Headed for the Hall: Turco, Jackson left indelible mark on Stars franchise

In a strange way, Marty Turco and Les Jackson remind me of Dolly Parton.

I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere, but it’s not the vibe I’m going for right now.

Like Parton, Turco was incredibly talented and entertaining when the spotlight was on him. He also was even more impactful behind the scenes and helped create a legacy of giving that will live for a very long time in this area.

Jackson’s career spanned decades and affected the game of hockey in so many ways. He changed with the times and survived in a sometimes vicious world of scouting by always searching for positivity.

The fact the two will be honored this year as the annual inductees into the Dallas Stars Hall of Fame is perfectly timed.

Turco’s career was interesting from the start. After a four-year run that included winning two NCAA National Championships at the University of Michigan, the native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario joined the Stars organization and started his unlikely journey to an extensive pro career.

One of Jackson’s patented “fifth-round gems” – hello, Jamie Benn, John Klingberg and Mike Smith – Turco had to earn his place. He and Manny Fernandez were supposed to jockey to lead the Michigan K-Wings in the IHL back in 1998, but the battle got so intense, Dallas loaned Fernandez to the Houston Aeros that season.

Fernandez ended up winning the championship that year in the IHL, but Turco eventually turned two seasons in the IHL into a long-term role in the NHL. The push to play behind a “lesser” K-Wings team and the mental challenge of competing against the openly intense Fernandez would set Turco up well for his move to the big leagues.

Ed Belfour was no fan of backup goalies, and Turco walked that line perfectly. Just like Parton, Turco was a graceful diplomat in understanding the dynamics of a veteran-laden dressing room and finding ways to get support while not alienating himself.

Eventually, he pushed ahead of Belfour and took the No. 1 spot in the summer of 2002. From there, he ran off six seasons of 30 or more wins and posted save percentages and goals against averages that were historic for the franchise. He also did that while showing a panache that was perfect for this market. In a way, he wore his own “Coat of Many Colors” to bring in a whole new group of fans. Like Belfour before him, he eventually lost his job (to Kari Lehtonen) in 2010, but those two made the transition quite a bit smoother. He finished out his playing career with time in Chicago and Boston, and then returned to the Stars in an administrative role after retirement.

Turco was always involved in charities as a player. He won the NHL’s Foundation Player of the Year Award in 2006 and helped train younger players like Trevor Daley in the ways of paying it forward in the community. That led to a job as the leader of the Dallas Stars Foundation, where he has served for several years and helped create a tradition of giving back that lives on today.

Jackson started as a minor league player in the 1970’s and eventually worked his way into coaching in Major Junior. He joined the Minnesota North Stars as an assistant coach in 1985 and that led to a job in the scouting department, which was where Jackson truly excelled. Alongside Craig Button and Tim Bernhardt, Jackson helped draft and build the team that would become the 1999 Stanley Cup champions.

From Mike Modano, to Derian Hatcher, to Richard Matvichuk, Jere Lehtinen and Jamie Langenbrunner among others, Dallas found a real core. And even in getting a player like Jarome Iginla, the scouting staff provided the ammunition to pull off the blockbuster Joe Nieuwendyk trade that helped push the Stars into true contender status.

Throughout the process, Jackson always had a philosophy with his scouts: “Find something good about a player.” Jackson said most scouts would feel their job was to find the flaws, to pick away at the polish, to not miss anything. But he was always asking, “What did you like about him?” It was a neat way of seeing the job, and it definitely helped build the energy within the organization.

The Stars have been, for the most part, one of the most player-friendly franchises in the NHL since then.

I go back to the fact that these two will be inducted together and I think about what might have been. Had the Stars decided back in the ‘90s to lean more heavily on the draft, what could have happened? What if they didn’t trade Iginla? What if they didn’t eventually trade Langenbrunner? What would a lineup with Modano, Lehtinen, Iginla, Langenbrunner and Brenden Morrow have looked like for a nice stretch in the early 2000’s? Would Turco have been ready to win a Cup with that core in that span?

It’s all fun speculation, but it is what it is. And like Dolly Parton, Jackson and Turco dealt with reality and simply lived in the moment. They both played a big part in the Stars posting the second-best record in the league since moving to Dallas in the fall of 1993. They are a significant part of a lot of great memories.

And that’s worth honoring.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.