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Zuccarello salutes Rangers fans after warm ovation, tribute video

Minnesota Wild v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: Mats Zuccarello #36 of the Minnesota Wild waves the the crowd following a video tribute on his return to the Garden to play against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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However Mats Zuccarello felt about how the New York Rangers’ organization treated him on his way out via a trade, he knew Monday would be emotional as he returned to Madison Square Garden with the Minnesota Wild.

If he felt slighted by that parting, the reunion was pretty sweet. As you can see from the video below, Zuccarello watched on as the Rangers put together a nice tribute video, and the crowd provided an even nicer ovation. Henrik Lundqvist also saluted a player who became a good friend.

Here’s the video:

The best part might be the fans who wore shirts to spell out “ZUUC” letter by letter, although Zuccarello’s victory lap was nifty, too:

Minnesota Wild v New York Rangers

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 25: Fans celebrate the return of Mats Zuccarello #36 of the Minnesota Wild during the game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on November 25, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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James O’Brien is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.