Horvat gets emotional in return to Vancouver during dramatic Canucks win

It was almost a picture perfect return for former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat.

Almost, as the Canucks won the game 4-3.

On Wednesday night, Horvat returned to the city where he spent the first nine seasons of his career.

Despite being booed the first few times he touched the puck, Horvat was eventually greeted by a standing ovation by fans during a tribute video in the first period.

As the video played, Horvat was holding back tears.

Bo Horvat gets emotional watching his tribute video in his first visit back to Vancouver since being traded. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/bHZ2qjiL38

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 16, 2023

“I was emotional through the whole warmup,” Horvat told reporters postgame. “It brought back a ton of memories and just the whole tribute and everybody, the way they reacted, it just meant a lot to me.

“I had a lot of good times here, a lot of firsts and a lot of memories, so it was a special night. Too bad we couldn’t got the two points, but one I won’t forget.”

Although it was understandably an emotional moment for Horvat, his former teammate J.T. Miller had a hilarious response to Horvat’s visible emotion.

“I went on him and told him to stop crying like a baby,” Miller joked to reporters postgame.

Horvat likely wasn’t crying midway through the second period, when his one-timer snuck past his former teammate, Thatcher Demko.

Bo Horvat. pic.twitter.com/5p53Qerjpm

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 16, 2023

That goal gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead at the time.

“I wasn’t expecting it back and luckily I was kind of half ready for it and got it off quick enough and it went in,” Horvat said. “It was great play by [Mat Barzal].”

“It definitely felt good. I’m not going to lie.”

Horvat’s tally could have been the story of the night, however it was three Canucks with ties to the former captain who ended up rewriting the script.

Miller, who the Canucks effectively chose over Horvat last summer, scored on the power play and set up Brock Boeser for another man-advantage goal shortly thereafter.

Then, with the Isles leading 3-2 in the third period, Filip Hronek scored his first goal as a Canuck to tie the game up.

FIRST AS A CANUCK❗️
100 MPH SHOT❗️
TIED LONGEST POINT STREAK AS A CANUCKS DEFENCEMAN❗️

What a goal, Filip Hronek. pic.twitter.com/WgWClZt2ux

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 16, 2023

Hronek wasn’t directly involved in the Horvat trade, however the Canucks did flip the first-round pick that they acquired from the Islanders in exchange for Horvat.

Both players are performing well for their new clubs, however Hronek does have more points this season (17 points in 16 games) than Horvat (12 points in 14 games).

Finally, it was the new captain of the Canucks, Quinn Hughes, who ended up scoring the overtime winner – on a breakaway no less – to secure the win for Vancouver.

Hughes to Horvat pic.twitter.com/fs3Mu8fTPN

— Jessica Wong (@jessicawongg) November 16, 2023

The story was about Horvat to begin the game. It centered around the former captain throughout the game.

However, by the end of the night, the story was about how the Canucks continue to dominate. They’re 12-3-1 record is emphatically the best start for this team in franchise history.

Canucks have the NHL’s top three scorers

After three consecutive years of terrible Canucks starts, it’s almost hard to believe how well things have gone so far in 2023-24.

The Canucks ended the night with the three top scorers in the NHL.

Elias Pettersson had an assist on the night, giving him a league-leading 26 points on the season, tied with Miller and Hughes.

Miller and Boeser both had a goal and two assists against the Islanders.

Hughes continues to have the best start by a defenceman in Canucks history. He scored the overtime winner and added two assists.

Pettersson, Miller and Hughes. They’re all clicking right now and because of it, the Canucks have the second-most points in the NHL, trailing only the Boston Bruins.