Brain bleed kills Oilers center Cave

Bettman lauds young player as ‘undaunted’

TORONTO — Colby Cave, an NHL center whose lone goal for the Edmonton Oilers this season came on an impressive rush down the ice, died Saturday after a brain bleed last week. He was 25.

The NHL club did not say what caused the bleed.

Cave’s agent, Jason Davidson, has said the condition did not appear linked to the coronavirus.

“Our Colby was loved dearly by us, his family and friends, the entire hockey community, and many more,” his family said in a statement.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Cave’s “life and hockey career, though too short, were inspiringly emblematic of the best of our game.”

“Undrafted but undaunted, Colby was relentless in the pursuit of his hockey dream,” he added.

Cave was was placed in a medically induced coma Tuesday at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto. He was airlifted to Toronto after being admitted to a hospital in Barrie, Ontario, on Monday. Cave underwent emergency surgery Tuesday to remove a colloid cyst causing pressure on the brain.

On Wednesday, his wife, Emily, posted an emotional update.

“We need a miracle,” she wrote on Instagram. “Colby’s parents and myself, got to see him through a window and talk to him with a walkie talkie last night. We are no longer allowed to be in the hospital because Covid-19 rules. We have no idea when we will be allowed to see him again.

“The nurse has tied his wedding band to his ankle. I am dreaming of being able to touch you, hear your voice, squeeze your hand (3 times), and kiss you again. I love you so much, and my heart is shattered into a million pieces without my best friend.”

Cave scored once in 11 appearances with Edmonton this season. He had 11 goals and 23 points in 44 games with the American Hockey League’s Bakersfield Condors.

The Oilers posted Cave’s goal on Twitter this week — an impressive rush down the right wing in which he beat a Pittsburgh defender and stuffed the puck past Penguins goalie Matt Murray.

“Colby is an awesome person who scored an awesome goal for us this season,” the team said.

Cave had four goals and five assists over 67 NHL games with Boston and Edmonton.

Colby Cave