Canadian NHLer's widow Emily Cave remarries in romantic outdoor ceremony: 'Wildest night of our lives'
Colby Cave died from a brain bleed in 2020.
Emily Cave, the widow of former Edmonton Oilers player Colby Cave, has found love again. On June 7, the 31-year-old author married Colin Boit in a romantic wedding at Cielo Farms in Malibu, Calif.
Cave took to Instagram to share footage of the wedding, which included video of the bride's strapless A-line gown, as well as guests dancing the night away in a silent disco. "A teaser of June 7, 2024, a.k.a. the perfect and wildest night of our lives," she captioned the post.
Fans flooded the comment section with supportive messages and congratulations. Many shared how glad they were to see her "smile again" after the tragic loss of her first husband, Saskatchewan-native Colby Cave, who passed away unexpectedly in April 2020 following a sudden brain bleed. He was just 25.
"Love to see you smiling again. You deserve it. Congratulations," one person penned.
"You can‘t imagine how beautiful it is to see you that happy again," another echoed.
"Seeing your face light up with happiness makes my heart happy. You truly deserve every ounce of joy coming your way. No doubt in my mind that Colby was right next to you handing your hand to Colin and you know he had a pair of headphones on and was singing and dancing right along with you both. You are beaming and it is so beautiful to have witnessed your journey," a follower commented.
"The joy and zest for life you have, knowing tragically that time is not guaranteed, shines. Sending you all the love and happiness in your next chapter," someone added.
Finding love after tragedy
On April 6, 2020 Cave was unable to wake an unresponsive Colby. The former-NHL star was air lifted from a Barrie, Ont. hospital to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto where he underwent emergency brain surgery after doctors discovered a cyst on his brain.
Due to COVID restrictions, Cave was unable to be with Colby in the ICU. Cave communicated with her husband via walkie talkie and FaceTime while he was on life support. Cave told The Athletic that a doctor or nurse would squeeze Colby's hand three times for "I love you." Colby died days later, three months before the couple's first wedding anniversary.
"I was in a state of shock," Emily told CTV News following Colby's death. "He was fine on Monday. Tuesday he was in brain surgery. I didn't know how to react. I was 26, and he was just fine, and then he was gone."
Cave and Colby met online in 2013 when Colby, who was playing for the Western Hockey League's Swift Current Broncos, found her Instagram. "He told his teammates he planned on marrying me one day," Emily told BarrieToday.
Despite living in different provinces and never having met in person, Colby was persistent, messaging her for nearly two years before Emily finally responded. "I went to visit him in Providence, Rhode Island, when he was playing with the Boston Bruins organization — and the rest is history."
'Not alone' in grief
In April 2023, Cave published her book, "For Colb: The Vow Beyond 'Til Death Do Us Part," The book details her relationship with Colby, his death and navigating grief.
"I really wanted to write something like raw and vulnerable that people can read and know that they're not alone in their grief, they're not alone, especially to those that lose during the global pandemic," Cave told CTV News Barrie.
Emily has been open about her journey. This April, on the anniversary of Colby's passing, she posted a tribute to Colby on Instagram.
"Four years without you. Four years of heaven so lucky to have you. On April 11, 2020, a part of me died with Colb," she wrote. "There is no denying that. However, a spark was lit that day in me too. Originally, every single thing I did, and every single day was to live for Colb. 'If not with him, then for him.' This kept me alive and going for a long time."
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