Cole Caufield Giving Older Fans Memories Of Stephane Richer

Cole Caufield has given Montreal Canadiens fans something to dream about – a pure and exciting sniper that hasn’t been seen on a Montreal ice in decades. Recent memory will give us some moments with Max Pacioretty or the early years of Michael Ryder. Vincent Damphousse gave us a few moments of his own in the mid 90’s but we need to go back to the late 1980’s and early 90’s to really remember a player that got everyone excited the moment that he touched the puck.

Richer was a force to be reckoned with the moment he got drafted in the second round of the 1984 draft. Today it would be impossible for someone like Richer to fall so low in a draft, but this was the year of Mario. Other notable names that were drafted before Richer include Kirk Muller, who was drafted 2nd overall after Lemieux. Ed Olczyk with the Blackhawks, Al Iafrate with the Maple Leafs, Gary Roberts with the Flames, just to name a few. The Canadiens drafted twice in the first round, picking Petr Svoboda 5th overall and then selecting Shayne Corson 8th overall. Richer fell all the way to the 29th overall pick, or mid second round in an era that only had 21 teams, notably due to scouts claiming he’s a one dimensional player. When picking Richer and Corson, the Habs thought they hit the jackpot.

Scouting back then was quite different than it is today. In 2022 anyone can sit in their pyjamas at home and Google every imaginable player in the world. Many scouting experts haven’t set foot in an arena in years due to the ease of technology. Back then, it was word of mouth, what you saw in front of you, or what you saw on paper.

On paper, Richer was listed as a 6 foot 190 pound right winger. He had played 67 games with the Granby Bisons of the QMJHL and posted 39 goals ,39 assists totalling 76 points. He also tallied a goal and an assist in 3 playoff games. Not bad stats at all but we all know that Junior stats don’t always reflect the actual quality of a player. See Doug Wickenheiser as the last time the Habs drafted first overall.

Much like Cole Caufield, Richer had an excitable personality and loved playing. He would get so excited and nervous at the same time that he would stutter uncontrollably to a point where scouts would dismiss him. The media would later ridicule him but we’re focusing on something else.

When Richer was drafted, he rose quickly in the ranks, just like Caufield. He would play all levels of hockey. His 1984-85 season would sum up with 57 games in the QMJHL where he would rack up 61 goals, 59 assists totalling 120 points with the Granby Bisons and the Chicoutimi Sagueneens. In 12 playoff games with Chicoutimi he would dominate the ice with 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 12 games.

Richer would then play one scoreless game in the NHL but then was sent to the AHL for the Sherbrooke Canadiens where his pro debut would result in 9 playoffs games where he would tally 6 goals and 3 assists. After 2 seasons with the Canadiens where he would tally 21 and 20 goals, accompanied by a brief 12 games stint in the AHL during the 86-87 season, Richer would finally rise.

The 1987-88 season would see Richer in a spot not seen since Guy Lafleur. Drawing the ire of Head Coach Jean Perron, who publicly feuded with nearly every player most notable Chris Nilan, and would stubbornly drive to the net and rack up 50 goals for the year. However, despite having tasted the Stanley Cup in his rookie season and then notching the always mythical 50 goal mark in a season, Richer was miserable and constantly taunted by his head coach. Not being given any freedom to think like he can think as a hockey player and visibly choking his actual talent. Perron was eventually fired after the infamous 87-88 season despite a .625 win percentage in three seasons including a Stanley Cup win.

Cole Caufield did not win a Stanley Cup nor did he score 50 goals in the NHL. Where the similarities align however, is that both Caufield and Richer are similar players who were choked by the system and personalities of their coaches. Dominique Ducharme has nothing on Jean Perron’s fiery personality, but he did not give an iota of freedom to Cole Caufield as Martin St. Louis is currently giving. When Pat Burns was brought in to replace Perron, Richer still notched 60 points in 68 games, but tallied 25 goals and had many moments where he could’ve scored much more had he been more confident in his abilities.

Before the 89-90 season, Burns say down with Richer and told him to go for it. He’s a scorer and he should drive the net as often as he wants to. As a result, Richer ended the year with 51 goals. St. Louis told Caufield to go for it. He currently has 4 goals in 4 games including an OT winner, versus 2 goals in 30 games this season with Dominique Ducharme.

Richer would never score 50 goals in a season and would eventually be ridiculed and driven out of Montreal during the “Bad Boy” days of the Montreal Canadiens that included many incidents with Chris Chelios, Shayne Corson and Claude Lemieux just to name a few. He would still end his career with 421 goals and 819 points in 1054 games in the NHL with two stints in Montreal, another two stints in New Jersey, Tampa Bay, St. Louis and Pittsburgh. Injuries would significantly slow him down in the mid to late stages of his career.

On talent alone, Caufield and Richer are very similar despite their size difference. The way they both drive the net, the heavy shot from the slot, the way they can put the puck in the net from any angle, the excitement in their eyes when they’re on the ice. Richer overcame his demons and is today at peace with the ridicules he endured by the media and some members of upper management due to his nervous stuttering. Cole Caufield at 5 foot 7 and 166 pounds would most likely have gone undrafted in 1984, much like how Martin St. Louis never got drafted. Theo Fleury, another player often compared to Caufield, wasn’t picked until the 8th round of the 1987 draft. He probably would’ve went ahead of Caufield’s 15th overall selection in today’s world.

The world has changed in many ways but situations sometimes happen in parallel despite the differences of the world. Pat Burns told Richer to go for it and scored 421 goals. Martin St. Louis told Cole Caufield to go for it and he’s only 21 years old.

Caufield is an exciting and excitable player and person, just like Stephane Richer. Jean Perron and Dominique Ducharme were both fired for trying to control everything. Pat Burns had a Hall of Fame career. Martin St. Louis is in his first steps in coaching but he’s already a Hall of Fame player.

Cole Caufield might never score 50 goals. Or maybe he will once or twice. Richer did it twice and Fleury only once. Both however have over 400 career goals and are considered prolific scorers and game changers in their primes.

Cole Caufield has already shown us flashes of brilliance and clutch memories. He’s not even near his prime yet. He hasn’t even played a full NHL season yet.

Let the kid loose. You never know.