She's a hot young star - one of the hottest in Hollywood, even.

She's got a hit TV show (Heroes), a half dozen movie credits to her name, and a new album (produced by J.R. Rotem) due out this May.

So what the frick is Hayden Panettiere doing in an NHL commercial?

A good question. One can understand the 17-year-old starlet's confusion - and subsequent anger at her agent - when she learned she'd be promoting this lame sports league....

An NFL ad with Tom Brady would be something. But the NHL? After all, the girl's career is on the rise here. You could say Hayden is like the anti-Britney Spears.

She can't be showing her face in an ad for a league that averages less than a third of the viewers of Heroes for a typical game. Can she? Who knows. Maybe it's punishment for being seen out with Rumer Willis. That's, like, career suicide.