Horvat can handle the pressure of captaincy
Leadership didn’t change much for the Canucks between 2018 and 2019. The Sedin’s were gone and management got a good long look at how Horvat would respond without having them around. Obviously he pushed the needle enough to be given the captaincy, but how he would respond to that was an entirely different question. I know it’s just a letter stitched onto a jersey, but once it’s there it’s really there.
Early indications showed that Horvat would falter and give in to the pressure, but that never happened. Sure, he had times where things were difficult, where the losing streaks felt endless, but Horvat always rallied and always found a way to bounce back and get the team back in the hunt. He never pointed the finger, and he never blamed another teammate.
When his team was down and out, he’d find a way to score. When his stick was cold, he’d tighten up on defense. When the going got really tough, he’d drop the gloves and do anything to win. And when he couldn’t get the answer he needed on the ice, he was the first to take the blame in front of the camera.
He took the captaincy to heart and he is the perfect guy for the role –The kind of guy who would put it all on the line for his teammates any day of the week.