Most people like Zuccarello. I think a lot those people are annoyed by the guy that consistently tries to put him above the team because he's a fan of the player, not the team. Would be my guess.
A lot of norwegians can´t see past the fact that he is a norwegian (as of today the only norwegian) playing in the NHL. And a lot of people think he is the best player in the world
There has been a lot of embarrasing norwegian fans on these boards desperately trying to make him a way better player than he is. It is quite ironic, knowing that it´s hard to find a player that is less selfish than Zucc, he always puts the team before him self. He has always stated that him scoring points doesn´t matter as long as they lose. He would rather win the game with the team, rather than scoring a hat trick and lose the game. I believe him.
As a norwegian, and a huge Zuccarello fan, of course I follow him and support him. I did it when he was in New York, in Dallas and now when he is in Minnesota. We love it when our athletes do good. Zucc has had a great NHL career IMO. He has never been a superstar, but a genuine team player who has worked hard to become the player he is. Been through some tough injuries, including one potential career ending injury, but he always fights back. Who could predict that this would be his best season ever (in points anyways). No one. I honestly thought he was done wathing him struggle in his first season for the Wild. But yet again, he fixed his arm, and he was back again.
To have a player from Norway firmly established in the NHL for a decade is a big thing. It is basically against nature. It shouldn´t be possible. In Norway cross country skiing and other winter sports dominate. Hockey is a small sport, and it makes it difficult to become good enough to play in the NHL. The number of ice rinks in the whole country of Norway is less than the number of ice rinks in the big hockey cities in USA/Canda.
Zuccarello´s success in the NHL is beyond anything that we could ever expect. His personality, all his jokes, his smile, his charity work and the way he plays makes him the popular guy he is. You don´t need to produce a point pr. game to become a great and popular hockey player. For a long time his jersey was the most popular of the skaters, just beat by Lundqvist. That says a lot. His welcome back honoring at the Garden tells the story of how immensely popular he was in NY Rangers.
I hope he gets some really good last years as a NHL player, and I hope he gives all af you Wild fans some great years, and of course It would be amazing to see him lift the cup one deay. But no matter what happens from here on, he has made Norway and norwegian hockey proud.
