Horvat tries to clear the air about his feelings on Canucks fans

Former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat seems to still be walking back a few comments that didn’t exactly go over well among his old fan base.

Back in April, Horvat was asked in a postgame in-arena interview what he thought of his experience playing for the New York Islanders after being traded away from the Canucks this past January.

“Yeah, I mean it’s been unbelievable,” Horvat said of playing in Long Island. “It’s a lot better than Vancouver, I’ll tell you that for free.”

Understandably, the reaction wasn’t exactly positive among Vancouver fans; despite Horvat’s Canucks making the playoffs just twice during his time with the franchise, the relationship seemed to be mostly one built on mutual respect for his long-time commitment to the club.

Even after about a month of trade rumours following Horvat rejecting Vancouver’s attempts to sign him to a long-term offer, the relationship between him and Canucks fans seemed mostly positive until his surprising comments nearly three months after being dealt.

However, Horvat’s still trying to mend that relationship, saying that he was more disappointed in the direction of the team than the fans themselves.

Said Horvat, "I think some of them (the Vancouver fans) were pretty upset with what I said last year. I think they took it more personal than I wanted them to take it. It wasn't directed at them. I was just more upset of how everything went down last year." https://t.co/tDpSCVHaSt

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) November 11, 2023

“I think some of [the Vancouver fans] were pretty upset with what I said last year. I think they took it more personal than I wanted them to take it. It wasn’t directed at them. I was just more upset of how everything went down last year,” Horvat told reporters over the weekend, as relayed by Newsday.com’s Andrew Gross.

Interestingly, the two franchises seem to have their fortunes reversed as compared to last season. At 5-5-3, Horvat’s Islanders sit seventh in the Atlantic Division and are currently riding a four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Canucks are off to one of their best starts ever, going 11-3-1 as they sit second in the Pacific Division.

It’s not the first time Horvat has tried to clear the air after his polarizing remarks.

“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,” Horvat said two days after the initial comments. “The fans were all excited and I was excited to be in a playoff push. It was just one of those things where my emotions got the best of me… I was just happy to be there. It might have come out the wrong way to a lot of people, so I apologize for that.”

Horvat and the Islanders skate into Rogers Arena this coming Wednesday night for his first visit since the trade, with puck drop set for 7 pm PT.

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