Ah, the power of television.

Never has it been more evident than with how it affects the National Hockey League.

The NHLis filled with young stars these days — but few people know about them.

The NHLhas returned to a flashy, wide-open style that accentuates those stars — but nobody knows about them.

The NHLAll-Star Game was played Wednesday night, a wild 12-9 affair that would have been quite entertaining to see — for people who could actually see it.

The game was carried on Versus. That's not the poetry network. It's the network that carries NHLgames on a regular basis.

Hockey has fallen so far below the national radar that if there's not a franchise in your city, you may not know the NHLis still in business.

Actually, the sport itself is alive and well. Young stars are all over this league. Here's a quiz for Joe Sports Fan:

• Who do Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier play for?

• Who does Dany Heatley play for?

• Who does Marian Hossa play for?

• Who does Daniel Briere play for?

• Who does Ideno Chara play for?

St. Louis, Lecavalier, Heatley and Hossa all scored 30 or more goals by the all-star break. St. Louis and Lecavalier play for Tampa Bay, Heatley plays for Ottawa and Hossa plays for Atlanta.

If you are a Penguins season ticket holder or regularly attend games at Mellon Arena, you may have known that.

Otherwise, I bet you didn't.

Briere was the MVPof the All-Star Game, scoring a goal and adding four assists. He plays for the Buffalo Sabres.

Chara is a 6-foot-9 defenseman for the Boston Bruins and is the tallest player in NHLhistory.

Another note on Briere:He began the All-Star Game on the same line as the Penguins' Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin. Those two guys are considered the league's next Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux.

People knew who Gretzky and Lemieux were, of course. They got decent exposure through television.

Crosby is only 19 and leads the NHL in scoring with 72 points. If a 19-year-old led the NBAin scoring or won a batting title in baseball, the entire sporting world would know who he is.

How many TV commercials has young NBAphenom LeBron James done?

How many commercials has young NHLphenom Crosby done?

Call him what you like — Sid the Kid, the Wizard of Cros — Crosby has gotten his just due in Pittsburgh as a sporting superstar. In Canada, however, he's already a national hero.

Anywhere outside of Pittsburgh in the United States, Crosby can walk into any restaurant he desires and nobody is going to turn a head in his direction.

That's a nice thing for a player looking to enjoy a peaceful dinner on a night away from the rink.

It's a horrible thing for the NHLwhen he is supposed to be the league's poster child for its next generation of superstars.