WHISTLER, B.C. -- You can't force chemistry, but you can create an environment where it thrives.
If that's the case, then consider the Stars smack dab in the middle of the Petri dish right now.
Dallas structured a team-building run through Western Canada to coincide with a five-game road trip. Interspersed between games in Denver, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Winnipeg are side trips to Whistler and Kelowna in British Columbia.
The sojourns allow not only some "players' only" bonding like Saturday's rookie dinner, but also practices in rinks that call back to the players' younger days.