Marty Turco

Marty Vincent Turco was born on August 13, 1975, in Canada. He played goalie in the NHL for 11 seasons, spending nine of those with the Dallas Stars and one each with the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. Known for his skill with the puck, Don Cherry once called him the smartest goalie in the league. Today, Turco works as an in-studio analyst for the NHL Network.

Early career

Turco started in minor hockey with the S.S. Marie Legion program in his hometown. He wasn’t drafted by the OHL, so at 17 he signed with the Cambridge Winterhawks Jr. B. team in 1992. After two seasons in the OHA, he took an NCAA scholarship to play for the University of Michigan in the CCHA, where he won two national championships.

The Dallas Stars picked him in the fifth round of the 1994 NHL draft, and he played for Michigan that fall. During his four years there, he earned Rookie of the Year in 1995, Tournament MVP in 1998, and spots on 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, he joined Dallas’s IHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings, and was named IHL Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Dallas Stars (2000–2010)

After two seasons with the K-Wings, Turco became the backup to Ed Belfour in Dallas. He spent two years learning behind Belfour. Following the 2001–02 season, the Stars made Turco their starter and let Belfour sign with Toronto. In his first starting season, 2002–03, Turco posted a 1.72 goals-against average, a modern NHL record at the time (later broken by Miikka Kiprusoff).

He played in the All-Star Game that year, made the second All-Star team, and finished second in Vezina Trophy voting behind Martin Brodeur. His .932 save percentage led the league. But the Stars lost to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2003 playoffs.

The next season, Turco again played and started in the All-Star Game, but Dallas fell to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. In 2005–06, he won a career-high 41 games, including eight in shootouts, but the Stars again lost to the Avalanche in five games. On April 13, 2007, Turco recorded his first playoff shutout against the Vancouver Canucks, tying the series 1–1. After the game, he said, “We know we can beat these guys here [Vancouver], or at home, or anywhere.” The Stars lost Game 3 at home in overtime, 2–1, on a goal by Taylor Pyatt.