BARRIE -- A special tribute was held in Barrie on Thursday for Edmonton Oilers forward Colby Cave, who was staying in Barrie, and died suddenly last week.
Cave was just twenty-five when he passed away on April 11th, after suffering a brain bleed days earlier. He and his wife Emily were spending their quarantine in Barrie, with Emily’s parents. The young couple had been married for less than a year.
On Thursday, his wife and her family members each donned a Cave jersey as a long convoy of vehicles drove past their home.
“We’re just going to wave some hockey sticks, wear jerseys and share love and support through signs,” said Andrea Convey, a family friend.
A similar scene played out in North Battleford Saskatchewan after Cave’s death. A procession of cars and emergency vehicles covered in Colby Cave signs lined a highway for several kilometres to pay respect to the NHL player.
Last week Cave was rushed to The Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, before being transferred to Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto, when he failed to wake up. He was placed in a medically induced coma while surgeons worked to remove a cyst on his brain. He passed away on Saturday.
Because of necessary physical distancing, friends paid their respects by driving by his in-laws home. Some waved signs; others held hockey sticks.
“A funeral can’t happen under these circumstances, unfortunately,” says Convey. “So, this is the next best way we could think of.”
The Cave family and the Edmonton Oilers have set up the Colby Cave memorial fund. Proceeds will go to community programs with an emphasis on mental health and sports for underprivileged children.
