Colby Cave facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Colby Cave
Cave with the Providence Bruins in 2015
Born	(1994-12-26)December 26, 1994 North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada
Died	April 11, 2020(2020-04-11) (aged 25) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shot	Left
Played for	Boston Bruins Edmonton Oilers
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	2015–2020

Colby Alexander Cave (born December 26, 1994 – died April 11, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played as a centre in the National Hockey League (NHL). Colby played for both the Boston Bruins and the Edmonton Oilers.

Colby was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, Canada. He started playing minor ice hockey in his home province. The Kootenay Ice picked him in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. Later, his rights were traded to the Swift Current Broncos in 2011. Colby was not chosen in the NHL draft, but he signed a contract with the Bruins in 2015. He played for the Bruins' teams for five seasons. Then, the Edmonton Oilers picked him up. Colby played in 67 NHL games between 2015 and 2020. He scored nine points in total.

Sadly, Colby passed away on April 11, 2020, when he was 25 years old. He had been airlifted to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for emergency surgery. His passing led to many tributes from his hockey teammates and coaches. The Colby Cave Memorial Fund was also started to honor him.

Early Life and First Steps in Hockey

Colby Cave was born on December 26, 1994. His parents were Al and Jennifer Cave. Colby and his sister Taylor grew up on their family cattle farm near Battleford. He started ice skating when he was just three years old. By age five, he was already playing ice hockey. Besides hockey, Colby loved playing with toy cars and tractors. He also enjoyed watching John Wayne movies. His favorite movie as a kid was The Lion King. He continued to love it even as an adult.

Colby began his minor ice hockey career in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League. He played for the Battlefords Bantam AA Barons and the Battlefords Midget AAA Stars. Between 2009 and 2011, he scored 29 goals and made 43 assists. In his second season with the Stars, Colby was chosen as the team captain. Before joining the Western Hockey League (WHL), he also played three games for the Battlefords North Stars.

Playing Career

Junior Hockey Journey

The Kootenay Ice picked Colby in the first round of the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft. He was the 13th player chosen overall. In January 2011, the Swift Current Broncos got Colby's rights in a trade. This trade sent another player, Cody Eakin, to the Ice. Colby played his first WHL game with the Broncos on February 25, 2011.

In his first full WHL season (2011–12), Colby scored six goals and 10 assists. This gave him 16 points in 70 games for the Broncos. He did even better in the 2012–13 season. He scored 21 goals and 20 assists in 72 games. Before the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, experts ranked Colby as a promising player.

For the 2013–14 season, Colby was named the captain of the Broncos. He took over from Adam Lowry. In the 2014–15 season, Colby was still captain. He had his best offensive year, scoring 75 points. This included 35 goals and 40 assists in 72 games. The Broncos gave him both the Team MVP and Coach's Award that season.

During his junior hockey time, Colby played 302 WHL games for the Broncos. He scored 202 points in regular season games. He also had eight points in playoff games. While playing for the Broncos, Colby became good friends with his teammate Jake DeBrusk. They would later play together again for the Boston Bruins.

Professional Hockey

Boston Bruins

On April 7, 2015, the Boston Bruins signed Colby Cave. He was an undrafted free agent, meaning no team had picked him in the NHL draft. He signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins' minor league team, the Providence Bruins. This team plays in the American Hockey League (AHL). Colby played his first AHL game on April 12, 2015.

In his first full AHL season (2015–16), Colby played 75 games. He scored 13 goals and 16 assists. The next year, Colby became an alternate captain for the Providence Bruins. He was only 22 years old. He improved his scoring, getting 13 goals and 22 assists in the 2016–17 season.

During the 2017–18 season, Colby was called up to the NHL for the first time. This was an emergency call-up on December 21, 2017. He made his NHL debut the same day. He played on the same line as his old junior teammate, Jake DeBrusk. After his first game, Colby went back to Providence. He played most of that season with the Providence Bruins. He was called up to the NHL again in April for two more games.

Colby signed a new two-year contract with the Bruins on July 14, 2018. During the 2018–19 season, Colby was called up to the NHL again. He even played on the Bruins' top offensive line for a short time. On December 17, 2018, Colby scored his first NHL goal. It was in a game against the Montreal Canadiens. On January 15, 2019, the Bruins placed Colby on waivers. This meant other teams could claim him. At that time, he had played 20 games for the Bruins.

Edmonton Oilers

On January 15, 2019, the Edmonton Oilers picked up Colby Cave from waivers. They planned for him to play with Jujhar Khaira. Colby scored the winning goal for the Oilers on February 28, 2019. This was his first goal as an Oiler. In 33 games with the Oilers in the 2018–19 season, Colby scored two goals and one assist.

For the 2019–20 season, Colby worked on his penalty kill skills. On October 13, 2019, the Oilers placed Colby on waivers again. He was then sent to their AHL team, the Bakersfield Condors. He spent most of the year in the AHL. He scored 11 goals and 12 assists in 44 games. Colby also played 11 games for the Oilers that season. He scored one goal on November 2, 2019.

Colby played a total of 67 NHL games in his career. He played 23 games with the Bruins and 44 with the Oilers. He scored four goals and made five assists in the NHL.

Player Skills

After Colby passed away, his teammates and coaches often talked about his ability to learn and change his game. Mark Lamb, his coach with the Broncos, said Colby started as a "fourth-liner." This means he played on the fourth line, usually for defense. Then he became a "penalty killer" and a "matchup guy." By the end, he was the team captain and played in all kinds of situations. Trent Whitfield, an assistant coach for the Providence Bruins, praised Colby's "200-foot game." This means he was good at both offense and defense. Whitfield said Colby "can come in wherever you need him."

Personal Life

Colby married his wife Emily on July 19, 2019. At the time of his passing, Colby and Emily were planning to live in Boston during the hockey off-season. Colby and Emily Cave were members of the Hillsong Church.

Passing and Memorials

In March 2020, the NHL and AHL stopped playing games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Colby and Emily moved to Barrie, Ontario, to be closer to Emily's family. On the night of April 6, 2020, Colby started having a headache. His condition got much worse during the night. He was taken to a hospital in Barrie. Doctors found that Colby had a serious medical issue. He was then flown to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. Colby had emergency surgery on April 7. After the surgery, he was placed in a medically-induced coma.

Because of hospital rules during the pandemic, Colby's wife and family could not visit him. They talked to him using a walkie-talkie. On April 11, 2020, Colby's family and the Oilers announced that he had passed away at age 25. Colby's agent said that his condition was not caused by an accident or by COVID-19. A doctor named Charles Tator said Colby's passing was "very, very rare" and "very bad luck."

Tributes and Remembrance

Due to rules about physical distancing, in-person memorials for Colby were limited. On April 13, 2020, a family friend organized a parade of vehicles. It drove along Saskatchewan Highway 16. People put signs and jerseys on their cars to honor Colby. A fire truck led the parade with a sign that said "Hometown Hockey Hero Colby Cave 1994–2020." It also had logos of all the teams Colby had played for.

During a team practice game on July 25, 2020, all the Oilers players wore Colby's No. 12 jersey. His wife Emily gave each player a handwritten letter and a gift. These were kept in their lockers during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Instead of a big funeral, Colby's wife held an online memorial service on April 10, 2021. This was almost one year after his passing. Former teammates David Backes and Patrick Russell spoke for the Bruins and Oilers. Bakersfield teammate Cooper Marody played a song he wrote for Colby. Oilers captain Connor McDavid was upset that the NHL moved a game to the same day as the online memorial. He said it was hard for players to attend the memorial and then be expected to play well that night.

Colby's Legacy

On April 14, 2020, the Oilers announced the Colby Cave Memorial Fund. This fund raises money for community programs. It helps with mental health and gives kids who might not have the chance to play sports. In July, the No. 12 jerseys worn by the Oilers in their practice game were sold. The money went to the Memorial Fund. In October 2020, the Broncos started selling special stickers. These stickers had Colby's WHL jersey number, #10. The money from these sales also went to the Memorial Fund.

On August 11, 2020, the Providence Bruins created the Colby Cave Memorial Award. This award is given each year to a player who helps their community and does charity work. The Bruins' general manager said the award "is a special way to honor and remember Colby for his leadership qualities and humanitarian efforts."

Career Statistics

See also

• List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career