Marty Turco

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Marty Turco bigraphy, stories - Canadian ice hockey player

Marty Turco : biography

August 13, 1975 –

Marty Turco (born August 13, 1975) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played 11 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played nine seasons with the Dallas Stars and one season each with the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Because of his puckhandling prowess, Canadian hockey personality Don Cherry named Turco: "the smartest goalie in the NHL.". Turco is also an in-studio analyst at NHL Network.

Equipment

Turco is known for his use of Reebok’s Revoke series, from which he has a glove, blocker, and leg pads. He uses bold colors from the team he was with, (Gold with Dallas, red with Chicago, and sport gold with Boston).

Awards

NCAA

  • 1994-95, CCHA Rookie Of The Year, Michigan Wolverines
  • 1995-96, CCHA Championship, Michigan
  • 1995-96, NCAA National Championship, Michigan
  • 1996-97, CCHA Championship, Michigan

NHL

  • 2000-01, Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, Dallas Stars
  • 2002-03, Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award, Dallas
  • 2002-03, NHL Second All-Star Team, Dallas
  • 2004-05, Silver Medal, IIHF World Championships, Team Canada
  • 2006-07, "First Star of the Week" (October 4–15), Dallas

Playing career

Early career

Unlike most Canadians in the NHL, Turco did not play major junior hockey, instead playing for the University of Michigan, with whom he won two NCAA championships.

After playing minor hockey for the S.S. Marie Legion program in his hometown, Turco was undrafted by the Ontario Hockey League. He signed as a 17-year old with the Cambridge Winterhawks Jr.B. team in 1992 and played two seasons with the OHA team before accepting an NCAA scholarship at U. Michigan (CCHA).

He was drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Dallas Stars, and went on to play for Michigan that fall. Turco earned many awards in his four years at Michigan, including Rookie of the Year in 1995, Tournament MVP in 1998, and nominations to the First All-Star team in 1997, the Second All-Star Team in 1998, and the All-Tournament Team in 1996 and 1998. After graduating, Turco went to play for Dallas’s IHL affiliate, the Michigan K-Wings. In 1999, he was named IHL Rookie of the Year.

After two years playing for the K-Wings, Turco was given the opportunity to be a backup for Ed Belfour in Dallas. He spent the next two years in Dallas gaining experience as the backup. After the 2001–2002 season, Dallas decided to make Turco the starting goaltender, allowing Belfour to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Dallas Stars

In his first year as the starting goaltender, 2002–03, Turco’s goals-against average of 1.72 set a modern NHL record. (Miikka Kiprusoff broke Turco’s record the next season with a 1.69 goals against average.) Turco played in the NHL All-Star Game during the season and was named to the Second All-Star Team following the season, finishing second in Vezina Trophy voting as well (behind Martin Brodeur). His .932 save percentage was also best in the NHL that year. However, he was unable to lead the Stars past the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Western Conference semi-finals.

During the 2003–04 season, Turco continued to give the Stars quality goaltending, again playing (and starting) in the All-Star Game. However, when the Stars played the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, Turco struggled, receiving blame from some for the Stars’ losing the series in five games.

In the 2005–06 season, Turco won a career-best 41 games, 8 of them in shootouts. Turco’s experience in the 2006 playoffs was similar to the prior season, again losing in five games to the Avalanche.

On April 13, 2007, in the Stars first and only playoff series of the 2006–07 season, Turco recorded his first ever playoff shutout against the Vancouver Canucks to tie the series 1–1. After the game, he stated, "We know we can beat these guys here [Vancouver], or at home, or anywhere."