Haaland enjoys Stanley Cup Final game before World Cup debut

Days before his World Cup debut, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and several of his Norway teammates took a chance to relax at game five of the NHL Stanley Cup Final on Thursday.

A smiling Haaland waved to Carolina Hurricanes fans when he and his teammates were shown on the giant scoreboard screens at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

As they cheered, the 25-year-old Manchester City striker enthusiastically twirled a small Hurricanes rally towel handed out to fans by the home team, who came into the contest tied with the Las Vegas Golden Knights at 2-2 in the best-of-seven championship series.

Haaland is playing his first World Cup, leading a Norway team that’s back in the tournament for the first time since 1998.

They open their campaign against Iraq on Tuesday in Boston and will also face Senegal and France in Group I.

But their World Cup base camp is in Greensboro, North Carolina, about 80 miles from Raleigh and Thursday’s game was a chance to take in some elite ice hockey.

The sport has gained prominence in the Nordic nation with Norway’s upset victory over Canada in the World Championships bronze medal match in Switzerland in May.