Colby Cave

Colby Cave (December 26, 1994 – April 11, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 67 games for the Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL) between 2017 and 2020. He also played several seasons with their respective affiliates in the American Hockey League, the Providence Bruins and Bakersfield Condors. Prior to turning professional in 2015 Cave played major junior with the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League.

Junior

Cave was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan and grew up in the town of Battleford, Saskatchewan.He first played locally with the Battlefords Stars in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League from 2009 to 2011. He was drafted to the major junior level with the 13th selection in the 2009 WHL Bantam Draft in 2009 by the Kootenay Ice. Cave's rights were later traded by Kootenay to the Swift Current Broncos on January 9, 2011.

In his third full season with the Broncos, Cave was named team captain. He continued his development by elevating his offensive game to almost a point-per-game pace finishing with 70 points in 72 games. Eligible for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Cave was listed 157th overall by ISS Hockey, however, he was passed over. At the conclusion of his final junior season, placing second on the club in points with 75 in 72 games, Cave was signed as an undrafted free agent to a three-year, entry level contract by the Boston Bruins on April 4, 2015.

Professional

Cave spent most of the first three years of his professional career with the Providence Bruins, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Bruins. During the final season of his rookie contract with the Bruins in 2017–18, Cave received his first recall to the NHL on an emergency basis by the Bruins on December 21, 2017. He made his NHL debut, playing alongside line-mate and former Broncos junior teammate, Jake DeBrusk, in a 2–1 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He was then returned to Providence following the game.

Following another call-up by the Boston team in the 2018–19 season, on December 17, 2018, Cave scored his first NHL career goal in a 4–0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens. He remained with Boston to appear in 20 games, posting 1 goal and 5 points, before he was placed on waivers by the Bruins for reassignment to the American Hockey League (AHL). On January 15, 2019, Cave left the Bruins organization after he was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers,with whom he played 11 games in the 19–20 season.

Cave suffered acute obstructive hydrocephalus due to a colloid cyst overnight on April 6–7, 2020, and underwent emergency surgery on April 7. He was kept in a medically induced coma until his death on the morning of April 11, at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.