SUNRISE, Fla. -- Despite an expensive foray into the free-agent market last summer that filled many of their holes, the Dallas Stars still knew they were beginning the new season with a potential problem.
It's not that the Stars didn't have confidence in Marty Turco , mind you, but asking the young netminder to replace an icon like Ed Belfour on a team expected to seriously challenge for a Stanley Cup wasn't a simple request.
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| Marty Turco's NHL-leading GAA of 1.79 is no accident.(AP) |
Has he ever. Heading into his first All-Star Game appearance Sunday, Turco, 27, finds himself with the best goals-against average (1.79) and save percentage (.931) among starting goaltenders, and is tied for second in overall wins with 24 at the break.
The third-year player also is coming off an incredible January where he stretched his personal unbeaten streak to 12 games and was named NHL player of the month while helping Dallas regain the overall lead in the league standings.
"You can't be there without great goaltending and he's supplied if for us," Stars right wing Bill Guerin said. "I don't know if he's had an off night yet."
One person who isn't surprised is his former coach, Ken Hitchcock.
"Marty's had a No. 1 game for two years, it was just a matter of getting the opportunity," said Hitchcock, who was fired a year ago by Dallas and now coaches the Philadelphia Flyers. "He's had the best goals-against average in the league for the last couple of years, and now all he's doing is carrying that average, but playing more games. He's the real deal."
That's something Turco used to have trouble convincing himself of, even after he was made a fifth-round draft choice by Dallas in 1994. Growing up in the small northwest Ontario town of Saul Ste. Marie, the 5-foot-11, 183-pound goalie thought he had neither the size nor the skill to pursue a professional career.
"I couldn't have played as a 20- or a 21-year-old, it just wasn't in the cards for me," Turco said. "Anything to do with the NHL was light years away because of where my game was at then."
Instead, Turco decided to continue honing his talents while simultaneously pursuing an education at the University of Michigan. He said it was one of the best choices he ever made.
"College was unbelievable for me," Turco said. "You learn a lot more about life than you do hockey, and once you get your priorities set, you can go and take care of the things you need to be successful."
That became apparent during his career at Michigan, where he replaced Steve Shields, who had graduated in 1994 with more wins than any college goalie in history. All Turco did during his four years was set a new NCAA record with 127 victories, posting an overall winning percentage of .806 while getting his team to the Frozen Four each season.
He also won a record nine NCAA Tournament elimination games during his career, was named the championship round's outstanding player in 1998.
"He gave us a chance to win every night," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We always thought that in a big game, Marty could make the difference."
That's what the Stars began realizing when Turco turned pro in 1998. He earned rookie of the year honors in the first of his two minor-league seasons in the IHL and was named a league all-star both years he was there.
His play was so exceptional, in fact, Dallas allowed Roman Turek, now with Calgary, and Manny Fernandez, now with Minnesota, to get away in two consecutive expansion drafts, moving Turco up the depth chart to become Belfour's backup in 2000-01.
"He helped convince us by his steady progress and improvement," former Dallas GM Bob Gainey said. "We always felt he was the goalie of the future."
Last year, Turco became the goalie of the present, when he slowly began usurping the No. 1 job while Belfour struggled. After the Stars failed to make the playoffs, they decided to let the veteran walk and handed the reins to Turco on a permanent basis, or at least until he showed he wasn't up to the challenge.
And that almost happened during the preseason.
"I just sucked in training camp, I was embarrassing myself," Turco said. "But I was working on making some transitions with Andy (Stars goaltending coach Moog), and fortunately it kicked in by the time the season started."
Moog said he spent a lot of time helping Turco establish better position for himself, with the result being a netminder who still plays aggressively, but with far more patience.
"He's maturing and he's getting tested a lot more now," Moog said. "He's going through all kinds of tests like playing 10 straight games or going back-to-back. Once you handle that, you become better at what you're doing."
And an All-Star as well.
"It's a lot of fun to be here and a great experience, but I don't look at being picked for this team as a sense of self validation," Turco said. "By no means does it make me feel better about myself. I just value the opportunity to be here."
Just not as much as being entrenched as the No. 1 guy.
"That's what I've wanted all along," Turco said. "I've always prepared myself for this role and I know it carries a lot of responsibilities, but it's something I've been focused on for a long time. Nobody has bigger expectations for me than I do myself."
