from Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet,

- Obviously, the biggest absence was Sidney Crosby’s. There’s a legit injury here, and, as any player will tell you, a five-day break is the best time to get a shot for it.

There’s also Evgeni Malkin’s unavailability, making the captain’s health even more important. But a few of the All-Stars admitted it surprised them, since he came when injured before the 2009 event in Montreal and handles meet-and-greets so well. They suspected it may have had to do with his not being selected as one of the draft captains.

Don’t know if Crosby was upset, or it was someone from the Penguins or his entourage, but it caught the NHL and NHLPA by surprise. They had no idea. Think about it: announcement he won’t be there, followed less than 24 hours later by a detailed explanation of his injury? Didn’t add up to the players.

- I have never seen a player as angry about an All-Star Game performance as Marc-Andre Fleury. He was seething after being lit up for seven goals and getting the Bronx cheer from the Columbus crowd.

Fleury asked both Roberto Luongo and Carey Price about leaving before his period ended, and gritted his teeth during a third-period bench interview. He was a good sport about it, and remember, opponents don’t get booed because they are bad.

- If the NHL does not go to South Korea, one of the rumoured replacement possibilities is putting the World Juniors there as a one-time phenomenon.

The United States is the host, with Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Tampa among interested bidders. While addressing the Professional Hockey Writers Association, USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean said the idea had been mentioned informally, but did not seem a likely scenario.

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