Colby Cave

Colby Cave honored with tribute video before Flames-Oilers game

By Sean LeahyJul 29, 2020, 9:45 AM EDT

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.

Here are all the highlights from today's scrimmage in his honour. #WeSkateFor Colby 🧡💙 pic.twitter.com/09kezoAWSq

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) July 25, 2020

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.

Emily Cave has special gifts for late husband’s teammates

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Associated PressJul 25, 2020, 8:56 AM EDT

EDMONTON, Alberta — Emily Cave will have special gifts waiting for players when the Edmonton Oilers wrap up training camp.

She will be in attendance Saturday when Edmonton concludes camp with an intrasquad scrimmage, paying tribute to her late husband, Oilers forward Colby Cave. He died in April after suffering a brain bleed.

Emily won’t be able to make direct contact with any of the players because of physical-distancing restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic. So she decided to leave a personal letter and token of appreciation in their stalls.

”That’s my way of thanking them for the support they’ve given, wish them good luck and let them know Colby is proud of his teammates and brothers, and we can’t wait to cheer them on,” Emily said Friday on a conference call.

”Only Connor (McDavid) and (coach) Dave Tippett know what it’s going to be. It’s nothing big or anything like that. It’s just something special they can keep in their stall or that they can wear everyday.”

On Saturday at the scrimmage, all players will wear Cave’s No. 12, with the jerseys being auctioned later to raise money for the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.

”We are so excited to go and watch the game tomorrow. I was in tears the other night and had a moment, it hit me that this was the last time I’d see No. 12 on the ice,” Emily said.

Tippett is also excited for the scrimmage before his team opens up a best-of-five play-in series against the Chicago Blackhawks on Aug. 1.

”We just thought this game would pay respect to him and his family,” Tippett said. ”I think the players are looking forward to it. They respected everything Colby brought to this team. They want to see (the charity) help people that Colby would have wanted to help. It’s a very meaningful game for them.”

The 25-year-old Cave, from Battleford, Saskatchewan, died April 11 in a Toronto hospital while in a medically induced coma following surgery to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain. He played 67 career NHL games for the Boston Bruins and Oilers.

Oilers remember Colby Cave as training camp opens

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By Sean LeahyJul 14, 2020, 10:01 AM EDT

As the Oilers skated for the first time together since the March 12 NHL pause, Colby Cave looked on from above.

With Rogers Place sporting some fresh ice, the image of the late Cave was on the scoreboard as the Oilers practiced Monday as training camps opened for the 24-team Return to Play.

Cave, 25, died April 11 after suffering a brain bleed. He was set to be one of the team’s Black Aces when play resumed.

“Colby was an unbelievable young man, great teammate. Obviously a friend to everybody in our locker room,” said Tippett. “He would be with us today if he hadn’t passed. He planned to be with our group. He’s with us in spirit.”

The Oilers are preparing for their best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifier series against the Blackhawks, which begins Aug. 1. Cave played 44 games with the Oilers in the last two seasons and spent most of 2019-20 with AHL Bakersfield. He had many friends on the roster, and his teammates will use his memory as inspiration going forward.

“This is first time we’ve all been together in a big group since Colby passed,” said Oilers captain Connor McDavid. “Those emotions are still fresh, and it makes it even more real now that we’re all together and he’s not able to join us. He’s going to be in our thoughts and in our hearts as we go forward and move through training camp and into the [playoffs], and hopefully, go on a deep run here.

“We’re going to play for Colby, and he’ll be with us throughout.”

MORE: Day 1 of NHL training camps: Uncertainty about Crawford, and more

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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.

Cooper Marody honors late Colby Cave with tribute song

By Sean LeahyJun 12, 2020, 10:43 AM EDT

Two months after the sudden passing of Colby Cave, one of his teammates has honored him with a tribute song.

Cooper Marody, a prospect in the Oilers’ system, released “Agape” on Friday in memory of his late friend. The AHL Bakersfield forward wrote and performed the song, which can be found on Apple Music and Spotify. All proceeds will go to the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.

Cave, 25, died on April 11, days after falling into a coma following a brain bleed. The song was released at 12 a.m. on June 12, another small tribute to the man who wore No. 12 for the Oilers.

“I want to thank Cooper Marody for this song, and specifically for using words that meant so much to Colby and I,” wrote Emily Cave, Colby’s wife. “‘Agape’ was a word that Colby and I said to each other because we felt that ‘I Love You’’never fully described the amount of love we had for each other. ‘Agape’ is the highest form of love. Selfless, sacrificial and unconditional love; it persists no matter the circumstance. I’m so grateful I got to experience this love with my best friend. Getting to love Colb is the best thing I will ever do and continue to do until we see each other again.

“Colb and I started three hand squeezes (meaning I love you) very early in our relationship. He would squeeze my hand in the car, I would squeeze his in the grocery store, we would do it anywhere and everywhere. We did this for years. The four days Colb was in the hospital, I wasn’t allowed to be with him. I got to FaceTime him twice for a few moments. I would beg him to wake up and tell him how much I loved him. I would then ask the nurse to squeeze his hands three times so he felt I was there. I didn’t want him to die alone, so three hand squeezes through a critical care nurse was the closest way I could tell him that I loved him and always will. I wasn’t physically there when Colb went to heaven, but I pray through the nurse squeezing his hand like we had always done, he felt me right there beside him.”

This is Marody’s third and most personal song that he has released.

“Emily texted, ‘Cooper, no pressure on you, but could you write a song, including certain things they did together, in their relationship?'” Marody told Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. “When she heard it, she said, ‘I can picture Colby saying every one of those words.’ I was so happy to hear that from her.”

The Colby Cave Memorial Fund aids community programs with an emphasis on mental health initiatives and providing access to sports for underprivileged children.

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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.

Oilers, Cave family set up Colby Cave Memorial Fund

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By Scott CharlesApr 14, 2020, 5:58 PM EDT

The Edmonton Oilers and family of Colby Cave announced the creation of the Colby Cave Memorial Fund in honor of Oilers forward Colby Cave who suddenly passed on April 11.

Proceeds from the fund will go toward community programs with an emphasis on mental health initiatives and providing access to sports for underprivileged children.

“Colby was a respected and admired teammate, family member and friend to so many across the hockey community and community at large,” Oilers chairman Bob Nicholson said in a statement. “We wanted to work closely with Colby’s wife Emily, parents Allan and Jennifer, and sister Taylor to help create a powerful and lasting memory and legacy of Colby’s impact on our organization and the communities he played in.”

Cave’s wife, Emily, will have a leadership role in the fund and is delighted to be involved, according to Nicholson.

“My greatest honor in life will always be that I am Colby Cave’s wife,” Emily said. “I love him dearly, I always will and miss him beyond words. He taught me so much. He was genuine, caring, selfless, had a contagious laughter, but most importantly had the biggest heart. Though, our time with him on earth was cut short, I am grateful that the whole world can now see how incredible my husband was and how lucky I am to be his wife. Colby would be humbled by the Colby Cave Memorial Fund, and I am looking forward to continuing his legacy alongside the Edmonton Oilers and the rest of the hockey community.”

Donations to the Colby Cave Memorial Fund are being accepted by the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation in Colby’s memory at EdmontonOilers.com/Colby.

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Scott Charles is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @ScottMCharles.