Olympic loss adds to Bo Horvat's desire to win with the Islanders
Bo Horvat of Team Canada walks out to the ice for warmups prior to the Men's Gold Medal match against the United States at the Winter Olympics on February 22, 2026 in Milan, Italy. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
MONTREAL – Bo Horvat will be 34 in 2030, so it’s debatable whether he’ll have a second opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal with Team Canada. But he still has multiple NHL seasons left in his career and finishing with a silver medal this month in Milan has just left the Islanders’ top-line center hungering for a Stanley Cup that much more.
“Maybe have a little chip on your shoulder for the rest of the year and try to help this team win and get to the playoffs and, ultimately, play for a Stanley Cup as well,” Horvat said before the Islanders resumed their schedule after the three-week Olympic break against the Canadiens at Bell Centre on Thursday night.
Thursday’s morning skate was the first time Horvat rejoined his teammates on the ice after returning to Long Island on Tuesday. Team Canada lost to Team USA, 2-1, in overtime in Sunday’s gold medal match.
“It was by far the coolest experience I’ve ever had in my life, in my career,” said Horvat, who had his wife and three children with him in Italy. “I’m just so grateful to be able to say that I was there and be a part of that team. That experience was just something I’ll never forget and I’m happy my family and everybody was there with me to experience it as well.”
Horvat acknowledged the “sting” of Team Canada’s loss and described it as almost a “weird feeling” to work again with the Islanders.
“It felt like a completely different season over there, being with a different team,” Horvat said. “You build relationships there. So it’s different coming back and not having a lot of time to get right back into the swing of things here. But I feel good. I got a good night’s sleep last night for the first time.”
Coach Patrick Roy said he was not worried about the physical side of it for Horvat. But Roy, who was in net for Team Canada in 1998 when it failed to medal, understands the mental letdown.
He said he made sure to have a quick chat to gauge how Horvat was doing.
“He’s really good,” Roy said. “He’s in a good place. Bo can handle the physical part of the game. But it’s the mental part. When I came back from Nagano, I should have taken care of my mental side a little more. I said, ‘We’ll be there for and we’ll help you and if you need a break here and there from practices, we’ll be more than happy to support you on that.’”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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