NHL: Is the future of Chicago Blackhawks secure?
Marty Turco was signed on by last year’s Stanley Cup holders, the Chicago Blackhawks. The team is expecting the 34-year-old to assist them with some of his brilliant qualities as a goal tender. The three-time All-Star winner performed intensely during his tenure with the Dallas Mavericks.
Turco is likely to open the night for the Blackhawks in the upcoming season. Many Blackhawks fans are hoping to see Turco perform at the same level as Antti Niemi did last year in the playoffs. Experts believe Turco is one of the most consistent goal tenders to serve the league, and his intellect and experience will not disappoint the Blackhawk fans.
The All-Star is known for his amazing puck controlling abilities and is still considered amongst the elite of the league. However critics have questioned his work ethic in the last couple of years, but hockey analysts believe that Chicago’s Coach Stephane Waite will easily sculpt Turco and diminish his negatives attributes.
Marty is a player who is desperate for the Stanley Cup as he has been in the league for almost 2 decades and still does not know how it feels to hold a steel plated cup. The stellar player has given excellent performances in many seasons but has never been able to catch a glimpse of the Stanley Cup from close approximate.
When reporters questioned Turco with regards to why he chose the Chicago Blackhawks, his General Manager stated, "We spoke to four different teams and turned down different opportunities and amounts. He turned down teams with higher considerations and longer terms...Marty's priority was joining a team that could win a Stanley Cup, and he chose Chicago.”
The former Dallas star has been really fond of the Blackhawks and has stated in many of his interviews that he was a big fan of Ed Belfour when Turco played for the Michigan Wolverines. After Michael Leighton, Turco is the first Canadian native to play for the Chicago Blackhawks as a goaltender.
It is being speculated that Corey Crawford and Cristobal Huet will finally be able to prove their consistency with the team and will be the No.2 starter for the team this fall. The 25-year-old Corey has been in the league for over 4 years but was never really given a chance to prove his might, leaving many experts to think if Corey could have possibly been the best tender in the franchise.
Hannu Toivonen is another young goal tender signed on by the Blackhawks but mostly spends his time on the bench contemplating if he was given the chance. He will be only given a chance if Turco or Crawford are seriously injured.
The question that many Blackhawks have seemed to have raised is, will Marty and Corey be able to perform as well as Antti or Cristobal?
The Blackhawks are known for their dynamic offense and which more or less has stayed the same after the free-agency. The reason Blackhawks got hold of Marty was because their starting goalie Antti Niemi decided to resign from the team and become a free-agent. Marty Turco is experienced enough to know how to adapt to a new surrounding and will certainly control the puck for a majority of the games.
Chicago Blackhawks’ loss of Antti has left their fans fretting, experts say economically it’s the best decision the franchise took although it might hurt their supporters. The team’s general manager and coach are confident about Turco and Crawford. They believe the two will serve the team well and might just perform better than their previous starter. The Blackhawks’ have kept its depth in the roster and has not comprised on any other player which has ensured the team will give a lot of competition to their rivals this year.
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