Canucks: Who is the unsung hero of the 2019-20 season?
Bo Horvat
The first-year captain has had his ups and downs this year. Through the first couple of months of the season, he struggled mightily to find the back of the net on home ice. In November the team fell off the face of the planet and all hope was failing in Vancouver. Later, the injuries struck and who was left to answer the bell?
Bo Horvat has been here since day one, and he’s doing a heck of a job in his first year with the “C” stitched on his sweater. Despite struggling to score early on, he’s racked up 53 points, (22 goals, 31 assists) in 69 games. Only two other players have more points than the captain.
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After that, when the team was struggling to win, Horvat goes out and finds the back of the net three times to pot a hat-trick and get the team’s engines fired up. He turned that into some momentum to get the team back in the playoff picture.
You can’t give him an unsung hero nomination without mentioning the fact that he’s the go-to shutdown guy in Vancouver. If the opponent’s best players are on the ice, Horvat is there to take down the competition. He’s done an incredible job forming chemistry with Tanner Pearson, and you can’t forget the fact that he’s more or less had to drag around the dead weight of Loui Eriksson all season long.
You add that all together and it gives you a lot of reason to look at the captain as the unsung hero of 2019-20. He’s got all the tools to be the captain, a darn good one I might add. He’s proved it this year and in my opinion, he isn’t getting enough credit. He would be a solid choice for the award if the season is in fact over.