Home / News / Capitals players share condolences after Oilers’ Colby Cave tragically passes away

Capitals players share condolences after Oilers’ Colby Cave tragically passes away

By Ian Oland

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April 11, 2020 5:30 pm

Edmonton Oilers’ Colby Cave passed away Saturday morning at the age of 25. Cave’s wife, Emily, announced the news in a statement.

“It is with great sadness to share the news that our Colby Cave passed away this morning,” Emily wrote. “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.”

Cave, who was placed in a medically induced coma earlier this week, died after complications from emergency surgery to remove a colloid cyst that had been putting pressure on his brain.

To make the situation even more heartbreaking, Emily and Colby’s immediate family could not visit him at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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To my best friend & love of my life, Colby 🤍 My heart is shattered. The amount of physical, mental, and emotional pain I am in when I think about never seeing, touching, or holding you again is unbearable. You are and will always be my person, my hero, the greatest thing to happen to me. I never dreamed of being a widow before our first wedding anniversary. Although, every cell in my body is lost without you, I promise to continue to make you proud. You were the best friend, husband, doggy daddy, and oh how I wished to see you as a baby daddy. I’ll see you again soon, Colb. You’ll be in heaven meeting me with a warm wet kiss. You’ll be with me every step of the way. I don’t want to stop writing just like I didn’t want to stop holding you this morning at the hospital. You are my everything. You always will be. Thank you for now being the best Guardian Angel. Just as you ended your vows, I am going to end with one word, AGAPE. ✨

A post shared by Emily Cave (@em.cave) on

Emily Cave wrote a touching tribute to Colby on her personal Instagram account:

To my best friend & love of my life, Colby 🤍 My heart is shattered. The amount of physical, mental, and emotional pain I am in when I think about never seeing, touching, or holding you again is unbearable. You are and will always be my person, my hero, the greatest thing to happen to me. I never dreamed of being a widow before our first wedding anniversary. Although, every cell in my body is lost without you, I promise to continue to make you proud. You were the best friend, husband, doggy daddy, and oh how I wished to see you as a baby daddy. I’ll see you again soon, Colb. You’ll be in heaven meeting me with a warm wet kiss. You’ll be with me every step of the way. I don’t want to stop writing just like I didn’t want to stop holding you this morning at the hospital. You are my everything. You always will be. Thank you for now being the best Guardian Angel. Just as you ended your vows, I am going to end with one word, AGAPE. ✨

Since Cave’s tragic death was announced, the family has received an outpouring of support from the NHL community including from the Capitals.

Capitals players Jakub Vrana and Michal Kempny took to their Instagram Story to share their condolences.

According to The Athletic, former Capitals forward Chandler Stephenson had known Cave since he was 10-years-old growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada.

“Colby was the kind of guy that is just salt of the earth,” Stephenson said. “He is the epitome of a class act. Always being first to say hi, always a smile on his face.

“There is no better guy – husband, brother, friend than Colby Cave. The world needs more Colbys.”

Meanwhile, Caps fourth-line forward Garnet Hathaway trained with Cave during the summer.

“From talking to guys who were lucky to play with him longer and get to know him even more, I think they were really lucky,” Hathaway said. “It was too soon for him to go. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and with his wife right now. He was such a genuinely great human. He was a guy who loved the game and you wanted to be around. It’s heartbreaking.”

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement earlier in the day celebrating Cave’s hardworking tale in hockey.

“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,” Bettman said. “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.

“We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Emily, their families and Colby’s countless friends throughout the hockey world.”

Cave’s first and last goals in the NHL were also shared online.

The center played parts of four seasons in the NHL with the Oilers and Bruins scoring four goals and tallying nine points in 67 total games.

Headline photo courtesy of the NHL

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