Jan 11, 2016 By John Mehno for The 3 min read

PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby was not chosen for the NHL All-Star game, to be played on Jan. 31 in Nashville.

There was a time when his exclusion would have been considered unthinkable.

But Crosby has had a slow start and other stars have emerged, so nobody thinks that much of it.

That probably includes Crosby.

In the past he’s done his best to avoid the All-Star festivities. The NHL made a mistake with Crosby when it made him the sole face of the league.

That played well in Pittsburgh, not so much in other outposts.

Fans in other cities felt like they were having Crosby forced upon them. Places like Philadelphia and Washington were already inclined to be hostile, given those teams’ rivalry with the Penguins.

The Penguins were chosen for network games so often that fans in other places moaned that NBC stood for “Nobody But Crosby.”

It’s hard to blame the league. Crosby was highly marketable, a skilled young player unburdened by both attitude and tattoos. He sits through every interview and if he isn’t exactly candid, he’s also never rude.

He’s heard some of the dumbest questions ever asked, and he’s never succumbed to the temptation to reply, “That’s the dumbest question I’ve ever been asked.”

Crosby is unfailingly polite.

That makes for a good spokesman, but it’s an unfair burden to put on one player.

The NHL should learn from the experience.

Promote a group of young players rather than having just one carry the load of promoting the league.

Crosby will get the All-Star weekend off. That “slight” should please him rather than offend him.

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The end of the Steelers’ playoff game in Cincinnati last Saturday looked like something from the NHL in the 1970s.

There was chaos — players injured by cheap shots, officials desperately trying to regain control of the game, debris being flung from the stands.

People used to ridicule the NHL for that kind of spectacle, and rightly so.

The league cleaned up its act to some degree. The first — and most important step — was the elimination of bench-clearing brawls through tougher rules.

As hockey has evolved, fighting has diminished. Very few teams carry a tough guy to sit in the middle of the bench and serve as a deterrent. There’s no real need to waste a roster spot.

Undoubtedly there are some fans who get wistful thinking about the old days of mayhem, but the game is immeasurably better since skill has replaced mindless violence.

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It’s been awfully quiet when it comes to any developments about the sale of the franchise.

Does that mean interest has been limited, or is this another case of a secretive ownership group keeping a lid on news?

The issue does matter. If and when new owners take over, it won’t be business as usual.

The first matter to be decided will be the future of general manager Jim Rutherford.

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Looks like Rutherford did a good job of undoing one of Ray Shero’s biggest mistakes as GM.

Even though the Penguins are still on the hook for part of Rob Scuderi’s salary, they improved when they sent him to Chicago for defenseman Trevor Daley.