Isles fans give Horvat huge cheer in first home game after Canucks trade

Well, it didn’t take Bo Horvat long to connect with his new team after leaving the Vancouver Canucks.

With Horvat scoring a goal in last night’s win over the Seattle Kraken, the New York Islanders faithful were sure to show their love to the former Canucks captain in his first home game with his new roster.

In a video from The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz, the UBS Arena crowd were in an emphatic “Hor-vat! Hor-vat!” chant following his marker to make the score 4-0 midway through the second period.

Crowd approves of Bo Horvat pic.twitter.com/qnr2Ac5QEO

— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzNHL) February 8, 2023

And Horvat appeared to share the love right back to his new fans.

“It was pretty amazing,” Horvat said postgame of the team’s chant. “I haven’t had a chant like that in a building that loud in, I don’t think ever… It’s pretty amazing, amazing welcome and definitely felt good to get it in my first game at home.”

"It was pretty amazing, haven't had a chant like that in a building that loud ever. It's pretty amazing, amazing welcome and definitely felt good to get it in my first game at home."

More from Horvat ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/qU9WMPg4xb

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 8, 2023

The team’s ninth overall pick in 2013 and their captain from 2019 until this week, Horvat had 201 goals, 219 assists and a plus-minus of -66 in 621 games for the Canucks in his career.

Horvat had 31 goals and 23 assists in 49 games for the Canucks this season prior to the trade. But in the midst of a career season, Vancouver was unable to reach a contract extension with their captain, leading the team to ultimately place him on the trade block.

After over a month of speculation, Horvat was traded last week in a blockbuster deal in exchange for Anthony Beauvillier, Aatu Räty, and a 2023 first-round draft pick. Shortly after joining the Islanders, Horvat inked an eight-year contract worth $8.5 million per season.

His second home game with New York is slated to be another interesting and emotional one, as the Islanders take on Vancouver tomorrow night at 4:30 pm PT/ 7:30 ET.

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