If you were wondering where former Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco disappeared to after taking a backseat with the Chicago Blackhawks, look east, past the Atlantic Ocean, past France, past Germany, to a little country called Austria. Yes, Marty Turco shone as the winning goalie for the Red Bull Salzburg.
Austria hosted the final tournament in the 2011 European Trophy where the top eight teams in Europe battled for dominance. For the second time, the Red Bulls Salute Invitational Tournament from December 16 to 18, 2011, formed the final tournament of the European Trophy, which this year was contested by 24 teams from six European nations.
The EC Red Bull Salzburg team battled their way into the top eight without Marty Turco as one of two goalies. Turco signed with the reigning Erste Bank Kiga (EBEL) champion team EC Red Bull Salzburg for the tournament. Bill Meltzer at NHL.com described it as a “working vacation.”
Turco wasn’t the only American hockey player for the Austrian national team. Five NHL players were recruited by the Red Bull club just for this tournament: Akim Aliu, Tyler Redenbach, Scott Barney, Ryan Glenn, and former San Jose Sharks defenseman now Albany Devils Rob Davison. And twelve were recruited temporarily for the season.
How did Turco get the job?
The goalies for Red Bull were Josh Tordjman, the former Phoenix Coyotes backup goalie and with the Houston Aeros last season, and Austrian native Thomas Hoeneckl. But, Meltzer says, while Tordjman did a good job as the Red Bulls starter, he got sidelined by an injury and the flu.
And voila! Here comes Turco, wearing a mask with Chicago colors, a perfect opportunity for the 36 year old veteran of 538 NHL regular-season games and 47 Stanley Cup Playoff matches. We have all witnessed the magic of Marty Turco—2 NCAA championships at the University of Michigan, silver medalist with Team Canada at the IIHF World Championships in 2004-05, NHL Second-Team All-Star in 2002-2003, two-time winner of the Roger Crozier Saving Grace Award with the highest save percentage in the NHL at .925, and holds the Stars club record with the most shutouts, the most wins, and the most games played.
“Renowned for his puck-handling prowess and remarkable athleticism that enabled him to overcome his lack of size in an era where big goalies are preferred, Turco set numerous franchise goaltending records in Dallas.” ~Bill Meltzer, NHL.com
No doubt Marty Turco helped lift the Austrian team to it’s European Trophy victory. On December 18, 2011, the Red Bulls, with Turco in goal, beat Helsinki’s Jokerit with a score of 3-2. Turco ended the tournament, said Mark Stepneski at Andrew’s Stars Page, with a 3-0 record, 1.95 goals against average, and .950 save percentage with 114 saves on 120 shots.
The Red Bulls Salute, one of the wealthiest teams in Europe, established itself as one of the most coveted international tournaments and in 2007 even attracted an NHL club, the LA Kings, who, not entirely unexpectedly, went on to lift the trophy before that season’s NHL Premiere. Two years later in 2009, the Red Bulls also entered the winners' circle for the first time.
In yesterday’s final game, Turco allowed only two goals, one from Nichlas Hardt at the beginning of the game and 26 minutes later, from Jarkko Ruutu on a power play. The Finns fiercely attacked the Slazburg goal, but Marty Turco won the day stopping 32 out of 34 shots.
“Marty Turco demonstrated some incredible saves,” said the Red Bull website. Twice.
Turco must have played like the Turco we love to remember in the Stars net, helping the Red Bulls win the European Trophy only the second time.
"It's an historic win,” said Red Bulls coach and former NHL coach Pierre Pagé, who is also from Canada. “I'm delighted that the team were able to turn things around."
RED BULLS SALUTE
Jokerit – EC Red Bull Salzburg 2-3 (1-0, 1-1, 0-2)
Goals: Hardt (1st), Ruutu (27th/PP) and Bois (34th/PP, 42nd), Aliu (48th)
This year, 24 teams participated from six European Leagues participated in the competition. The European Trophy 2012 will host no fewer than 32 teams, according to their website.
As the Dallas Stars goalie, Turco’s last two seasons were less than stellar. Last season, he signed with the Blackhawks but lost the starting job to Corey Crawford, a much younger goalie. Turco turned free agent afterward and did not resigned in the NHL, working as a studio analyst for NHL Network.
When James Reimer was out with an injury, Meltzer reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs perked up at the mention of Turco, but nothing has come of that. At least not yet. Playing with Red Bull and playing as well as he did should certainly spark some interest in the NHL, or perhaps even an elite European team.
Will Marty Turco remain in goal for the Red Bulls or find an opportunity to return to the NHL?
According to Meltzer, Turco was unavailable for comment, but said he’s not ready to retire. Yet, with this win and the high recognition of his tournament play, Turco has certainly proven himself as an experienced and talented goalie.
It's great to see Marty Turco on the ice. The Red Bull Salzburg site reports that Turco is spending a few days in Salzburg with his family. But even with the Google translator, I couldn't determine if they meant that Turco will return to play in the Spengler Cup after Christmas, December 26 - 31, 2011, or return to the US.
Scheduled games:
EC Red Bull Salzburg - EHC Black Wings Linz LIWEST Tue, 12/20/2011; Salzburg Ice Arena, 19:15
EC Red Bull Salzburg - EC VSV RECORD window Thu, 22:12 .2011; Salzburg Ice Arena, 19:15
Marty Turco and his coach, Pierre Page, will be guests tonight on ServusTV on the show "Sports Talk and the Hangar-7" from 21:05 Austrian time while the UEFA European Trophy will be presented. Here's their Red Bull Salute on ServusTV website.
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