"This one hurts": Canucks fans react to seeing Pettersson, Horvat team up at All-Star game
If you look up the definition of bittersweet in the dictionary, you might find a photo of former Vancouver Canucks teammates Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson from Saturday’s NHL All-Star game.
Although the All-Star Game itself (and the attached skills competition) may have gotten a little dry in recent years, there was a bit of closure for Vancouver fans getting the chance to see Horvat represent the Pacific Division just a few days after his blockbuster trade to the New York Islanders.
Horvat picked up an assist on Pettersson’s first period marker in the semi-final of Saturday’s 3-on-3 All-Star tournament, the only points for either player on the day.
āIt was fun to play with him one last time, for now, and weāll see what happens in the future,ā Horvat told media after Team Pacificās loss to the Central Division. āIt was kind of bittersweet out there. It was a lot of fun.
"One last time? One last time." – Bo & Petey
"Let's at least connect for one goal." – Bo Horvat#Canucks pic.twitter.com/uHCtsk2iV3
— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) February 4, 2023
And Canucks fans definitely had quite the emotional reaction to seeing the former teammates teaming up once again.
im gonna cry every time I see horvat with petey
— Juan (@Channel_Juan_11) February 4, 2023
Watching #canucks Petey and Horvat play together for one last time. pic.twitter.com/KQYgml36ZZ
— Michael Paweska (@mrpaweska) February 4, 2023
That pass for Petey's goal was so symbolic. It's representative of Horvat passing the #Canucks captaincy to Pettersson š„² https://t.co/EUdm6ByB6H
— Harsunder Singh Hunjan (@HarsunderHunjan) February 4, 2023
Aww man, this one hurts š„ŗ https://t.co/qnivLeJMFG
— simrEn (@simrenpreet) February 5, 2023
Pettersson had won the hardest shot competition on Friday night, blasting in a 103.5 mph shot to become just the third-ever forward to win that event.
āIt was kind of a little sad to know that was gonna be the last time weāre going to skate together. Iām glad we got to connect on a goal today and get one last shot. Iām going to miss him a lot. Heās a great person, great player, and heās going to do a lot of great things in the future,ā Horvat added.
But if you think that Saturday’s the last time you’ll be in the feels with Horvat and Pettersson, think again.
This Thursday, February 9, the Canucks are scheduled to take on Horvat’s Islanders on Long Island, which surely will be cause for another emotion-filled night across the Vancouver fanbase.