Final days of Marty Turco's tenure with Stars are a test of goaltender'

Mike Heika

The veteran netminder was pretty defiant.

He wasn't old at all, he thought, just 36. He had done so much for the organization, he thought. He deserved better, he thought.

But the organization was frustrated. The veteran didn't have a great season for the second consecutive year. He was one of the highest-priced goalies in the NHL, and his performance wasn't matching those numbers. There was a really good kid who was ready for a step up at age 26.

It seemed odd in 2002 when a youngster named Marty Turco was pushing Ed Belfour out the door. Turco didn't want to make waves or trouble. He just did what the coaches told him to do. Belfour was unhappy the team chose not to extend his contract and was also unhappy when it became clear his time with the Stars was ending.

Fast forward eight years, and Turco is having to go through the same thing. He's handling it much better than Belfour, but you have to admit it is a strange situation. On Tuesday night at American Airlines Center, the crowd gave newcomer Kari Lehtonen a huge hug. They loudly welcomed him as he came out for a twirl on the ice to accept the first star of the game after a 45-save performance in an 8-2 win over the Sharks. A changing of the guard was taking place.

Turco will play again for the Stars this season, but it's probably not his team anymore. That's a strange feeling. He will turn 35 in August, and my guess is he has plenty of good years left. As an unrestricted free agent in the summer, he could end up on a really good team in Detroit or San Jose or Chicago or Washington, and he could become a wonderful story in the NHL next season.

But it seems pretty clear there's little chance he will re-sign with the Stars.

So he has to stand by and patiently watch a team that he has poured a lot of his heart and soul into embrace the new kid in town. It can't be easy, but my guess is he'll handle it with the class he has shown throughout his career.

Meanwhile, Lehtonen will get the same kind of fresh start that Turco was afforded in 2002. Lehtonen is ready for that. In Atlanta, he was a wasted draft pick who never panned out, who was too injury-prone, who didn't work hard enough on his conditioning. In Dallas, he is big with a good foundation and simple movements in net. We see only the positive right now, because Lehtonen is something different.

http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/sports/stars/stories/031810dnspostarsnewsletter.3c53aaa.html


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