BLOG: Holland, Woodcroft share thoughts on Cave

EDMONTON, AB - Colby Cave will be remembered as "an incredible young man" and "a phenomenal person" as Oilers President of Hockey Operations and GM Ken Holland and Bakersfield Condors Head Coach Jay Woodcroft shared their thoughts on the forward who passed away this morning.

"Today is a very, very sad day for the Edmonton Oilers organization," Holland said. "We lost one of our family. Colby was an incredible young man. He was very professional, he was well-respected in the locker room, and he played hard every day."

The 25-year-old played 44 games with each of the Oilers and Condors over the past two seasons after Edmonton claimed him on waivers from the Boston Bruins in January 2019.

"If he was sent to the American Hockey League or if he was a healthy scratch, he just dug in, went to work and supported his teammates," Holland said. "And when he was in our lineup, he did everything he could to help the team win. He practiced hard and was a true professional. He was a very well-liked and well-respected player in the locker room."

When the NHL and AHL seasons paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cave was a member of the Condors, with whom he scored 11 goals and 12 assists in 44 games this season.

"It's very tragic and heartbreaking news to end a very difficult week," Woodcroft said. "Colby was such a phenomenal person to be around. He was the absolute epitome of what a professional hockey player should be. He was caring, driven, focused and serious."

Both Holland and Woodcroft extended their sincerest condolences to Cave's family, his wife Emily and her family during this extremely difficult time.