So much for not being a distraction. By snubbing the All-Star Game, Washington Capitals star Alexander Ovechkin was a hot topic on media day Friday.

"You should be here," said Toronto Maple Leafs winger Joffrey Lupul. "If you are chosen to come here, you should probably be here. It's big. Even if it's not that big an honour for you, it's important for the NHL and this weekend is more about the fans than the players. I'm happy to be here. This whole weekend is centred around the fan. Ovechkin doesn't want to come, but with Crosby out, he's probably the biggest name in hockey. It would have been nice for him to be here."

The Senators' Jason Spezza was a bit more diplomatic, but he, too, felt that Ovechkin should have made an appearance. Ovechkin passed on the game, saying he didn't deserve to be at the game because he was suspended by the league for three games earlier in the week.

"My personal view is that it's a huge honour and something that, as a kid, I watched and enjoyed," he said. "Whenever I get the opportunity, I jump at it, but you never want to comment on other people's situations and what they're going through, but for me, it's a no brainer."

TORTORELLA JUST A FAN

For one day, at least, New York Rangers coach John Tortorella won't be chirping at his players or the referees. Tortorella, who will be coaching Team Alfredsson in Sunday's game, says he will have no impact whatsover, claiming he will serve as nothing more than a fan behind the bench.

He says he won't even be involved in making any line combinations.

"It's their deal," said Tortorella. "They'll put the guys together and we'll try to enjoy the talent that's out there. I will just get out of the way. It needs to be about them. I'm anxious to watch them. I want to watch."

GIRARDI GETS HIS DUE

Tortorella also paid the ultimate compliment to Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi, saying that if it wasn't for Girardi's game, he probably wouldn't be in Ottawa as an all-star coach. The honour went to the coaches of the conference-leading teams, and Tortorella says Girardi's impact on the Rangers' success can't be overstated. At the same time, he says the skills that make him so successful - blocking shots, clearing bodies, shutting down opponents any way possible - don't translate well into a wideopen All-Star Game.

"This isn't a great game for him, by any stretch, and they could probably put him at forward," the Rangers' coach said. "I think sometimes our league forgets about players like that. It restores a little faith that the league stepped up and where credit was deserved, gave it to him. It's not just pedigree. It's about what he has done on the ice (this year)."

JULIEN IMPRESSED

Boston Bruins coach Claude Julien, who grew up in Orléans, is excited, but not surprised that Ottawa has put on such a great show this weekend. In many ways, he has seen the development of the Senators first hand. "The (Senators) came to Ottawa the year I retired and I thought it was a big deal," said Julien, who went on to have tremendous success as coach of the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. "It gave me the opportunity to stay close to the NHL. In the first couple of years, I played a few games with the Senators Alumni. I thought the city very capable of supporting it and they've showed it over the years. Now you look today and there's an All-Star Game here, and a lot of things have happened here that they should be proud of."

DATSYUK NO. 1, CHARA SAYS

If you ask Zdeno Chara who the NHL's best player is, he won't say Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin or Jonathan Toews. In his eyes, the tag belongs to Pavel Datsyuk, which explains why he chose him first overall in Thursday's fantasy draft. "His talent is probably as good as anybody's," said Chara. "He's a guy who plays the game the right way, both ways, and he's willing to work extremely hard, whatever his team needs. He's underrated in terms of how strong he is on his skates. I think he weighs about 190 pounds, but a lot of times, he plays like a 220-, 230-pound guy. He's so hard to get off the puck."

FULL CIRCLE FOR CAMPBELL

One player who will be hearing his fair share of applause this weekend will be Florida defenceman Brian Campbell, who had a storied career with the 67's, winning the Memorial Cup in 1998-99.

To be able to return to Ottawa for the All-Star Game is special, he said.

"It's kind of like full circle," he said. "I won a Memorial Cup here, played four years of junior for a Hall of Fame coach (Brian Kilrea) - it was a lot of fun. It's great to be back, to see some old faces and the fans.I feel pretty honoured to be here."

TO QUEBEC CITY, ANYONE?

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has always been a glass-is-half-full kind of guy in discussing the state of the league's fragile franchises, but even he has opened the door for the Phoenix Coyotes to finally leave Arizona. "We're going to try to avoid a move of the Coyotes, but if we don't sell the club, I'm not sure that this won't be the last season here," Bettman said during his radio show Thursday.

More: See an expanded version of this notes package at ottawacitizenallstar.com