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 season 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.
==Playing career==
===Junior===
Cave was born in North Battleford, Saskatchewan, but grew up in the town of Battleford, Saskatchewan, and 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 re-assignment to the American Hockey League (AHL). On January 15, 2019, Cave left the Bruins organization after he was claimed by the Edmonton Oilers.
==Death==
Cave suffered a brain bleed due to a colloid cyst overnight on April 6–7, 2020 and underwent emergency surgery on April 7. He died after being in a medically induced coma in the early hours of April 11, at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto.
==Career statistics==
 	 	 		Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season	Regular season		Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs	Playoffs
Season 	Team 	League 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM 		GP 	G 	A 	Pts 	PIM
2008–09 	Battlefords Stars 	SMHL 		3 	0 	1 	1 	2 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2009–10 	Battlefords Stars 	SMHL 		42 	15 	21 	36 	40 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Battlefords Stars 	SMHL 		44 	14 	22 	36 	28 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Battlefords North Stars	SJHL 		3 	0 	1 	1 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2010–11 	Swift Current Broncos 	WHL 		1 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2011–12 	Swift Current Broncos 	WHL 		70 	6 	10 	16 	36 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2012–13 	Swift Current Broncos 	WHL 		72 	21 	20 	41 	39 		5 	2 	2 	4 	8
2013–14 	Swift Current Broncos 	WHL 		72 	33 	37 	70 	30 		6 	0 	2 	2 	0
2014–15 	Swift Current Broncos 	WHL 		72 	35 	40 	75 	52 		4 	2 	0 	2 	2
2014–15 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		1 	0 	0 	0 	0 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2015–16 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		75 	13 	16 	29 	27 		3 	2 	1 	3 	5
2016–17 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		76 	13 	22 	35 	52 		17 	1 	5 	6 	18
2017–18 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		72 	11 	22 	33 	29 		4 	0 	0 	0 	2
2017–18 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		3 	0 	0 	0 	2 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2018–19 	Providence Bruins 	AHL 		15 	6 	12 	18 	13 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2018–19 	Boston Bruins 	NHL 		20 	1 	4 	5 	8 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2018–19 	Edmonton Oilers 	NHL 		33 	2 	1 	3 	8 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2019–20 	Edmonton Oilers 	NHL 		11 	1 	0 	1 	4 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
2019–20 	Bakersfield Condors 	AHL 		44 	11 	12 	23 	24 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals		67 	4 	5 	9 	22 		— 	— 	— 	— 	—
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
 	 	 		 	 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 	
==See also==
* List of ice hockey players who died during their playing career
==References==
==External links==
* 
Category:Born in 1994
Category:Bakersfield Condors players
Category:Boston Bruins players
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Edmonton Oilers players
Category:Providence Bruins players
Category:Swift Current Broncos players
Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players
Category:Dead in 2020