Islanders' Bo Horvat tries to walk back viral dig at Canucks fans

New York Islanders forward Bo Horvat raised eyebrows on Saturday when he took an apparent shot at Vancouver Canucks fans following his team's 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.

When asked what it was like playing in front of Islanders supporters at UBS Arena as the club continues its bid for a playoff spot, Horvat responded, "It's been unbelievable. It’s a lot better than Vancouver. I’ll tell you that for free."

Less than 48 hours after the clip went viral, Horvat attempted to walk back his comments.

“I didn’t mean any disrespect to the fans of Vancouver, my teammates or city of Vancouver at all,” Horvat told reporters on Monday. “It wasn’t directed at them at all. [Islanders] fans were all excited, and I was excited to be in a playoff push and it was just kind of one of those things where my emotions got the best of me, and I was just really happy to be there.”

Horvat played parts of nine seasons with the Canucks and served as their captain from the 2019-20 campaign up until his trade to the Islanders at the end of January. He then signed an eight-year, $68-million extension with New York on Feb. 5.

The 28-year-old only experienced two playoff runs with Vancouver, with one coming in his rookie year in 2015 and the other during the COVID-19 bubble setting in 2020. The chance to play in a normal postseason surely has him fired up.

“I’m just excited to be in the position right now, to be in a playoff push, to be right there," Horvat said. "I really enjoyed my time in Vancouver. I’m not trying to disrespect them at all. I’m sorry if it offended anybody, but I’m really happy to be in this position right now. I’m really happy to be here, and I just wanted to express that.”

The split with the Canucks wasn't easy for Horvat, as he was in negotiations with Vancouver about a contract extension before those talks eventually stalled. The ninth-overall pick in the 2013 draft said shortly after his trade to New York that he thought he was "going to be a Canuck for life."

Horvat's Islanders tenure has been a bit of a mixed bag so far, with seven goals and eight assists through 28 games. That's a far cry from the 31 goals and 54 points he scored in just 49 games with the Canucks to start the 2022-23 campaign. He appears to be heating back up at the right time, though, as he has two points in each of his past two contests.

The Islanders currently occupy the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with 91 points. They're in a heated battle with the Florida Panthers (91 points) and Pittsburgh Penguins (90 points), with room for only two of those teams to make the playoffs.

New York will look take a stronger grip on a postseason berth when it faces the Washington Capitals on Monday.