Friendships Beyond Hockey

In the locker room, it's common for the coaching staff and leaders to refer to your team as a family. You fight for them, you hold them accountable, and you spend a lot of time with them.
But, if you're lucky, you'll form friendships that transcend being teammates. During my first year of professional hockey, all the Canadian and American players were going home for Christmas break. I wasn't going home that year, so the Czech players on the team invited me to celebrate their traditional Christmas with them so I wouldn't be alone.

Small gestures like this prove you're a family and lead to lifelong friendships. Monday, the Kraken took on the Chicago Blackhawks in a matinee. I got a text at the end of overtime during the game and our ROOT SPORTS Northwest broadcast.

It was a screenshot of Emily Cave's Instagram story explaining she was at the game with Bradley, Ryan Donato's girlfriend. Emily, Colby's wife, shared Donato had worn one of Colby Cave's game-worn ties to the game that afternoon.
Donato had scored the game-tying goal, and now knowing this information, I was really rooting for him to get his number called in the shootout. Donato played a great game yesterday, and sure enough, he came up big in the shootout too.
For those who do not know, Colby Cave, was a professional hockey player and a close friend of Donato. He passed away in April of 2020 at the age of 25, from a brain bleed caused by a colloid cyst.

The Blackhawks-Kraken matchup was already an exciting game, and this made it more meaningful. I was so happy to see Donato score that goal in the shootout.
What Donato said in the post-game press conference about Colby "being there with me" was beautiful. It's easy to see that Colby touched the lives of so many, including the hockey community.
Emily Cave has done a remarkable job making sure his legacy lives on. Yesterday was a powerful reminder we'd all be so lucky to have a friendship like Donato and Colby in our lifetime. A friendship brought together by hockey but one that goes way beyond the sport.
JT Brown is the TV color analyst for Kraken broadcasts on ROOT SPORTS Northwest. JT played 365 NHL games for three NHL teams, Tampa Bay, Anaheim and his hometown Minnesota Wild. He signed as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay in 2012 after a highly successful two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He was named Outstanding Player of the 2011 Frozen Four, leading Minnesota-Duluth to the NCAA championship team.