Here are Five Questions with…Mats Zuccarello:
What has this whole World Cup experience been like for you?
"It's been fun. We came in and half our team played Olympic qualification on a far different level than this tournament. It's still a pretty good level. Some qualified for the Olympics and some didn't. Some of them were really high, on top of their game, and some were kind of low and sad about not going to the Olympics. I think it took some time for us to get together, get to know the guys. A bunch of good guys in the locker room, having fun, enjoying ourselves right now. Everyone here knows it's our chance to represent our country. A lot of guys they come from small, small hockey countries, and we never would have had a chance to play in this tournament if it wasn't for this team. I think we're all enjoying that, cherishing that."
Norway won in the Olympic qualifications. What does that mean for you and your country?
"It's big. Except for being in the [Madison Square] Garden, going out on home ice in New York, it's one of the best experiences I've had. Playing in my hometown, my home rink where I grew up. It was a packed house the final game against France. We won 3-2, score with two minutes left. It was unbelievable. It's really big for Norway as a small hockey country to go to the Olympics on the big ice."
You're still a huge star in Norway. What is that like to be a huge star in your home country?
"Are you surprised? What are you saying, I'm not a star over here? Haha. No, I'm just joking around. I mean, I really enjoy going home. I really enjoy the support I get playing in New York. A lot of people come watch me. A lot of people are really excited. A lot of people have become hockey fans because of it. It's something I really appreciate. I'm trying to do my best to give back to Norway, but at the end of the day, you really cherish the support you get from the fans in New York and Norway. It's always fun to come back to Norway and just live a quiet life."
A lot of people would look at what Team Europe has done in this tournament and be surprised that you're 2-0-0. Are you surprised by that too?
"Obviously, no one would have thought this, maybe except for the guys in the locker room. We always believe. If you look at our team, I think they said on TV yesterday, there are eight Stanley Cup rings in that locker room. There's a lot of experienced guys and good hockey players there. Just because a lot of the guys come from small hockey countries doesn't mean they can't still do well. At the end of the day, we've been good, but the puck has bounced our way. I think we played a solid game against the U.S. and played another solid game again [Monday]. I think we have to really like where we're at right now."
No offense to the Rangers at all, but if you look around the room, is this the best or the most talented team you've been on in your career?
"I don't know. There are some really big stars on this team, but I think our team when we went to the Stanley Cup Final with New York was really good as well. I have fun whenever I play, and it's always fun to play with Marian Hossa and [Marian] Gaborik, people I looked up to when I was younger. You play against [Anze] Kopitar and you admire how good he is, and then you get to play with him and all these other guys. Like, [Pierre-Edouard] Bellemare is really underrated and really good for us. Jannik Hansen just works his [tail] off. Roman Josi may be one of the best Ds in the League. It's really been cool to be a part of this team. I'm just enjoying my time."
