When Montreal Canadiens fans think back to the first time they saw Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield as a combination, they will likely think of an overtime goal in the playoffs.

It came in Game 5 of the first round in 2021, and it was somewhat ironic that it came off a Caufield defensive play, and that it was Suzuki who scored it to force a Game 6 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, a series the Canadiens would go on to win on their way to the Stanley Cup Final that year.

Caufield was a rookie with only 10 regular-season NHL games under his belt, and Suzuki was in his second season, yet to establish himself.

Almost immediately, these two have been joined at the hip and have shouldered much of the talk of the Canadiens’ bright future that began one year later when the franchise plummeted to the bottom of the standings and began a rebuild under Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes.

This thought is part of what made Suzuki’s and Caufield’s joint NHL awards announcement Monday so special — with Suzuki winning the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward in a landslide and Caufield claiming the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player.

It was the fact that these two players got those trophies together, and got it in the midst of a playoff run so similar to the one we first saw them paired up in, coming off a regular season where the Canadiens piled up 106 points, Suzuki put up 101 points and Caufield scored 51 goals.

These two young players have now arrived at this place, on the precipice of years of contention, together.

“We were the young guys (five) years ago, and now we’re some of the older guys on the team trying to set the example and lead every single day,” Suzuki said. “It’s cool to see where our team is at compared to where it was four years ago. We’re an exciting young team, and me and Cole are super proud to be a part of the Canadiens.

“We just want to give our best and bring a championship back to the city that’s given us so much already. It was a hell of a playoff run, and we just want to have many years of that, hopefully with a Cup at the end.”

The video the NHL put out of how Suzuki and Caufield were surprised with their respective trophies was similarly appropriate, because they were each in on it, but unaware of their own role in the surprise. The video was shot on May 11, the day between Games 3 and 4 of the Canadiens’ second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres. The mood was light because the Canadiens won Game 3 the night before by a comfortable 6-2 margin, their second straight win after dropping Game 1 in Buffalo. The circumstances allowed for the moment, and allowed for not only Caufield and Suzuki to enjoy it, but coach Martin St. Louis — a three-time Lady Byng winner — fully bought into the moment as well.

TWICE AS NICE 🏆🏆 #NHLAwards

Nick Suzuki surprised Cole Caufield with the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy before Caufield surprised Suzuki with the Frank J. Selke Trophy. 😂

The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy is awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct and the Frank J.Selke… pic.twitter.com/3NY5pp2sRh

— NHL (@NHL) June 5, 2026

“I thought I was going first in that whole meeting there, and then Marty asked Nick if he had anything to say, and that kind of threw me off because I was thinking about it the whole time, what I was going to say. I’m pretty nervous as a public speaker,” Caufield said. “I think the way that went, it was pretty special. I just had no idea. I was really excited for Nick, and then how that went, just really cool to share that with everybody that was in that room, teammates, coaches, staff, because they all have a big part of why players have success.”

Suzuki’s Selke win was expected by everyone — everyone but him, it appears, because he was just as surprised as Caufield.

“It got both of us really well,” Suzuki said. “We never even thought about one of us could be winning it, we just thought we would be both presenting. It was a great job by everyone to keep that on the down low. It’s special to give Cole his award and all the effort he put in this season, and all he’s done for our team. He’s definitely the enthusiasm every morning that we all need on some of the tough mornings. It’s cool to share that experience with him.

“We’ve been through a lot together, and it’s just another thing that we get to share.”

It was perfectly appropriate considering where the Canadiens are, and the roles Suzuki and Caufield have played in getting them there. They each thanked the team first and foremost for helping them win the award. Even though more than three weeks had passed since they found out about winning the award and told no one but their families, what Suzuki and Caufield said about the new additions to their respective trophy cases had more to do with what the Canadiens are ready to accomplish than it did with themselves.

“I think with the group that we have and where we came from early on in our careers, you want more experience every year, and it kind of feels like we kind of are on the older side of the team now,” Caufield said. “That means all the young guys are pushing the group more, and that’s what makes it so exciting, the talent that’s coming. Really excited and fortunate to be where we are. Just a really special year, and I’m happy to share it with him because I wouldn’t be anywhere close to where I am today without him.”

The Canadiens wouldn’t be anywhere close to where they are without the two of them, either; for them to win these trophies together was indicative of that. It was a just reward for an excellent season in which Suzuki and Caufield emerged to hit major milestones, and their young team did as well.