Hartnett: Little Big Man Zuccarello Is Now A Complete Player For Rangers

By Sean Hartnett
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Pound for pound, few NHL players get more out of their frame than Rangers winger Mats Zuccarello. The 5-foot-7 Norwegian is a tenacious ball of energy, making a seismic impact across 200 feet of ice.

His wholehearted style of play has a way of willing teammates to find an extra gear. It helps fuel the Rangers. Just ask alternate captain Dan Girardi.

"We feed off his energy out there," Girardi told WFAN.com. "He's always flying around and making big plays. We end up feeding off his game. There's not many guys like him. A small guy, but his skill level is through the roof. He sees the ice so well with his vision. He works hard on the backcheck, he blocks shots, he hits guys. He does a little bit of everything for us. That's what makes him successful."

There are bigger talkers inside the Rangers' dressing room and on the bench. Zuccarello likes to let his game do the talking. His way of leading is setting a tone on the ice, establishing a level of competitiveness for teammates to follow.

"We have a team that is full of great leaders. That's why we've been having success in the past couple of years," Zuccarello said.

That's not to say he isn't a talker. One thing Rangers fans love about Zuccarello is that he doesn't back down from anyone. They remember the times he's stood up to larger players in Alex Ovechkin, Alex Burrows, Trevor Lewis and T.J. Oshie. If an opponent gets in his face, he will give it right back -- both physically and verbally. He isn't intimidated by anyone.

"Sometimes I get a little too carried away," Zuccarello admitted. "I get a little chippy and stuff. Sometimes I can be a little (pain in the butt) out there. I'm just trying to help the team win."

The 28-year-old winger believes the biggest change in his game is playing more of a north-south style to compliment what many describe as all-world vision. Zuccarello can dish off game-changing passes from virtually anywhere on the ice. He will patiently hold the puck along the wall and backhand a pass directly to the tape of a teammate cutting to the crease, and he'll make the stretch pass that springs someone in the neutral zone.

"When I was younger, it was more dangles and passes," Zuccarello said. "Now, I'm more of a forechecker. I play more in straight lines now."

Through eight games, he has scored four goals and notched two assists.

"We knew when he came in he was a special player," Girardi said. "He can still make the east-west plays when he has to. He'll make the nice cross-ice pass. When he plays a simple game, north-south, things are going to open up for him cross-ice, then he can find some open ice and make some plays. He's simplifying his game, but he's also doing a lot for us."

Captain Ryan McDonagh recognizes the difference. Zuccarello will always be renowned for his natural creativity, an arsenal of one-on-one moves and excellent hand-eye coordination. What an older, matured Zuccarello gives the Rangers is a complete, end-to-end game.

"He was probably first brought in and noticed for his offensive skills -- his vision, his creativity with the puck, his ability to finish," McDonagh said. "We found out over the last couple of seasons how feisty he can be defensively and how important he is on that line when it comes to backchecking and back pressure and allowing the d-men to have the gap. He's come a long way since we first started with the Rangers together and it's great to see him have so much confidence."

The Oslo native cannot stand losing. He is absolutely driven to succeed for a Rangers team that was defeated in five games by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final and desperately could have used his presence during a seven-game Eastern Conference finals defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning in late May.

"If I lose, I've always been really bad," Zuccarello said. "I've always been like that."

Since the day he arrived, the Garden faithful have appreciated the diminutive winger's intensity and passion for the game. More than ever, he's playing a bigger, more effective game.

Follow Sean on Twitter @HartnettHockey