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News & Record Masthead
October 9, 2003

Generals lure Turek back for another year

Holdover forward Matt Turek opts to play for coach Rick Adduono instead of retiring.

BY LARRY KEECH
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO - The Greensboro Generals reached the halfway point Wednesday in building a 20-man ECHL roster with the signing of left wing Matt "Turkey" Turek, another holdover from the team that posted a 42-21-9 record last season.

Turek joins returning goaltender Daniel Berthiaume and center Mark Turner as players designated "veterans" under ECHL rules. Each team is allotted four roster slots for players with at least 288 games of professional experience. Rick Adduono, the Generals' coach, said he is holding the fourth veteran spot open until he has a better read on players who might be available to fill it.

Turek, 30, said he considered retiring or playing in Europe, but that the idea of returning to Greensboro and playing for Adduono outweighed the pay cut necessitated by the new ECHL salary cap.

"I definitely considered it," Turek said of retirement. "I've been playing pro hockey since 1996, and I never wanted to spend two years on the same team. But last season was such a fun year, and losing in the playoffs left such a sour taste that I wanted to come back to play for Rick, the organization and the city. I felt this season is going to be something special for this team, and I wanted to be part of it. So I decided to put off entering the 'real world' for another year."

Turek had his second most productive pro season with the Generals in 2002-03, recording 50 points on 20 goals and 30 assists.

"Matt can play all three line positions," Adduono said. "He's willing to throw his body around, and he's, valuable on faceoffs, power plays and as a penalty killer."

The list of 10 players who have signed for the 2003-04 Generals includes six forwards. Besides Turek and Turner, they are Matt Chandler, Eric Fortier, Joel Irwin and Mike Bayrack.

NOTES: The Generals will play an exhibition game against the Charlotte Checkers at the Greensboro Ice House at 8 p.m. Tuesday before opening the ECHL season against the South Carolina Stingrays on Oct. 17 at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Matt Brown, managing director of the coliseum, said 1,785 tickets have been sold for the opener.

Contact Larry Keech at 373-7080 or lkeech@newsrecord.com