves around that game on Saturday night. It's not like just hockey fans are building to 7 o'clock Eastern on a Saturday night. It's the whole city.

It's all the conversations. I remember Colby Armstrong told me a great story once. He was, when he was playing with the HABs, finished practice on a Saturday morning. And he was walking, walking to his apartment. And he walks by a cafe in Jean Belvoir, was holding court,

and Belvo, like, wraps on the window and gives him the come on in. And normally, Colby's got to, like, go home and have some lunch and have a nap and all that. And he's like, Mr. Belvo, just like, is it saying, come, sit and join us and have have coffee. And he said that he sat there, like all morning, into the afternoon, called his dad.

Colby was a huge Montreal Canadiens fan growing up. And he said it was just like, it was the coolest thing in the world. Like that was his like quintessential. I've just had the Montreal experience. I remember when I was doing a ringside for hockey night back in 2009, I think it was. And I was waiting outside the Habs room for Andre Markov to do to a walkoff. and Monsieur Madame Bellevaux were coming down, as you know, they would leave and come down and go to concession.

And Mr. Belvoir approached, and I said, uh, salue, Monsieur Belvoir. And he said, salue, Jeff. And I went, oh, how does you know my name? And like, that was my like, holy smokes, Jean-Belle. And that was like, that, like, that's it. If I died right there, happy. Yep.

Because Jean-Belle, that to me is like, the, for me, like, from my experience, like the quintessential Montreal experience. What is it now? Like, is there like a Montreal Canadians experience that can, I don't know, rival like Salue Jeff or, you know, Bellevaux wrapping at the window

to get Colby to come in and have some pancakes and coffee after a skate? Like, what is it? What is it now? Running into Lane Hudson and Ivan Demetov at the local rink. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Definitely. Back in the day, it was the gravitas of the person. And I feel like there was a 30-year split where I don't feel like it had the same jive. It wasn't the same culture. And I feel like now is a return to basics where they're bridging back to the past. And, you know, Yvonne, just an absolute gentleman to be around that team was fantastic, continues to be fantastic, loves having them around. I feel like Patrice Breesbaugh with the alumni organization has

done a really good job getting close to the team. But I think credit to the young core has not made any effort whatsoever to stay away from fans. Quite the opposite. They jump in head first to be part of this city. Ivan Demydov spent the entire summer in Montreal trying to get to know the place. He didn't take a skates off. I kept hearing like Damedoff hasn't taken his skates off all summer. Like every day he's skating.

Has not. I haven't, both Hudson brothers confirmed that I've been to meet off is unfortunately the kind of guy that you have to lock the gym on. Yeah, because skates were wet all summers. Like get them, get them, get them up. But Hudson's the same way. Those guys are incredible.

And I think it's the personability combined with their work ethic that make them so relatable. And when they're out in public, like I've run into both. When they're out in public, they are just average guys that you can stop, have a conversation. with and I think unlike maybe other markets they ooze the passion for this game and in a in a city that where hockey is religion that is basically preaching to the choir and fans just buy right into that and it's it's a testament to them and it's a testament to the humanity that they bring to this team and it's one of the aspects that ken hughes specifically identified when they began the process of rebuilding as

team or players that would fit within the cultural fabric of this city. One more player that I don't want to ask you about expectations I don't let you get on

with what I'm sure is a busy afternoon. Mark Bergeman used to have the great saying he would say there are players that get you there and there are players

that get you through. Josh Anderson. Josh is such a case study of a hockey player. I mean, this is the kind of player that you won't

notice for the first five minutes and then boom massive hit off the forecheck scrum ensues and he just pulls the entire team right into the fight with one hit sometimes in the panel sometimes on the bench as we saw last year i was that you see like that happened right below me as i sat in the press box and i was just like yeah fantastic but it's you need those kinds of players you know whether or not you fans will look at the contract that's fine but in like nobody gets paid in the playoffs. What happens?

You have this guy that can change a shift, a period, a game, the momentum of a potentially of a series. And you saw it last night against Tampa, like no nonsense kind of player as Tampa Bay, you know, playing that line and playing along that line of discipline. Well, you have unique players that are able to fight back,

but fight back in a way where they too are towing that line. And I think Josh Anderson does that really well. and when you bring that physicality, that forecheck, and we talk about adding layers to a game, like Marti-S-Louis took a mostly offensive power forward and turned them into a two-way player that has consistently played on the PK, you add the physical elements, you add the ability to defend his teammates,

and that's valuable in the bottom six, especially with a younger team that's inexperienced that you're going to be able to kind of elevate in the next couple of years and gain that experience to be a perennial cup contender. What is, I'll end on this one with you, Marco. What is expectations for Montreal in the postseason? Like last year was like, okay, we got here. So what is it now?

Like you let your sort of dreams carry away and say, oh, Montreal, Colorado Final, and maybe they wear the Fleur de Lee in the first game. And it's the old Habs and the Nords and Slager and Hamel and four-hour games. And like, what's expectation for Montreal this year? just say that if that ever happens, Jeff, I feel bad for the referees. They're going to have to make that call.

They're going to have eight officials on the ice, never mind four. You're going to need VAR, AI, and eight officials on the ice. What I would say, I think, expectations-wise, this team is good enough to match up against any other team in the playoffs in a seven-game series I find in the East. I don't think that's an outlandish take to make. They've had a good record against most of them. Buffalo being maybe the one they had the most difficulty with, but I feel like, you know, everyone's kind of human right now in terms of their ability. So I think,

I don't think Buffalo wants Montreal, just by the way. I don't think Buffalo wants Montreal at this point. They don't want that speed. They don't want that speed. That's it. And so I think winning around is very possible. I think getting the conference final is a possibility. I think at that point, the inexperience of the team,

maybe the physical impact of the series. We sometimes take that for granted. May slow them down, but this is a resilient team. So I don't hold anything against them. or I don't think that anything is impossible, but this team is a team that has consistently surpassed expectations. So fans may say winning around and then the rest is gravy,

I say this is a team that can win around and could come out of the Atlantic Division in the conference finals. Fantastic. Thank you so much for this. Thanks for taking time. I really appreciate it. First of all, Tampa's fascinating to me. I mentioned this on social media last night.

Tampa just hates everybody. It doesn't matter like what team They are equal opportunity haters They hate everybody And it always makes for wonderful games So if these two teams meet up Let's just hope that it is seven games Because I'll take seven games

What we saw last night Any day of the week. Marco, thank you so much for this. Merci in Montcham. We'll talk again soon. Grosin, thank you so much and have a great day.