Marty Turco

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Lore & Background

Turco played minor hockey for the S.S. Marie Legion program and was undrafted by the OHL. He signed with the Cambridge Winterhawks Jr. B. team in 1992, then played college hockey at the University of Michigan, winning two NCAA championships. He was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 1994 NHL entry draft. After graduating, he played for Dallas' IHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings, and was named IHL Rookie of the Year in 1999. He became the Stars' starting goaltender in 2002–03, setting a modern NHL record with a 1.72 GAA. He played for the Stars until 2010, then signed with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2010–11 season. He later played for EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and signed with the Boston Bruins in March 2012. He played for Team Canada at the 2002 World Championship, won a silver medal in 2005 (did not play), and was a third goalie at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He also played for Canada at the 2011 Spengler Cup.

In Their Own Story

The 2007 playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks became a showcase for Turco's resilience. After dropping Game 3 in overtime on a Taylor Pyatt one-timer and losing Game 4 on a Trevor Linden game-winner, the Stars faced elimination. In Game 5, Turco earned his second career playoff shutout in a 1–0 overtime win, with Brenden Morrow scoring the game's only goal 6:22 into the first overtime period. Turco followed with his third shutout of the series in a 2–0 Game 6 win. The series ended in Game 7 on April 23, 2007, when the Canucks scored four unanswered goals to break Turco's shutout streak at 165 minutes and 45 seconds, with Trevor Linden again scoring the eventual game-winner in the second period. The three shutouts posted by Turco in that series represent a record amount of shutouts in a single playoff series, a mark that has been tied by Martin Brodeur, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, and Michael Leighton.

Reader's Guide

Turco is known for his puck-handling prowess; Don Cherry called him 'the smartest goalie in the NHL.' He holds the Dallas Stars franchise records for most wins (262), most shutouts (40), most games played (509), most minutes played (29,065), most assists by a goalie (22), and lowest GAA in a season (1.72 in 2002–03). He also holds the NHL record for most shutouts in a playoff series (3 in 2007), tied with several other goaltenders. He worked as an analyst for NHL Network after the 2011 playoffs.

Did You Know?

• Turco set a modern NHL record with a 1.72 goals against average in 2002–03.
• He recorded three shutouts in a single playoff series in 2007, a record tied by Martin Brodeur, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, and Michael Leighton.
• Turco is the Dallas Stars' all-time leader in games played by a goaltender (509).
• He won two NCAA championships at the University of Michigan.