New Canucks captain Bo Horvat thanks fans in emotional letter

The 2019-20 Canucks home opener was one Bo Horvat won’t soon forget.

Handed the C by Henrik Sedin, Horvat was officially named captain in front of fans at a sold out Rogers Arena who were giving him a standing ovation.

“It was pretty surreal. It was actually pretty emotional,” Horvat told reporters after the 8-2 win. “It was really humbling and a dream come true. Never in a million years did I think I’d be in this position. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys in here… It’s a really special moment, one I won’t forget.”

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A first-round selection by the Canucks in 2013, Horvat was pegged as future captain material the day they drafted him. The 24-year-old has improved in each of his first five seasons in the NHL, making the decision to name him captain Wednesday night a no-brainer.

“He’s one of those guys, you can tell right away when he came in,” Henrik Sedin recalled. “He wanted to learn, he wanted to listen. You didn’t have to say much to him, he picked up on the little things. He’s grown, he’s matured, but he came in as a mature guy.”

“There are so many good guys in here who can lead. For Bo it’s just keep being yourself.” Henrik Sedin presented the #Canucks captaincy to @BoHorvat, now he shares some advice. pic.twitter.com/Al0Pv97NRD

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 10, 2019

On Thursday afternoon, Horvat posted an open letter to his personal social media accounts, giving fans an idea of how much the honour means to him.

Here’s the full letter:

I still remember it like it was yesterday…almost 7 years ago, standing on stage and pulling this jersey over my head for the first time. I remember going to bed at night and never wanting to take it off.

Since that day, I have been lucky to learn what this jersey really means and stands for. Hard work, history, perseverance and the privilege to represent one of the world’s great cities, the province of BC and an incredible, diverse fanbase.

I’ve been so fortunate to learn first-hand from many other great leaders and players over the years and our group today is made up of many of them. As a team, we are looking forward to working towards our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to the great fans of Canucks Nation.

Thank you again for this honour. The best is yet to come.

-Bo

Fans, as you might imagine, were pleased with what they read:

Love you cap, you’ll lead us to that stanley cup we’ve been waiting for

— 𝗜𝗮𝗻𝘄 (Captain BO) (@ianwcanucks) October 10, 2019

Congrats Bo! We’re lucky to have players like you representing our team.

— Huggy for the Calder (@KawaVulcanRider) October 10, 2019

you deserve to be captain so much bud. congrats 🔥💖

— cat 🦋 (@canucksedins) October 10, 2019

Congratulations Bo! So well deserved!

— Sonika Arora (@SonikaArora604) October 10, 2019

Congratulations Cap. Were proud to have you. Let’s get it!

— Eye Of One (@Eye0fOne) October 10, 2019