Haaland and Norway Boss Solbakken Take in Stanley Cup Final: 'Unreal Atmosphere'

Several members of the Norway men's national team and coach Stale Solbakken seized a surprise chance to watch Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday morning CET.

'This would hardly have been possible without a player on the team who has a name that sounds better than that of the equipment manager', said national team coach Stale Solbakken to nrk.no when asked how the visit came about.

In addition to Solbakken, Erling Braut Haaland, Sander Berge, Jorgen Strand Larsen, and Leo Skiri Ostigaard travelled from Greensboro, where the Norwegian national team is based, to the state capital Raleigh, where the match took place.

The ice hockey arena in North Carolina has a capacity of 18,700 spectators and is promoted as 'the loudest house in the NHL'.

'I know Thoresen senior and junior (Petter, Norwegian national team manager, and Patrick, sports manager) and chatted with them on the way here. I got tactical advice on what to look out for. But I don't think it helped', said Solbakken, laughing.

'The atmosphere was the highlight for me, it was unreal', he added.

The Norwegians are set to train in Greensboro until early next week, when they will head to Foxborough, Massachusetts, for the opening match against Iraq on Wednesday night.

National team coach Stale Solbakken has previously stated that the players have 'freedom with responsibilities' during their stay in the USA.