Colby Cave, a professional hockey player with the Edmonton Oilers, died Saturday, less than one week after suffering a brain bleed. He was 25.
“It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away early this morning,” his wife, Emily, said in a statement. “Both our families are in shock but know our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community, and many more. We thank everyone for their prayers during this difficult time.”
“My heart is shattered,” his wife Emily wrote in an Instagram post, noting that coronavirus restrictions prevented her from spending much time at the Toronto hospital where he had been placed in a medically induced coma after surgery to remove a colloid cyst causing pressure on his brain. “The amount of physical, mental, and emotional pain I am in when I think about never seeing, touching, or holding you again is unbearable.”
“The National Hockey League family mourns the heartbreaking passing of Colby Cave, whose life and hockey career, though too short, were inspiringly emblematic of the best of our game,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement Saturday. “Undrafted but undaunted, Colby was relentless in the pursuit of his hockey dream with both the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins organizations. An earnest and hardworking player, he was admired by his teammates and coaches. More important, he was a warm and generous person who was well-liked by all those fortunate enough to know him.”
Cave was picked up by the Oilers in January 2019, and spent most of this season with the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield, playing 44 games and recording 23 points. He played 11 games with Edmonton this season.