Marty Turco

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Lore & Background

Turco's path to the NHL was unconventional. Undrafted by the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he played Jr. B hockey before accepting an NCAA scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he won two NCAA championships. Drafted in the fifth round of the 1994 NHL entry draft by the Dallas Stars, Turco spent two years with Dallas' IHL affiliate, the Kalamazoo Wings, where he was named IHL Rookie of the Year in 1999. He then spent two seasons as backup to Ed Belfour before Dallas made him the starter for the 2002–03 season. That year, Turco's 1.72 GAA set a modern NHL record, and his .932 save percentage was best in the NHL. He finished second in Vezina Trophy voting behind Martin Brodeur. In the 2007 playoffs, Turco recorded three shutouts in a single series against the Vancouver Canucks, a record he shares with several other goaltenders. He became the Stars' franchise all-time leader in games played by a goaltender on January 15, 2009, surpassing Cesare Maniago's record of 420. Turco also holds franchise records for wins (262), shutouts (40), and most minutes played by a goaltender (29,065).

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's style was defined by exceptional puck-handling ability. Don Cherry called him "the smartest goalie in the NHL" due to this prowess. His aggressive play with the puck often helped the Stars transition quickly out of their own zone. In his first year as the starting goaltender, 2002–03, Turco's GAA of 1.72 set a modern NHL record, though Miikka Kiprusoff broke it the next season with a 1.69 GAA. Turco played in the NHL All-Star Game that season and was named to the second All-Star team. He also played in the All-Star Game during the 2003–04 season. In the 2005–06 season, Turco won a career-best 41 games, eight of them in shootouts. On January 15, 2009, Turco recorded his 421st game for the Stars, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in games played by a goaltender, surpassing Cesare Maniago's near 33-year old record of 420. He also broke Maniago's record for total minutes played later that month. On February 9, he started in his 24th consecutive game in goal, breaking yet another of Maniago's records. After nine seasons with the Stars, it was reported on April 13, 2010, that Turco would not be re-signed by Dallas.

Did You Know?

• Don Cherry named Turco 'the smartest goalie in the NHL' due to his puck-handling prowess.
• Turco set the modern NHL record for goals against average (1.72) in the 2002–03 season.
• He recorded three shutouts in a single playoff series against the Vancouver Canucks in 2007, a record he shares with Martin Brodeur, Jean-Sébastien Giguère, and Michael Leighton.
• Turco holds the Dallas Stars franchise records for most wins (262), most shutouts (40), and most games played by a goaltender (509).
• He was undrafted by the Ontario Hockey League and played Jr. B hockey before accepting an NCAA scholarship to the University of Michigan, where he won two NCAA championships.