ADAM'S THE APPLE

Is Adam Burish the real Stars MVP?

He might be. They sure don't win without him.

If you include the game at Boston, the one in which he had his orbital bone broken, the Stars record is a dismal 1-10 when he isn't in uniform. And the one victory was that Shootout rally over his former team, the Blackhawks.

He won't be back in the lineup until next week at the earliest due to his current "lower body injury" so, yikes.

Why is he seemingly so important? It just goes to show how important the core is, whether it's a hockey lineup or your own body. A strong core keeps everything in alignment and Burish is a six-pack of abs for this group; verbally, mentally, physically and metaphorically.

This is "crunch" time, I hope someone else has been doing theirs.