The Canuck Way
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The Canucks’ success starts with team believing in their captain

By Brayden Ursel

Sep 3, 2020; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat (53) scores a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2020; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Vancouver Canucks center Bo Horvat (53) scores a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Heading into his second year as captain of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team, Bo Horvat will try and continue building his team off the success of last season.

Bo Horvat‘s first trip around the sun as captain of the Vancouver Canucks couldn’t have gone much better. He didn’t hoist Lord Stanley at the end of the 2019-20 campaign, but expectations in Vancouver were exceeded in almost every aspect of the game. He enjoyed having another career-year statistically as he continued to round out his 200ft game.

Taking an up and coming team who hadn’t played a playoff game since Horvat’s rookie season (2015), Bo was able to create a winning mentality within his roster. That mentality grew stronger as the season went on, and not only did it help push the Canucks into the playoffs but it played a big role in how Vancouver knocked off the opposition once they got there.

Horvat’s Canucks got within one win of making it to the final four this year, something that nobody saw coming. And how did they do it exactly? It all started with the Canucks captain and how he was able to create a positive locker room that believes in each other.

That was obvious as the Canucks were one of the more closely-knit groups inside the bubble. Because of excellent locker room chemistry and leadership, they were able to show the rest of the league what they are made of. With help from Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, Horvat was able to catapult the Canucks past their expected arrival time of being a competitive hockey club.

He’ll look to continue to be a successful captain in year two, whenever the new season does end up getting underway, but with the entire locker room behind him, it should be easy to pick up where they left off.

Of course, success comes from a lot of different elements, but a team that believes in their leader is a lot better off than a team that doesn’t. You can see that the Canucks got something special when it comes to their players and their relationships with one another.

Next. The Canuck Way Mailbag: captains, Holtby's turtles, more. dark

The Canucks will need their captain to be at his absolute best in 2021.

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