Hawks' Turco battles through tough times
Marty Turco was in the midst of a quiet Christmas night with his family when he got a call from the Blackhawks saying he would be starting Sunday against Columbus because Corey Crawford had the flu.
Turco hadn't played in almost two weeks, but he showed zero rust in an impressive 4-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
“He responded to a great opportunity and took advantage of it,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “He looked sharp, he looked quick.”
It was Turco's first win since way back on Nov. 17 at Edmonton in the first stop on the circus road trip.
“My mindset was more of just going out there and being a battler and let a lot of the work we've done in practice play itself out,” said Turco, who will start again Tuesday night at St. Louis with Crawford still not feeling 100 percent.
“I felt better than I actually thought I would,” Turco said. “I had a lot of people in my corner pulling for me to do well. It was just important to get in a game and get that intensity level that brings out the best in you.”
Turco's teammates were rooting for him big time and played well in front of the veteran. Turco faced only 13 shots over the last two periods, but lost his shutout with just over two minutes to play.
“Marty's been waiting for an opportunity and prepared well,” Patrick Sharp said. “He's a true pro, and you knew he was going to have a good effort. It was tough giving up that one at the end, but at the end of the day he can be happy with the way he played, and I know we're happy for him.”
While Turco has watched Crawford take over the No. 1 job the last month, he has stayed positive and supportive of his rookie teammate. Turco has worked on his game in practice and never once complained about his reduced role.
“Everybody wants to play more and do their part with helping this team be successful, but it's all about the team,” Turco said.
Turco has done a lot of work trying to improve his movement, which was evident in the first period Sunday when he made several clutch stops in tight.
“The (saves) that were telltale to me would probably be meaningless to anybody else, just how I'm moving, the patience there and the body moving the way you want it to,” Turco said.
“That hasn't been the case on a consistent level for me, and that's kind of how I look at it and judge it. Those are things that we look at. Just the way I was moving and reacting were the big things for me.”
Turco didn't change his preparation when he got the Christmas night call about starting.
“I like to think I'm prepared to play every game,” he said. “I was preparing to practice hard anyway. The mindset was there, you just kind of turn it on and do few mental exercises to get ready.
“It was huge to get a game in there to kind of reassess where you're at and put some things at ease when things aren't going as well as you'd like. It was a good step forward for me, but it was huge for the team to continue what we're doing at home.”
Blackhawks game day
St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center, 7 p.m. Tuesday
<b>TV: </b>Comcast SportsNet
<b>Radio:</b> WGN 720-AM
<b>Game notes: </b>Two hot teams collide with the Hawks on a four-game winning streak while the Blues have won three straight, including Sunday's 2-0 win over Nashville. The Blues are without Andy McDonald (concussion), David Perron (concussion) and T.J. Oshie (broken ankle). The Hawks are 5-for-11 on the power play in three games against St. Louis.
<b>Season series:</b> Hawks lead 2-1.
<b>Next: </b>San Jose Sharks at the United Center, 7:30 p.m. Thursday.