Excitement was brewin' among 4

Bruins shut down defenseman Zdeno Chara (left) and Carolina's high-scoring forward Eric Staal were happy to be teammates instead of rivals for one night. (Gerry Broome/Associated Press)

ATLANTA - As it is every year, the score of last night's All-Star Game - was it 8-7? - quickly will be forgotten by competitors and fans.

But for the foursome from Boston, the weekend served as a social event that Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Tim Thomas, and Milan Lucic will remember for some time.

Before the game, Chara, Atlanta's Marian Hossa, and Minnesota's Marian Gaborik, the three Slovakians who dressed last night, posed for a picture at center ice.

"Besides the All-Star Game, we really don't see each other until the summer," said Chara. "We see each other maybe once a year. So it's really nice to catch up. It's really nice to talk about different things besides hockey. We are all from the same hometown and the same area."

Savard spent time with Hossa and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk, his former teammates. Thomas, who brought his wife, Melissa, and oldest daughter Kiley to Atlanta, had a chance to meet some old teammates - he played in Finland with Philadelphia's Kimmo Timonen in 1997-98 (IFK Helsinki) and Buffalo's Brian Campbell in 2004-05 (Jokerit) - and make some friendships with players he wasn't familiar with before.

"It was great getting to meet these other guys," said Thomas, who allowed four goals on 18 shots in the third period, all while chatting with CBC announcers via an earpiece and microphone. "I've played against them in the NHL for a couple years. But a lot of these guys, I've watched them on TV for years. It was great to meet them all. I'm a hockey player, but even as a hockey player, I was impressed at how nice the other hockey players are."

Lucic, who competed in the YoungStars Game Saturday, didn't play yesterday. But the 19-year-old pledged that after meeting his fellow up-and-comers as well as the veterans, he wants to make the All-Star Game a regular occasion.

In for life

All three NHL players with seemingly lifetime contracts competed last night: Rick DiPietro (15 years, $67.5 million), Philadelphia's Mike Richards (12 years, $69 million), and Washington's Alex Ovechkin (13 years, $124 million).

"In the salary cap system, with the young guys you want to keep around long-term, the best thing to do is to lock them up," said DiPietro. "I've wanted to retire as an Islander, so when the opportunity came up, I jumped for it."

The Bruins have two players signed to five-year contracts: Chara and Patrice Bergeron. No Bruin under contract has performed well enough to merit a 10-year-plus extension.

"My own view - but I don't run a team - is that I would think shorter contracts are better in terms of flexibility because if your commitments are too long and too large and you didn't make the right judgments, that could severely impact what your team's ability to compete is," said commissioner Gary Bettman.

"Having said that, if it's within the system, all monies are accounted for, and from the operation of the system, it's not a problem. It's really going to come down to - and time will tell on this - whether or not these judgments turn out to be right for a particular player and a particular team."

That's Staal, folks

Carolina's Eric Staal, who served as Savard's right wing for most of the game, was named Most Valuable Player. Staal, a natural center, recorded two goals and one assist, notching a helper on Savard's winner. "Staal was great to have on the wing," said Savard. "He was really working hard on the boards and forechecking hard. I think he was getting angry at one point when I turned away." Staal was presented with a 2008 Dodge Journey. "I was saying to the guys on the ice that if I do give it to my parents, I would for sure be the favorite of the family for at least a little while," said Staal, whose brothers Jordan (Penguins) and Marc (Rangers) play in the NHL . . . For once, Chara didn't lead his team in ice time. Chara (21:20) trailed Campbell (23:19) . . . Kovalchuk and Phoenix's Ed Jovanovski were credited with the game's only hits. No penalties were called . . . Five players had to wear a different number: Richards, who wore No. 10 (his usual No. 18 was claimed by Hossa), Ottawa's Jason Spezza, who wore No. 9 (New York's Scott Gomez took No. 19), Gaborik, who wore No. 9 (No. 10 worn by Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff), San Jose's Joe Thornton, who wore No. 97 (Nashville's Jason Arnott had No. 19), and Anaheim's Corey Perry, who claimed No. 18 instead of his usual No. 10 . . . Seven captains of their respective clubs played: Chara (Boston), Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay), Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa), Nicklas Lidstrom (Detroit), Jarome Iginla (Calgary), Arnott, and Chris Pronger (Anaheim) . . . Lecavalier and Iginla, captains of the East and West clubs, dropped the gloves in a famous flareup during the 2004 Stanley Cup final. "He got in a lot of rib shots," cracked Lecavalier . . . It was Lidstrom's 10th All-Star appearance, the most of any player appearing last night . . . Bettman said there has been expansion interest from parties in Las Vegas, Seattle, and Winnipeg. "We are talking to people about their interests, but nothing more formal than that," said Bettman . . . The Bruins return to action tomorrow against Nashville (25-20-1-4) at TD Banknorth Garden. "We've got character and hard work in the room," said Arnott. "It's paying off right now."

Fluto Shinzawa can be reached at FShinzawa@globe.com.