The Oilers and Flames held a moment of silence and played a video tribute to the late Colby Cave before their Tuesday exhibition game in Edmonton.
It was April 11 when the 25-year-old Cave, who played 44 games with the Oilers over the last two seasons, died days after having a colloid cyst removed from his brain. Tuesday’s game was the first for his Edmonton teammates since his death.
“It was very emotional. Caver was a big part of our team,” said defenseman Ethan Bear after the Oilers 4-1 win. “He was just an unbelievable individual. For us to honor him, and to play for him, that really digs deep into us and it gives us that extra push going into this playoff run.”
Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen had a special addition to the back of his mask:
Touching tribute tonight to honor Colby Cave. Our hockey world remains heartbroken.
— Matthew Tkachuk (@TKACHUKycheese_) July 29, 2020
Oilers ended Phase 3 with special honor for Cave
The Oilers also honored Cave Saturday during their last scrimmage before heading inside the bubble. They dedicated the game to his honor and every player wore his No. 12 on their jerseys, which will be auctioned to benefit the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.
It started & ended with a stick salute in memory of Colby Cave & for his family in attendance.
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 25, 2020
Here are all the highlights from today's scrimmage in his honour. #WeSkateFor Colby 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/09kezoAWSq
Cave’s widow, Emily, left each player a personal letter and a small gift to leave in their locker room stalls.
“He was a big part of our group,” said Connor McDavid. “He was an amazing teammate, great guy. We definitely miss his energy around the room. His smile lit up our room so many times. We miss him a lot and we’re playing with heavy hearts. It’s going to be fun to play for him.”
MORE:
• Cooper Marody honors late Colby Cave with tribute song
• Oilers, Cave family set up Colby Cave Memorial Fund
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.