All-Star game is oldies night

A 19-year-old named Wayne Gretzky didn’t score any points in his first NHL All-Star game, in 1980, and he managed to withstand the disappointment and enjoy a fairly decent career.

So Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, the heir apparent to Gretzky’s Superman cape and also 19 in his All-Star debut, need not be panicked over his inability to light the red light or set up a goal for the East stars in their 12-9 loss to their West counterparts Wednesday at American Airlines Center.

“Twenty-one goals or something like that? It would have been nice, but it wasn’t meant to be,” Crosby said, smiling. “I had a few chances but it didn’t work out.”

He said his energy hadn’t been sapped by the busy pace he maintained this week, which sent him all over town to news conferences and promotional events. He knew, with a maturity beyond his years and a Gretzky-like grasp of his obligations, that the work he did the last few days off the ice might do more to help the game as a whole than if he’d scored a goal in the essentially meaningless game that was played Wednesday.

“I know how important all that stuff is,” he said. “I’m not going to complain at all.”

The biggest lesson he learned from his elders, he said, was “professionalism. They carry themselves with such class. They’re great role models.”

While Crosby was scoreless and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, touted as another of the league’s future standard-bearers, was held to one goal, the NHL’s older generation enjoyed its moment in the spotlight.

For the West, Joe Sakic, 37, recorded four assists to increase his total to 16 in 12 All-Star games and surpass the record of 14 that Mark Messier had set in 15 games. Teemu Selanne of the Ducks, 36, scored an unassisted goal in the first period. Minnesota’s Brian Rolston, 33, contributed two goals and two assists, and Phoenix’s Yanic Perreault, 35, scored two goals.

For the East, Daniel Briere of the Buffalo Sabres, 29, won most-valuable-player honors and a truck for his one-goal, four-assist performance. And Martin St. Louis of Tampa Bay, 31, scored the goal that tied the score, 2-2, in the first period.

“It’s like a wine,” Selanne said of the oldsters.

“Old eggs,” Perreault said.

But good eggs.

“Not bad,” Sakic said of his peers’ contributions. “I think we’re pretty fortunate, my generation. We’ve seen a lot of shootouts since we’ve been in these games. My first game was 11-8, I think. We’ve seen a lot of high-scoring games.”

And so will Crosby, Ovechkin and the other youngsters over time.

“They have a lot of talent,” Sakic said. “You know, a lot of people are nervous the first time they play in an All-Star game. I was nervous as heck.”

If Crosby and Ovechkin were jittery, Briere found himself the calmest member of the trio.

“With Sidney and Alex being the future faces of the NHL, I was kind of the other guy with the two,” Briere said. “But you know what, I didn’t care. I was just excited, first of all, to come to the All-Star game. To be named a starter was something very special.”

It was also memorable for West Coach Randy Carlyle of the Ducks. He participated in four All-Star games as a player, the last time in 1993, and he enjoyed his new perspective.

“These are special times that when you get older, you appreciate them a lot more,” said Carlyle, who clutched three autographed sticks he planned to bring home and auction for charity and kept a few score sheets for personal souvenirs.

For Selanne, who has played in 10 All-Star games, it’s about camaraderie and fun, although Carlyle jokingly said he planned to skate him extra hard in practice Friday.

The best thing, Selanne said, “is meeting other players, hanging around with them....That’s why it’s an honor to come here. It’s the value of the time you spend with the other players.

“As you get older, you think it might be the last one. Ten times, I was happy to come here and I’m thankful.”

For 33-year-old defenseman Philippe Boucher, whose fine season with the Stars has been tempered by his father’s battle with pancreatic cancer, Wednesday’s frolic was a welcome respite from real life.

“This is my first game, and I watched so many,” he said. “When I saw my name on the board [as a starter] I did a double look and I got pretty nervous.

“Hopefully, people enjoyed it. Hockey is a very intense game, with blocking and hitting and you don’t have that in an All-Star game. I’m sure Pittsburgh doesn’t want to lose Crosby and Colorado doesn’t want to lose Sakic.”

helene.elliott@latimes.com