Prior to his arrival with the New York Islanders, Bo Horvat had several questions about his new general manager Lou Lamoriello’s tolerance.
In an interview with the TSN 1050 network on Monday, the young veteran admitted he thought he would be a lifelong member of the Vancouver Canucks, whose team he captained for three and a half seasons.
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Shortly before the final All-Star Game, however, Horvat was traded to the Isles in exchange for Anthony Beauvillier in particular. He quickly signed an eight-year deal, which was a nice change of pace for him as negotiations in British Columbia didn’t go as planned.
So he found himself in the troupe of Lamoriello, a man known for his defensible set of rules. This includes shaving off the beginning of the beard that Horvat had.
“Lou understands that every player has their own life outside of the team, he really understands that,” he claimed, offering the first moderate view of Lamoriello in a long time.
“It’s just one of those things that we have to deal with. The players don’t mind. I think that’s the only rule he hasn’t changed his mind about throughout his career and we have to respect it. If that’s the only request he has, I’m very happy to respect it.”
The players would not test the limits of the 80-year-old out of respect.
Horvat ended last season with a personal best of 70 points. He collected 16 of them during his 30 games in New York. It was more difficult in the playoffs, there were only two points in six games.