According to announcements from the family, Edmonton Oilers star Colby Cave died yesterday in a Toronto hospital from a brain hemorrhage suffered earlier in the week. He was 25 years old.
The Cave family made the announcement for the young hockey player and his wife Emily, stating, “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.”
The hockey community flooded the blogosphere with condolences for Cave, with the NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman offering a statement about the untimely death of the young player.
“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.”
Cave was airlifted to the Toronto-area hospital on Tuesday for an emergency surgery to remove a cyst from his brain. He never regained consciousness after the surgery.
Cave’s wife Emily posted a very emotional post on her page about her newlywed husband’s sudden death.
