‘It’s second to none’: North Battleford unveils Colby Cave mural as Edmonton Oilers join tribute

The mural now towers over the same streets where Jennifer’s parents once ran a stationery shop — a corner of downtown she knew long before her son began spending endless hours on the ice with a dream stitched into every stride.

Colby Cave, who played for the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins, died in April 2020 at 25 after a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a colloid cyst. The mural charts his climb from the Battlefords Barons to the North Stars, the Swift Current Broncos, the Providence Bruins and into the NHL.

The Cave family and Edmonton Oilers representatives take part in the ribbon cutting during the unveiling of the Colby Cave mural in downtown North Battleford on Nov. 22, 2025. Oilers alumnus Steve MacIntyre is second from the left, Jennifer Cave is third from the right, and Oilers mascot Hunter stands at far right. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Edmonton Oilers mascot Hunter poses for a photo during the unveiling of the Colby Cave mural in North Battleford on Nov. 22, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

A family’s memory, a community’s heartbeat

The ceremony carried speeches, but the emotion belonged to the Cave family — and to a community that watched Colby grow from a determined minor hockey player into an NHL forward whose work ethic became legend.

“We knew from a young age that he was really driven and dedicated and lived and breathed the sport,” Jennifer said.

“He battled a lot of adversity… but he was always really strong-minded and just got himself back up and put himself back to work.”

His motto — the one he shared with his wife, Emily — is now featured on the wall: Be somebody that makes everybody feel like a somebody.

“That was their absolute motto,” Jennifer said. “That’s how they wanted to live life.”

Colby’s parents, Jennifer and Alan Cave, stand in front of the new Colby Cave mural in downtown North Battleford during its unveiling on Nov. 22, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Giving back

Colby’s impact on the Battlefords runs deeper than what’s painted on the wall – it continues to shape the future of local hockey.

During the ceremony, the Cave family presented two cheques for $12,500 each to North Battleford Comprehensive High School and John Paul II Collegiate through the Colby Cave Memorial Fund.

Jennifer said the fund grew out of the work Emily poured into launching the first Colby’s Kids program in the Battlefords after his passing. Later, Strathcona Resources approached the family hoping to contribute and asked whether the Edmonton Oilers would match their support.

“Those people had the same beliefs as what the Colby Cave Foundation did as well… and the Edmonton Oilers were very happy to oblige,” she said.

Directing the matched amount to the high-school hockey programs, she added, felt like the right way to bring that support back to the community her late son called home.

The Cave family presents two $12,500 cheques to North Battleford Comprehensive High School and John Paul II Collegiate during the Colby Cave mural unveiling ceremony on Nov. 22, 2025. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

Oilers alumnus arrives

Former Edmonton Oiler Steve MacIntyre stood beneath the mural, taking in the colours and the community faces gathered around it.

“Oh, it’s second to none,” he said. “Looking at the mural, meeting the people… What a special day.”

MacIntyre never played with Colby, but meeting his family made the visit meaningful.

“You can’t help but appreciate the fact that ‘be somebody that makes everybody feel like a somebody.’ That’s something that hits home for me.”

He hopes others passing through will stop and see it for themselves.

“This is an amazing piece… just come here, spend some time and just kind of take it all in.”

Steve MacIntyre is a former NHL left wing from Brock, Sask., who played for the Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins. He appeared in 78 games for the Oilers and scored his first NHL goal with the team in 2009. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

(Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

From the Oilers organization, Patrick Garland, the team’s director of alumni relations and hockey engagement, said Colby’s influence continues to ripple through Edmonton and beyond.

“Seeing the impact he had on the community here is really remarkable,” he said. “The mural here today… it captures him so perfectly.”

In the Oilers’ dressing room, Cave’s jersey still hangs on the wall — a quiet reminder, Garland said, “of the impact he had on the team, the community, and the Oilers as a whole.”

A new generation finds a hero

A few steps back from the crowd, young fans stood looking up with the kind of curiosity only kids carry. Among them was 12-year-old Braxton Bear, now playing for the Battlefords Barons, the same team that once shaped Colby.

“He is a good hockey player and a good person.”

Asked whether Colby might be a role model, Braxton didn’t hesitate.

“He grew up in my hometown, so maybe I’d be like him, make it to the NHL one day, never know.”

What stood out most, he said, wasn’t Colby’s stats — it was his presence.

“His attitude… He always had a good attitude.”

Macy, left, and Braxton Bear pose for a photo in front of the newly unveiled Colby Cave mural in North Battleford on Nov. 22, 2025. Braxton, 12, plays for the Battlefords Barons, the same program Cave once played in.

A mirror

What stands on the side of the building is more than a tribute or a beautification project. It is a mirror — reflecting the kind of place North Battleford is, and the kind of place it hopes to be.

A place where a boy once chased a puck across cold ice until his dream carried him to the NHL.

And a place where the words Colby lived by now look out across downtown, asking the community – and every passerby – to live the same way:

Be somebody that makes everybody feel like a somebody.

The Colby Cave memorial mural covers the wall of the 1201 101st Street building in downtown North Battleford. (Kenneth Cheung/battlefordsNOW)

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Kenneth.Cheung@pattisonmedia.com

by Kenneth Cheung