Bo Horvat shares leadership track record with a handful of former Islanders captains

Bo Horvat has already experienced what it means to wear the "C" in the NHL. Now he'll become part of a pretty exclusive group in Islanders history.

Named the 16th captain in franchise history on Monday, Horvat joins Trevor Linden, Michael Peca, Alexei Yashin and Doug Weight as Islanders captains who had already captained another NHL team before arriving on Long Island.

Each came with leadership experience already attached to his name.

Linden had been captain of the Vancouver Canucks before eventually wearing the "C" for the Islanders. Peca captained the Buffalo Sabres from 1997-2000 before being traded to the Islanders and immediately taking over as captain in 2001. Yashin had previously served as captain of the Ottawa Senators, while Weight wore the "C" for the Edmonton Oilers from 1999-2001 before later doing the same on Long Island.

Now Horvat follows the same path.

Selected ninth overall by Vancouver in 2013, Horvat became captain of the Canucks before the 2019-20 season and held the role until the Islanders acquired him on Jan. 30, 2023.

That previous experience matters.

Horvat told NHL.com this summer that captaincy isn't just about being the loudest voice in the room. Sometimes it's about absorbing the pressure so others don't have to. "It's so special," Horvat said. "Obviously getting to experience it before and what that felt like made it a little bit easier that way. But it's still always such an honor, such a privilege."

"I rather face the music and have to answer the hard questions," Horvat said, "than having some guys in the locker room do that."

The Islanders aren't asking Horvat to figure out leadership on the fly. Like Linden, Peca, Yashin and Weight before him, they're giving the "C" to someone who already knows exactly how heavy it can be.

Ultimately, it was an easy, and expected decision to name Horvat captain as Lee's replacement, and his prior experience made that easy decision even easier.

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