At just 24 years of age, Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield has scored 11 overtime goals, setting a new franchise record. The historic tally came against the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night, in a 4-3 road win, with Caufield having tied the record previously held by all-time great Howie Morenz and ex-captain Max Pacioretty a few weeks earlier.
Related: Canadiens’ Caufield Ties OT Goals Record as Habs Best Predators
Of note, Morenz played most of his 14-year career with the Canadiens. After having been traded away to the then-Chicago Black Hawks to start the 1934-35 season, the Hockey Hall of Famer got traded again, splitting the next season between the Hawks and New York Rangers. The Habs repurchased his contract ahead of 1936-37, during which he tragically passed away as a result of an injury suffered in a game against the Black Hawks.
For his part, Pacioretty, who just retired, had been drafted by the Canadiens 22nd overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He spent the first 10 years of his career with the Habs and scored his last overtime goal with the team on Nov. 11, 2017, going on Age 29. Of note, ex-general manager Marc Bergevin traded Pacioretty to the Vegas Golden Knights the following offseason for a package that included Caufield’s current linemate, Nick Suzuki.
A small caveat: This article would be remiss if it didn’t mention how the league changed its overtime rules, making it three-on-three (plus a goalie) to favour goal scoring for the 2015-16 season. Prior to that, teams played with four skaters apiece starting in 1999-2000.
The Canadiens drafted Caufield, who will turn 25 on Jan. 2, 15th overall in 2019. He scored a career-high 37 goals and 70 points in 2024-25, narrowly missing out on becoming the franchise’s first 40-goal scorer since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94. Caufield currently shares the league lead with nine goals, through his team’s first 11 games of the season (13 points). The 8-3 Canadiens, coming off a successful 3-1 road trip, next play on Saturday, hosting the Ottawa Senators.
