I doubt there is a player who embodies both what it means to be and what it’s like to be a New York Ranger better than Mats Zuccarello.
The lovable Norwegian is everything you want out of a hockey player. Like a puppy who is determined to get the ball you’re keeping from him, Zuccarello plays the game with reckless abandon for his own safety. He throws checks relentlessly, gets into skirmishes with players three times his size, goes to the gritty areas of the ice, and, oh yeah, is good at hockey.
This year Zuccarello has been at the center of a rather lively debate: Was Zuccarello good on a bad team, or was Zuccarello struggling and thus a part of why the Rangers were bad?