Donato was close friends with Cave, the pair having broken into the NHL together with the Boston Bruins during the 2017-2018 season. Cave, who played three NHL seasons for the Bruins and Edmonton Oilers, died in April 2020 after he had surgery to remove a colloid cyst that was causing pressure on his brain. He was just 25 years old.
On Monday, Cave's widow, Emily, attended the Kraken game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Seattle. Earlier this season, when the Kraken visited Edmonton, Emily gave Donato one of Colby Cave's game day ties to bring him "luck and safety" this season, according to Donato's girlfriend, Bradley Fusco, on Instagram.