Marty Turco is best remembered for his many Hall-of-Fame worthy seasons for the Dallas Stars. He was a three-time All-Star for the Stars, and was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy in 2003. While he is most memorable for his time in Dallas, he also had a stop in Chicago with the Blackhawks, half of a season overseas in Salzburg, and a short stint with the Boston Bruins to wrap up his career.
Turco was born on Aug. 13, 1975 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He went undrafted in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft, and wound up signing with the Cambridge Winterhawks B team. Following two seasons in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA), he entered the NHL Draft where he was drafted 124th overall by the Stars in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.
Turco, however, decided to attend the University of Michigan where he played for four years. With the Wolverines, he never lost more than 10 games per season and he also won more than 30 games each season, except his first where he won 27. After playing for Michigan for four years, Turco stayed in Michigan, but went west and signed his first professional contract – joining the Stars’ International Hockey League (IHL) affiliate in western Michigan, the Kalamazoo Wings.
After two years with the Wings, Turco was called up to the NHL and served as a backup to Ed Belfour. Turco served as backup for two years before being named the starter following the 2001-02 season when Belfour signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs. To say Turco took advantage of being the number-one netminder is putting it mildly.
Turco’s Numbers Speak for Themselves
In his first season as starting goaltender, he set an NHL record with a 1.72 goals against average (GAA). The record stood for one season before it was broken the following season by Calgary Flames’ goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. The number still stands today as lowest GAA by a Stars goalie.
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While his numbers are impressive, he has yet to be inducted in the Stars’ Hall of Fame.
Turco’s Time After Dallas
Following his in Dallas, Turco spent a season with the Blackhawks, serving as the backup to Corey Crawford, before playing overseas in Salzburg with a player option to opt out of the deal if offered an NHL contract. Following an injury to starting netminder Tuukka Rask, the Bruins signed Tuco to a one-year deal.
Turco’s time with Boston was short and he played in just five games (four starts). He held a record of 2-2-0, while posting a 3.68 GAA and .855 save percentage. Because he was signed after the trade deadline, he was not eligible to play in the playoffs and subsequently retired after the season.
While his time with the Bruins may have been brief, he served as a valuable backup in the time he was there keeping them afloat as the regular season came to a close. Boston was knocked out of the playoffs in the first round by the Washington Capitals in seven games.
What is Turco Up To Now?
Following his playing career, Turco has since joined NHL Network’s “On The Fly” as an analyst and has frequently been on the telecasts for Stars games, specifically playoff games.
In addition to working with NHL Network, Turco also co-founded Kingsville Brewery, a small brewery based out of southwestern Ontario, with his cousin Mark Muzzin. They also operated a restaurant called Taphouse 127, a nod to his NCAA-record win total with the Wolverines, up until recently.
While Turco’s legacy lies in NCAA hockey lies in Ann Arbor with Michigan, and his NHL legacy will mostly be known for his time with Dallas, some in the northeastern portion of the country remember him as the goalie that came in and kept the Bruins season afloat going into the 2011-12 season.
