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NEW YORK -- Hockey rarely gets much attention in Norway, a skiing-obsessed nation that turns to soccer when the snow melts. Mats Zuccarello is changing that. Zuccarello is only the seventh player from Norway to make it to the NHL, and hes the first to make it to the Stanley Cup finals. Now, "Zucca" has Norwegians staying up late to watch New York Rangers games and checking the stats to see if he scored. "A lot of Norwegians have fallen in love with Zuccarello," says Roy Kvatningen, sports editor for Norwegian online paper Nettavisen. "First and foremost because hes successful at what he does. He won the scoring title in Norway, he won the scoring title in Sweden, and now hes playing on the biggest stage in the world. "Hes also got a cool name and a good personality: confident, but down to earth." Former teammates of Zuccarello and his mother are being interviewed by Norwegian media. Downhill skier Kjetil Jansrud and players on the national soccer team have sent him congratulatory messages. In his fourth NHL season, all with the Rangers, Zuccarello notched 19 goals and 40 assists in 77 games. He added four goals and seven assists in 20 post-season games to help New York get to the finals for the first time in 20 years. "Some people, like my close family and friends that have been following me since I was young, are really excited," he said. "I told everyone its a huge opportunity for me to play, but at the same time nothing is won yet." The affable 26-year-old winger hopes his success will build up hockey at home, but he knows it will take a lot more than that. "I would love to be a role model for younger players back home and create some more buzz around hockey," he said. "Hopefully this can help. If I was Norwegian or not, I would be equally happy to play in the Stanley Cup finals." Norway finished last in the Sochi Olympic hockey tournament. Zuccarello believes a greater commitment is needed within the country before success outside of it can be reached. "We have 25 rinks. There is no ice in the rinks during the whole summer," he said. "... How are you supposed to be a good hockey player when you go four months with no ice?" Zuccarello says Norway hasnt made a commitment to hockey since Oslo hosted the 1952 Olympics. "Nothing," he said in a frustrated tone. "We have one new rink in Norway that is not from 52. They have renewed it a little bit, but our main rink in Oslo was built in 52, and thats not good enough. Its got to start from the top. Its going to cost money, but the government has money. Youve got to use it to get new rinks, get people excited to go to a hockey game with new seats. Norway is considered the "little brother" in hockey circles to Sweden and Finland. Sweden has 10 times as many rinks than Norway, Kvatningen said. Zuccarello was fortunate to attend a hockey-centric high school and then played three seasons in Norways elite league. From there he went to Modo in Swedens premier league before signing a free agent deal with the Rangers in 2010. He watched the Stanley Cup finals as a youngster in the early morning hours. The first one he recalls was the Colorado Avalanches victory over Florida in 1996 when he was 8. The Avalanche, with Swedish star Peter Forsberg, was Zuccarellos favourite team. They won that series in a four-game sweep -- ending it with Uwe Krupps goal in triple overtime. "I remember waking up. I was going to school, I turned on the TV and Uwe Krupp scored the overtime winner," Zuccarello said. "I didnt think it was live. I thought it was taped." He might be about to create a lot of sleepless nights for grown-ups and kids alike back home once this series against the Los Angeles Kings begins Wednesday. Family members and friends are planning to make the trip to New York to see him play live in Games 3 and 4. They will have to make room for other Norwegian tourists who are looking to make the trek, too. "I know already that more Norwegians have been travelling to New York to catch a game at Madison Square Garden," Kvatningen said. "Even if theyre not hockey fans, its a great experience for Norwegians to go over there and see a small Norwegian guy getting celebrated." Christian Pulisic Jersey . Needing to bulk up on both sides of the line, the Falcons agreed to terms with guard Jon Asamoah, defensive end Tyson Jackson and defensive tackle Paul Soliai. Asamoah and Jackson played last season with Kansas City, where Asamoah lost his starting job. Neven Subotic Jersey . Now, he might be their hottest pitcher. 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"Ive got a lot of work to do on this team and the sooner that I can get back to my office and start that work, itll be better," he said straight-faced as the rest of the room erupted in laughter.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Cleveland Cavaliers have been rolling with 10 straight wins and look to keep the momentum going Monday versus the visiting Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavaliers have won six in a row at home during the unbeaten run and recorded a 106-90 triumph over the Minnesota Timberwolves Saturday at Target Center. Kevin Love had 14 points and 17 rebounds in his return to the Twin Cities and received a fair share of boos every time he touched the ball. Love, of course, was traded to Cleveland in the offseason and was a fan favorite for the Wolves. It all went pretty well and we ended up getting a win, Love said of his return. LeBron James was 14-of-25 shooting for 36 points and Kyrie Irving scored 12 points for the Cavs, who have scored 100 or more points eight times in the winning streak. The Cavs had 52-35 advantage in rebounds and made 48.3 percent from the field. Cleveland has held its last eight opponents under 100 points and will play four of the next five games at Quicken Loans Arena, where it sports a 17-9 record this season. The 76ers enter Mondays game averaging and NBA-low 89.6 pointts per game and had a season high-tying two-game winning streak come to an end to the red-hot Atlanta Hawks.dddddddddddd In the 91-85 setback Saturday at Philips Arena, Michael Carter-Williams, Luc Mbah a Moute and Jerami Grant scored 13 points apiece. Nerlens Noel had 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which kept it close with a 32-point third quarter and followed with 19 in the fourth. We jumped into the physical side of the game in the second half, said Sixers coach Brett Brown. In the first half I thought we got jumped. We got caught off-guard. Philadelphia lost for the seventh time in the last nine tries. The 76ers hope to snap a six-game road losing streak Monday night and have a 5-20 mark away from home. On the injury front for the Sixers, Carter-Williams (ankle) is probable against the Cavaliers. Philadelphia topped Cleveland, 95-92, on Jan. 5 at Wells Fargo Center and received 18 points and 13 assists from Carter-Williams, ending a three-game skid in the series. Love led the James-less Cavs with 28 points and 19 rebounds. The Sixers and Cavaliers will meet again March 29 at the Q. 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