Will Canucks fans boo or cheer Bo Horvat when he returns?
Throughout his nine seasons in Vancouver, few players were as popular among Canucks fans as Bo Horvat.
But ahead of his return to Vancouver Wednesday night, Horvat admitted he’s not sure what the reaction will be like from the Canucks faithful. Judging by the backlash on social media recently, he’ll surely hear some boos.
But probably some cheers as well.
If you have a ticket to Wednesday’s game at Rogers Arena, you have the right to boo or cheer.
The question is if the boos will overpower the cheers.
Horvat had a squeaky-clean reputation throughout his 621 regular-season games in a Canucks uniform. He never stepped out of line publicly, despite being the captain of a franchise that underwent significant turmoil during his final three seasons in Vancouver.
On the ice, the former first-round pick lived up to the hype. With 420 points, Horvat ranks 10th in all-time Canucks scoring — more than players like Ryan Kesler, Brendan Morrison, Alex Burrows, and Cliff Ronning.
Perhaps if he played in more playoff games, Horvat would be a slam-dunk choice for the team’s Ring of Honour one day. Through no fault of his own given the era he played in, Horvat only appeared in 23 postseason games. He was excellent in both playoff appearances he had with the Canucks, as a rookie in 2015 and captain in 2020, tallying 11 goals and 16 points.
A player with this type of profile, who didn’t request a trade or leave via free agency, would get a standing ovation upon his return in most NHL arenas.
But has one comment changed it all?
Back in April, when the Islanders were in the middle of a playoff push, Horvat was asked by a reporter how it ranked for him, in terms of “the excitement of this building and the fans’ involvement in the last couple of games.”
Horvat, remember, had just left the biggest tire fire in the NHL last season. He was traded nine days after Bruce Boudreau was seen crying on the bench, knowing that management had already picked his replacement. Vancouver was not a fun place to be for Canucks players, coaches, trainers, ushers, janitors… and fans too.
“Yeah, I mean it’s been unbelievable,” Horvat said, following a big win in front of a raucous Islanders crowd on April 8. “It’s a lot better than Vancouver; I’ll tell you that for free.”
Obviously, New York was a more fun place to play at that time, but many Canucks fans were upset by those words. Certainly, Horvat could have phrased it more delicately.
But was it a shot at Canucks fans or Canucks management? It’s not like Horvat was booed out of town.
“I didn’t mean any disrespect to the fans of Vancouver or my teammates or the city of Vancouver at all. It wasn’t directed at them at all,” Horvat said two days after the infamous “I’ll tell you that for free” comment.
This weekend, Horvat reiterated that his comments weren’t directed at the fans of Vancouver. His frustration was with management, according to Newsday.com’s Andrew Gross, not the fans.
“It wasn’t directed at [the fans]. I was just more upset of how everything went down last year,” Horvat told reporters on Saturday.
Bo Horvat, asked about upcoming return to Vancouver, said he's not sure how fans will react. He knows what he said going out the door might have been misinterpreted. Said his frustration was with management, never the fans. Loved his time in Vancouver. Very happy now w/ #Isles
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 11, 2023
If you have a ticket to Wednesday’s game, you’re free to cheer or boo. That’s your right as a fan.
But does one comment, which may have been misinterpreted, really undo nine years of goodwill?
Guess we’ll soon find out.
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