from Rob Oiler of the Columbus Dispatch,

The NBA benefits from the marketing power of LeBron James, while Rob Gronkowski brings appreciated levity to the super-serious NFL. The NHL would profit from having similar high-profile athletes.

This is more lament than lecture. More sigh than solution. One cannot simply wave a wand and create the next Gordie Howe or Chris Chelios. That said, with the All-Star game coming up, it would be nice to see a few more familiar names with big personalities among the NHL talent.

Or maybe they’re out there and we just don’t know it? That is the case presented by former NHL players-turned-broadcasters Ray Ferraro and Eddie Olczyk, who mentioned Patrick Kane and the hirsute Brent Burns as players who should be attracting more attention.

“Brent Burns is an absolute character in San Jose,” Ferraro said. “If he were in New York people would go crazy over him.”

Olczyk is enamored with Kane, describing him as “a superstar who is an American kid.”

Then there is Connor McDavid, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2015 draft who was attracting attention before breaking a collarbone on Nov. 3.

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