It Was a Great Week, at Least Until Game Began

Is it really necessary to have an All-Star game in All-Star week?

The activities at the NHL FANtasy exposed more kids to hockey, the SuperSkills competition on Friday showcased the talents of the league’s best players.

Then came the game itself.

If this were an audition, the NHL wouldn’t get a callback.

The NHL wanted to increase interest in the sport in the Southland and figured an injection of star power could help. But the All-Star game at Staples Center on Saturday didn’t accomplish all its objectives.

Forget about a showcase for the world’s fastest game. At times it looked as if the players were going through the motions--as in slow-motion replays.

And there’s an unwritten rule that you don’t hit anybody in All-Star games. Taking the checking out of hockey is like taking the teeth from a tiger. Aside from one good blow delivered by Jeremy Roenick, Saturday’s game, an 8-5 victory for the World team against the North Americans, had all the edge of a crossing guard leading students across the street.

Veteran All-Star attendees said Los Angeles never generated the buzz they’ve seen take over other cities when the NHL comes to town. I’ve seen more local media turn out for a Laker-Clipper game.

From the sound of things, the crowd at Staples Center consisted of the same loyal group that usually shows up at King games. They cheered for King representatives Ziggy Palffy and Jaroslav Modry. They booed self-exiled King Rob Blake of the Colorado Avalanche. They roared when the video screen showed Bob Miller, the voice of the Kings.

As for the rest of L.A.--somehow I don’t get the feeling the masses turned down a lovely winter day to sit in front of the television for this one.

So think of it as a reward to the dedicated hockey fans. For instance, this was the first time Mario Lemieux played in Los Angeles since he retired after the 1997-98 season. He even scored a goal. That’s the equivalent of the Mona Lisa coming to the local art museum.

The best thing about this game was it featured a healthy dose of Teemu Selanne. He’s everything I like about hockey. Exciting player, good guy. And if you pay attention to him, you’ll find out what’s wrong with hockey, too.

First, the good. Selanne scored two goals in the first period. He also had two breakaways and one other clean shot in the game. Whenever he has the puck and a scoring chance, your heart starts pounding a little harder.

When he played for the Mighty Ducks he provided hope for hockey in the Southland because he fit in so well. If a guy from Finland could come here and be so comfortable, maybe the sport could blend in also.

“I like warm weather and I like the situation that you can go pretty much anywhere and people didn’t recognize you,” Selanne said. “I’m a big fan of California.”

He’s still in California, only now he plays up north after the Mighty Ducks traded him to the San Jose Sharks last season. Now Paul Kariya is the only star left in Anaheim, and all the team has to show for the Selanne trade are Steve Shields and Jeff Friesen--a backup goalie and (at the moment) third-line winger. And the franchise is floundering at the turnstiles.

Bad stuff for a franchise that used to represent the league’s growth potential. Then there was the overall tone of these comments from Selanne on Saturday:

“All in all in the NHL, I don’t think the hockey is as much fun as it used to be,” Selanne said. “But [the] All-Star game is always fun. Everybody has [a] good attitude here. They are so happy here.”

Anywhere around Selanne is usually the Happiest Place on Earth. When he starts saying the league is losing its fun quotient, that’s worth noting.

“The game has changed,” Selanne said. “They used to have more fun, more fun in the practice. The game is tougher, the traveling ... and when you have done it a long time, it’s hard to really get excited sometimes. That’s why I respect those guys who have been in the league such a long time and night after night they find a way to get excited and get the job done.”

For a goal-scorer like Selanne, the problems include:

“More defense. More physical,” he said. “We were just talking about it, the guys. We were still trying to enjoy the game, but it’s not the same [as] it used to be.”

You get the feeling there would be faster progress if Commissioner Gary Bettman would publicly acknowledge the league has its problems.

The television ratings are still infomercial-low, but all he cares about is that they’re up 36%.

Bettman hears only what he wants to hear, which is the positive. It’s like a movie studio that plucks the one line of praise from a bad review and quotes it in an advertisement.

On Friday, Lemieux said: “I think we should try to create a little bit more offense, excitement. But I think we’ve come a long way in the last couple years.

“Having said that, I think we still have a long way to go.”

When those comments were relayed to Bettman, he highlighted that Lemieux said: “We’ve come a long way.”

The NHL gets another chance for positive exposure during the upcoming Olympics. Instead of simply trying to avoid injury, the players will be actively pursuing a gold medal.

“That game out there [the All-Star game] is not really a game,” Selanne said. “It’s nothing compared with what the Olympics will be.”

Saturday in Los Angeles wasn’t a hockey feast. It felt more like an appetizer for Salt Lake City.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com.