On Saturday, April 11, Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave passed away at age 25 in Toronto, Canada, as confirmed in a statement put out by the family.

Cave was already in the hospital due to a brain bleed and was in a coma before his death. Cave was a rising star on the Oilers, and was a former Boston Bruin as well. His last NHL goal came on Nov. 2, 2019, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Messages from all over the hockey community have been shared on social media following Cave’s death.

Wayne Gretzky tweeted, “Janet and I are so sad to hear of Colby’s passing. He was a wonderful hockey player with a bright future, but an even better person. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Emily and his entire family.” 

Some of the most personal messages came from former teammates and coaches of Cave. 

“He exhibited Patrice Bergeron-like characteristics on and off the ice,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. Bergeron is currently the longest tenured athlete in all of sports and is a city icon with a work hard, play hard attitude that has led him to be one of the most skilled players in the faceoff circle in the NHL. 

Oilers captain Connor McDavid, one of the NHL’s rising leaders, put out a statement on Twitter: “Heavy heart today. You were an amazing person and always brought so much energy and positivity into the room and peoples lives. You will be deeply missed Caver. Sending all my love to Emily and the entire Cave family through this difficult time.”

So many people described Cave as a genuine person and a class act. He will be deeply missed by everyone in the hockey community. Hockey heaven has gained an angel.

Photo Courtesy of Gene Puskar