TURCO SAVES GAME FOR WESTERN CONFERENCE
From the Associated Press
February 2, 2003

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- If not for Dany Heatley's four goals in the All-Star
game Sunday, Western Conference goaltender Marty Turco would have been the MVP.

Turco stopped seven shots in the third period, three in overtime, and was
at his best in the shootout. The Dallas Stars' goalie stopped three of four
shots in the decisive tiebreaker, which lifted the West to a 6-5 win over
the East.

If not for Turco, a first-year starter making his first All-Star
appearance, the West would have lost.

"Before the game I was a little nervous, and then sitting alone and
freezing didn't help," said Turco, who played behind Colorado's Patrick Roy
and Chicago's Jocelyn Thibault. "Once I got out on the ice, and the fans
were excited, I felt fine and I wasn't that nervous."

Turco, in his third season with Dallas, spent last year backing up Ed
Belfour. Belfour signed with Toronto in the offseason, leaving Turco to
start for the Stars. He has made the most of the opportunity. After
totaling 28 wins in his first two years, Turco already has 24 this season.

He also leads the league in goals against average (1.79) and is second in
save percentage (.931). He has helped the Stars to 72 points, the most in
the NHL, and first place in the Pacific Division.

He had a similar impact for the Western Conference on Sunday.

After allowing a goal to Olli Jokinen in the third period, Turco kept the
East team almost quiet in overtime and the shootout. He stopped one-on-one
scoring opportunities against Alexei Kovalev, Miroslav Satan and Jokinen.

Jokinen's shot hit the post and secured the West's victory.

"I don't like it one bit, but it worked for us tonight," Turco said of
shootouts. "You heard the fans. They didn't want to go home without
somebody winning the game. They wanted the East to win, and that got me
pumped."

Turco had been in dozens of shootouts in the minor leagues, and few of his
memories are fond. Until now.

The exciting finish even had some of his opponents watching intently.

"I've never seen any games like this," Eastern Conference goaltender
Nikolai Khabibulin said. "The last five minutes and overtime were
unbelievable, with guys taking chances, goalies making great saves and then
the shootout. I think fans definitely got their money's worth."

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THE AHL ALL-STAR GAME

The American Hockey League All-Star Game takes place tonight (Feb. 3) at 7
p.m. ET. Former Wolverines Matt Herr, Andy Hilbert, Mike Komisarek, and
Jason Botterill will be participating in the game. Herr and Komisarek have
also been named starters for Planet USA.

Visit TheAHL.com for TV availability.

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TURCO NAMED NHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH
February 1, 2003
From NHL.com

NEW YORK (Ticker) - Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco, who has not lost
since December 26, on Friday was named NHL Player of the Month for January.

Turco went 8-0-2 with a 1.92 goals-against average and .929 save percentage
in January to lead Dallas (30-11-11-1) to the best record in the NHL.

In his first season as a starter, Turco is first in the NHL with a 1.79 GAA
and second with 24 wins and a .931 save percentage. He is 9-0-3 since a 3-1
defeat at Nashville on the day after Christmas.

The 27-year-old Turco will play for the Western Conference in the All-Star
Game on Sunday.

Turco's teammate and fellow All-Star Mike Modano was considered for the
award after recording six goals and four assists in 13 games. New Jersey
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur, Washington Capitals right wing Jaromir Jagr
and defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Colorado Avalanche right wing Milan
Hejduk also were considered.

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For those of you with some spare time, there's plenty of new newspaper
article links up on the Michigan Hockey Alumni web site.

That's all for now...

Go Blue!

Jason
Michigan Hockey Alumni
http://MichiganHockeyAlumni.net