Horton/By S. Bradley

VANCOUVER — So Nathan Horton was on the Bruins’ trip to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final for more than just his upbeat attitude and winning smile.

The veteran power forward, who was knocked out of the series in Game 3 with a concussion, snuck out to the rink about 90 minutes prior to puck drop and poured out something from his water bottle onto the Rogers Arena ice.

The Bruins had lost the three previous games in the Canucks’ building in the series, and Horton — as captured by the NHL Network — wanted to change his team’s fortunes.

“Yeah, I put some Garden ice on there,” he said. “I just wanted to get our feel back in it. Switching their ice to our ice, it worked out.”

Well, it took a lot more than just a little water sprinkle to earn the Bruins a 4-0 victory and the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1972. But Horton helped anyway he could.

As expected, the always upbeat veteran had no hard feelings about not being able to finish the series with his team.

“It definitely was tough. I wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “Things happen on the ice, but I was definitely confident that we have a lot of talent on our team and a lot of players that can play. We just showed it again. Everyone stepped up and played together as a team. Good things happen.”

Ever since he was dealt to Boston from the doldrums of Florida, Horton has bragged about playing in a hockey hotbed and hopefully winning a Stanley Cup. Just like his water trick worked on the ice, his words turned to reality in just one season.

“When I said it I actually meant it. It’s pretty awesome that they did come true,” said Horton, who had never skated in the NHL playoffs prior to this season. “It’s every kid’s dream to win the Stanley Cup, and we did it.”