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Marty Turco refuses to run from the truth – no matter how ugly it is. And we all know his record against the Detroit Red Wings is ugly.

Real ugly.

Especially for a guy who grew up on the Michigan border in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, played his college hockey at the University of Michigan and his minor league hockey in Kalamazoo, Mich.

But Turco took the first step toward ending the Red Wings' mastery over him with a brilliant performance Sunday afternoon in the Stars' 1-0 victory.

"I don't think I've ever beaten them in regulation," Turco said after the game. "That's one team that's had my number. It's going to take a while to catch up, but that's my goal."

Turco is 2-9-5 against Detroit after ending a winless streak that had lasted 749 days.

Turco had last beat Detroit on Jan. 28, 2006, in a game the Stars won, 2-1, in a shootout. That's unreal for a player who has been a three-time All-Star and is regarded as one of the league's best.

"It's not like he's not trying; he's trying his [expletive] off," coach Dave Tippett said. "But it was good to see him get results. He had saves at the right time. This has to help him get momentum against this team."

Dallas has won nine of 10 games since the All-Star break, and its 79 points and 37-21-5 record trails only Detroit, which has seen its lead over the Stars dwindle to eight points.

No, Dallas isn't going to catch the Red Wings, but the Stars could make the sprint to the playoffs considerably more interesting based on the way they've been playing lately.

Give Turco much of the credit for the Stars' surge, just like he deserves much of the credit for Sunday's win, whether it was for his sprawling save of a breakaway in the game's first couple of minutes or the two nifty saves he made in the final minute.

If the Stars hadn't beaten Detroit on Sunday, you would've been well within your rights to ask if they would ever beat the Red Wings, since Dallas has won only three of the last 14 games in the series.

After all, Detroit had lost five consecutive games, and it was playing third-string goalie Jimmy Howard because starter Dominik Hasek (hip) is injured and backup Chris Osgood has been awful.

It didn't matter that Dallas was playing its third game in four days, because the Red Wings were ripe to be beaten.

By making 28 saves, Turco made sure the Stars didn't blow the opportunity. He's 7-1-0 with a 1.74 goals against average (14 goals in 483 minutes) and a .935 save percentage (203 of 217 shots) since the All-Star break.

It's no coincidence.

During the break, Turco spent time playing golf and reflecting on his average first-half performance, unacceptable for a player of his stature. Tom Hicks pays him handsomely to be among the league's best, and Turco willingly accepts the responsibility that accompanies the paycheck.

That's why he decided to spend less time being a team leader and more time making himself one of the league's best goalies again. So he informed Tippett that he was going to be more selfish, perhaps even a little more irritable.

Translation: He was going to worry more about himself than his teammates.

Ultimately, Turco knows the Stars will go only as far as he carries them. It's not about Brenden Morrow. Or Mike Modano. Or Mike Ribeiro.

It's all about Turco.

When he plays well, the Stars can compete with anybody – even the mighty Red Wings.

Turco admits he was a little lucky Sunday. Nothing wrong with that. Most players will tell you it takes some good fortune to beat the Red Wings.

AP

Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco made 28 saves against Detroit on Sunday.

One shot banged off a post. A couple of others found Turco's stick or glove by accident.

Still, Turco twice stoned Detroit on breakaways. He did a good job of playing angles, distributing the puck quickly to neutralize Detroit's forecheck and allowing few rebounds.

He made a glove save on Brent Lebda's uncontested shot from the slot with 48.8 seconds left and made another strong glove save on Johan Franzen's shot from the left circle 17 seconds later.

"He knows the goaltender position is critical," Tippett said. "He's taken that responsibility and focused very hard on it. If he does his job well, it gives us a much better chance to win."

Now, the Red Wings also know it.