Standing in the bowels of the RBC Center before the ceremony to honor Ron Francis, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman laughed when he was asked if he was in town to award the Triangle its long-awaited All-Star Game.

"Even if we had one to announce, we wouldn't take away from his night," said Bettman, representing the league.

The NHL awarded the 2007 event to Dallas last week, and both Phoenix and Atlanta are owed dates to make up for the games they lost to the Olympics this year and lockout last year.

That puts Raleigh reasonably far back in the queue for the game Bettman promised the Triangle back in 2001. But Bettman reiterated Friday that the RBC Center will get its chance -- eventually.

"We haven't focused on any time frame," Bettman said. "As part of the relaunch we're trying to get everything back on track. As I said in the announcement I made last week in Dallas, when we make a promise, we keep it. And we will bring an All-Star Game here."

Bettman did salute Francis' role in making hockey viable in North Carolina and as a "role model" for the NHL.

"If you focus on the statistics, he probably doesn't get enough credit as player on the ice," Bettman said. "The one word people tend to always use to describe him is 'class.' He gave this franchise a stature, a credibility, that a player like him represents. ...

"He had a truly spectacular career and he's always given of himself both on and off the ice. He's conducted himself with an elegance and style."

NO OLEG: The Canes were missing defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky with what the team described as an "upper-body injury" after he was cross-checked in the chest by Atlanta's Marian Hossa in the final minute of Thursday's 5-1 Carolina win over the Thrashers.

QUICK TRIP: With Matt Cullen (jaw) out at least two weeks and Cory Stillman (chest muscle strain) still unable to play Saturday, the Canes recalled Jesse Boulerice and Niklas Nordgren from Lowell (AHL).

Boulerice went down Thursday on a conditioning assignment, expecting to stay through Monday and play in three games. Instead, he returned after picking up a pair of assists in an 8-2 victory. Nordgren was sent down Sunday and had three goals and two assists in three games with the Lock Monsters.

REWIND: The RBC Center video crew assembled an impressive collection of taped tributes to Francis from current and former NHL players and broadcasters, including appearances by Gordie Howe, Paul Maurice and Jeff O'Neill.

Others who recorded tributes: Glen Wesley, Steve Yzerman, Dave Tippett, Al MacInnis, Martin Gelinas, Keith Tkachuk, Joe Sakic, Brian Leetch, Brendan Shanahan, Joe Thornton, Mike Modano, Markus Naslund, Jaroslav Svoboda, Rob Blake, Rod Brind'Amour, Tyler Wright, Luc Robitaille, Sami Kapanen, Greg Millen, Ray Whitney, Justin Williams, Mike Commodore, Tverdovsky, Eric Staal, Ulf Samuelsson, Gary Roberts, Peter Forsberg, Jarome Iginla, Joel Quenneville, Ray Ferraro, Terry Crisp, Chuck Kaiton, Bryan Trottier, Cam Neely, David Tanabe, Paul Kariya, Kevin McCarthy, Kevin Lowe, Tony Amonte, Byron Ritchie, Bill Guerin, Sean Hill, Erik Cole, John Forslund, Kevyn Adams and Stu Barnes.

And Jeremy Roenick: "Is it true? There's no way you're retiring."