Bo Horvat walks back Vancouver comments: “It was a heat of the moment thing”

Former Vancouver Canucks captain Bo Horvat walked back his comments about the fans on Long Island being “a lot better than Vancouver” in a media availability on Monday.

Horvat took a swipe at his former surroundings in a post-game interview with MSG on Saturday after his Islanders defeated the Philadelphia Flyers by a 4–0 score.

And while, unsurprisingly, some fans in Vancouver took exception to Horvat’s comments, the 28-year-old forward did his best to clear the air on Monday before the Islanders’ game against the Washington Capitals.

“I think it was a heat of the moment thing,” Horvat said. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to the fans in Vancouver or my teammates or the city of Vancouver at all. It wasn’t directed at them at all.”

Horvat praised the energy of the fans at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. and reiterated his excitement to participate in a meaningful stretch drive. The Islanders currently occupy the second wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

“The fans were all excited and I was excited to be in a playoff push,” Horvat added “It was just one of those things where my emotions got the best of me and I was just really happy to be there, to be honest with you. It might’ve come out the wrong way to a lot of people, so I apologize for that, but, I mean, I’m just really excited to be in this position right now.”

The Canucks originally selected Horvat in the first round (No. 9 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. The London, Ont. product spent parts of nine seasons in Vancouver to begin his NHL career, serving as team captain from 2019 to 2023.

Horvat’s comments likely won’t soon be forgotten in Vancouver, but he made it clear on Monday that he intended no disrespect to Canucks fans with what he said.

“I really enjoyed my time in Vancouver,” Horvat said. “I’m not trying to disrespect them at all. I’m sorry if I offended anybody.”