People will rip me for this article, but that’s fine.
It may or may not garner me votes for "Controversial NHL Article" awards down the road, but whatever, I’m cool with that.
Yes, I am comparing NHL players to baseball and football players, which is like comparing apples to oranges; yes I know, totally different things. But I’m going to do it anyway.
Nope. I am no Sean Avery fan; I have no rooting interest in whether or not he plays again in the NHL. I don’t really care much for Dallas Stars netminder Marty Turco either.
Turco has been called "the smartest goalie in the NHL" by Don Cherry before, so perhaps that’s gone to his head or something.
But anyway, the Avery suspension by the NHL for comments about opposing players and ex-girlfriends has been well documented.
Of course, Stars forward Mike Modano was publicly critical of Avery, saying the team had been "tarnished" by the comments, which were "unacceptable."
Fine, I can live with that. Modano, of course, was a former captain and a Cup winner with the team. In fact, Modano has been with the Stars organization his entire NHL career, so his opinions can be respected. After all, captain or not, he is one of the leaders of the Stars.
Goaltender Turco, however?
Sure, Turco has been a Star (a Dallas Star, that is, not a superstar) since the 2000-01 season, but can he really be looked upon as one of the "leaders" on the team?
After all, what exactly has Turco accomplished in the NHL? Okay, he got the Stars to the Conference Finals last season, but didn’t he choke down the stretch (going a woeful 2-7-2 in March), which cost the team a chance to finish with one of the top seeds (and home-ice advantage) in the Western Conference? Sure, in the Vancouver first-round series in the 2007 playoffs, Turco posted three shutouts and yet the Stars managed to lose the series. (Of course, Turco turned out to be the second-best goalie on the ice in Game Seven.)
Yes, despite a fine 2002-03 season, his first year as a No. 1 goalie in the NHL, he was totally outplayed by J.S. Giguerre and the underdog Anaheim Mighty Ducks vanquished his Stars easily in the second round. In the 2004 and 2006 seasons, the Stars were easily elimintaed in the first round when Turco posted lackluster .849 and .868 save percentages (with rather high GAAs of 3.32 and 3.38) and didn’t come up with big saves.
And this season, the Stars have spent time in last place in the entire conference, and at times Turco has been singled out for his poor play.
So, despite having a shaky NHL resume himself, what was Turco doing mouthing off about Avery?
Turco basically threw Avery under the bus in his comments to the media.
While in hockey, the goaltender is the most important position on the ice, Turco has been nothing like a shining star. His track record in the spring makes him the equivalent of an "idiot kicker", something NFL MVP Peyton Manning labeled his former placekicker, Mike Vanderjagt. (No, I don’t dislike Vanderjagt; in fact, I thought he was kind of screwed out of an NFL gig in both Indianapolis and Dallas, despite his status of being the most accurate field goal kicker in league history.)
No, I am not comparing Sean Avery, a marginal hockey player, to Peyton Manning, a perennial MVP candidate. However, if Vanderjagt’s accomplishments in the regular season can mean nothing, certainly Turco’s can be as well, especially since the NHL considers Stanley Cup winning goalies as part of the elite. And I’m well aware Turco had a 2.15 career GAA going into this season, but check out his 2008-09 stats as of today: a 3.28 GAA and .881 save percentage. Ugly. (In regards to my "Cup winning goalies being part of the elite" comment, if you look at the guys that have made it into the Hall of Fame, for example, Billy Smith and Grant Fuhr, just to name a couple, who had good playoff resumes but less-than-stellar regular seasons, you can understand that.)
And sure, Avery himself has been aloof and not a team player. But was there any reason to throw him under the bus? I thought hockey players stick together and don’t trash each other. This isn’t basketball or football, for crying out loud. Couldn't Turco have just said "no comment" or the common boring things other hockey players typically give? (I mean, if you've got nothing positive to say, then don't say it. Unless Turco thinks he's an NBA player or he's got two rings plugged in his ears a la Patrick Roy. Oh wait, Turco doesn't have that kind of jewelry now, does he?)
No, not basketball or football. And not baseball either, but I don’t see a lot of people criticizing Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. Again, not comparing the two players here, but Ripken was widely credited for "saving baseball" from the ugly 1994 players’ strike.
Yet, Ripken also didn’t stay with teammates in hotels and he was kind of on his own—something Avery has also been charged with in addition to his well-publicized comments. In fact, during the 1996 baseball season, Ripken reportedly didn’t talk to or acknowledge rookie shortstop Manny Alexander, whom manager Davey Johnson had inserted at short, a move that sent Ripken to third base. Didn’t show him the ropes, didn’t make a rookie feel welcome. (Nope, I didn’t make this up; this is in "Champions! The Saga of the 1996 New York Yankees." Go check it out yourself.)
Ripken, after all, had five seasons where he was a .250 hitter from 1987-1993, and of course he was allowed to play every day and eventually break Lou Gehrig’s consecutive-games streak in 1996. And he sulked when a rookie was replacing him at short (Ripken wasn’t even benched; he was being moved to third). But he’s a hero. Can you say ‘double standards’?
In fact, you can argue Avery was an impact player in the New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils opening-round series last spring, when he scored in each of the first three games as the Rangers won in five. He even got under Martin Brodeur’s skin by waving his hands and stick in front of the goaltender, and even had a new NHL rule created because of that.
But no, Sean Avery is no Cal Ripken Jr. He’s no Peyton Manning. He’s not an elite hockey player.
But was it okay for Marty Turco, a mediocre playoff goalie at best, shoot his mouth off like an "idiot kicker"?
I think not.
Turco may well win a Cup down the road (or he may not) and could eventually get over 300 wins in his career. For now though, he’s not at that level so we’ll call him for what he is.
This Turco-Avery, Vanderjagt-Manning, Ripken stuff though? Double standards indeed.
**Not only does KP Wee write for Bleacher Report, he’s also a published author. Check out his fiction novel, “Showing Their Scales,” on Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.**
15 comments Last one added 6 months ago — Leave a Comment
KP Wee 6 months ago
I should have called this article: "The 'Idiot Kicker' in the NHL" but nah, don't want to change it now...
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Andrew Echevarria 6 months ago
It may or may not garner me votes for "Controversial NHL Article" awards down the road, but whatever, I’m cool with that.
I wouldn't say that.
It was a rather interesting article. However, Marty Turco has proven himself worthy for the last couple of years and this season he's had a turn for the worst. He's earned much respect and I think fans will still respect him (well, Dallas Star fans).
--Andrew
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KP Wee 6 months ago
hehe, Andrew. Does this mean I get a vote for "Controversial Article"?
I'm not sure about Stars fans respecting him. Incidentally, I later went on some Dallas Stars fan blogs and see Turco getting ripped by several people. I would think if a player doesn't produce in the playoffs (in his first 3 seasons), eventually the fans will get tired of it, especially when the Stars are expected to be one of the top teams annually.
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Andrew Echevarria 6 months ago
yup, you get my vote.
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Ray Bogusz 6 months ago
Yeah it was inappropriate for Turco to do that. It's not just because I feel bad for Sean Avery either. Turco hasn't won anything, he doesn't get to shoot his mouth off. Not to mention I wouldn't put him the same category of what Ripken meant to the O's.
If anything, this just makes me wish that Avery goes some place and wins a cup long before Turco.
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KP Wee 6 months ago
I hope Turco doesn't win a Cup too. He's been an underachiever so far, and this year he's been brutal at times.
The whole point of this piece is to say that you know, professional sports is all about double standards and who the media is in love with. Very sickening sometimes. I mean, if you're Cal Ripken, you get away with things. If you're someone less, you get crucified. And this Turco business really doesn't sit well with me. He can't be seen as a leader on the Stars; he's not a winner (in terms of being a Cup winner) like the other veterans, so why is he opening his mouth like that for?
Say, haven't seen any Hawks articles from you lately. What's with that?
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MJ Kasprzak 6 months ago
I have no problem with you opinion and it's a good article, but I do not agree at all.
I'm not a fan of Turco (he takes cheap shots and is the biggest slasher in net the NHL has), but he CARRIED them past us last year, including a 4OT stellar performance to close it. He has carried them to the playoffs. He lost to Giggy the year he won the Vezina, Luongo the year he was runner-up, and gave the eventual champion Wings as many losses as any goalie in the league last year. I hate when goalies (almost as much as QBs) are saddled with losses like it's all up to them.
Avery hasn't even won as much as Marty (two playoff series in his career). He was clearly bad for the team—what he did was in direct violation of Tippett's orders, and he had already ticked off his teammates, including Modano. With him, they were the worst team in the West; without him, they have a winning record.
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Junior Nelson 6 months ago
Turco threw Avery under the bus only after Avery equipped every microphone with rushing,brakeless buses.
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KP Wee 6 months ago
Thanks for commenting, Junior. I take it from your own articles, you're from Vancouver? Anyway, cheers.
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Elbow Murderpants 6 months ago
A good read! I have no problem with your point of view either, KP. But I gotta tell you, even though you explain WHY you give Modano a "pass" on this , I'm still not sure you've convinced me that he actually deserves one.
The bottom line is that the Stars, almost to the last man, threw Avery under the bus.
By no means am I condoning the stupidity S.A. demonstrated in Calgary on that fateful day, but if you're gonna slag Marty for this, then you have to look at Modano too. Modano may be the leader of this team with Morrow out, but there was clearly some disproportionate negativity towards Avery beforehand... and Modano, Tippett and Turco all wasted no time condemning him and distancing from him. Which, as you rightly point out in your article, is unusual.
I think Turco, despite his play, was simply saying what the rest of the team was thinking. He was likely backing-up Modano and taking up for guys like Morrow who made it no secret that they were not really on board with the Avery deal in the first place.
Mike Modano gets a pass on EVERYTHING. His play in the previous two playoffs, before the Stars’ early exits, was brutal. But there's no reason for a pass here.
In the end, no one really thought the Stars were a "bad organization" because Avery shot off his gob. They just chalked it up to another episode of the Sean Avery Self-Destruction Show.
The Stars didn't like S.A. and the “Cuthbert Crisis” simply gave them a perfect excuse to get rid of him while ostensibly making it look like they were "doing it for the team". Which was BS...highly necessary… but BS all the same.
Nice job on the article.
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KP Wee 6 months ago
To be quite frank with you, I didn't knock Modano because I was pretty sure some Dallas fan out there was going to crucify me had I done so, and make it look like I'm anti-Stars and trying to stir stuff up. Honestly, sometimes I get sick of how some readers just rip me for my opinions.
To wit, check this out: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/95045-tale-of-two-teams-colts-and-chargers
A couple of SD Chargers fans took it the wrong way and blasted me for 'criticizing' their team.
Anyway Elbow, thanks for reading and the compliments.
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Elbow Murderpants 6 months ago
Hey, I know the feeling. I think it's a common hazard here on the BR.
I'm a Stars fan, but I try to be realistic about the team.
Anyway, hang in there.
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KP Wee 6 months ago
The Stars certainly won big tonight, for a change!
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Elbow Murderpants 6 months ago
Cha! True enough. Personally, I think it's the infusion of some younger players that has the team playing a little better. Then again... it was only the Leafs.
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KP Wee 6 months ago
You know what, this discussion about Modano made me recall an interview on "Live from Wayne Gretzky's" radio show from Saturday (Dec 20). They were interviewing Joe Nieuwendyk and praising him for his three Cups, and Nieuwendyk was talking proudly of how in those Cup years (including '99 with Dallas), he and his teammates knew from Day One it was going to be a magical year, etc etc. (I'm paraphrasing - you can probably still get that show on the Internet.)
The funny thing was, no one mentioned how his teams DIDN'T win in the other years. His Flames were ALWAYS expected to win the Cup EVERY YEAR, and they won only once - either because he and his teammates didn't score enough or they would lose in OT (because he and his mates couldn't score). Then in Dallas in '97, the Stars played three OT games and again, he and his mates couldn't score.
All, however, is forgotten as, after all, he's known as a winner, a three-time champion. :-(
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