It was a chilly night in Madison, Wis., a perfect evening for hockey. The Badgers were honoring the seniors that had donned the red and white for the past four years. The seniors’ families were in town and emotions filled the LaBahn Arena as each player was announced.
The puck dropped and captain Blayre Turnbull turned in a performance for the ages, notching three power play goals for her first career hat trick. It was a culmination of the hard work that Turnbull has put in since she came to Madison, a fitting reward for the effort she gives day in and day out.
Turnbull grew up in tiny Stellarton, Nova Scotia, a town that is home to just 4,485 people. It has coal mining origins, dating back to the 1790s, that are still prevalent in the city today. But Stellarton is also known for something else: hockey.
The Wikipedia page for the town lists three notable people. One author, one war hero and one hockey player. That hockey player is Blayre Turnbull’s younger brother, Brent Turnbull.
The Turnbulls are a family with hockey in their blood, which Blayre credited for having an impact on her as a child.
“A lot of people in my family have played hockey,” Turnbull said. “My dad played hockey growing up, he coached hockey, my mom’s family was big hockey fans, so I think it had a really big influence on me wanting to play.”
Throughout her childhood, Blayre’s father, Ron Turnbull, was her coach and mentor. Not only did he coach Blayre, but he coached Brent as well. In fact, the two siblings played together until the age of ten. Brent, who is just one year younger than Blayre, plays hockey at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. Blayre credited her father for being a huge part of her early hockey career.
“He taught me basically the essentials about the game. He taught me how to skate, how to shoot, how to play forward,” Turnbull said.
After developing her skills in Stellarton, Turnbull decided to move to Faribault, Minn. to attend Shattuck-St. Mary’s High School, an elite hockey academy. The school has produced a multitude of hockey greats like Sidney Crosby, Ryan Malone, Zach Parise and Jonathan Toews, to name a few. The program was rigorous; Turnbull would often wake up at the crack of dawn to practice at 6:30 in the morning.
“Everyone is there for the same reason and that’s to become a better hockey player, I think that had a huge influence on my hockey career,” Turnbull said.
After graduating from Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Turnbull decided to continue her career at Wisconsin, where she played a role right away in her freshman year.
She appeared in 34 games, found the back of the net seven times and earned a +11 plus/minus rating and was named the team’s Rookie of the Year. The Badgers would win the WCHA that year and reach the national championship, where they fell to border rival Minnesota.
Turnbull continued to climb the ladder at Wisconsin, turning in a fantastic junior season where she scored 40 points and led the team in assists. The Badgers reached the Frozen Four where they were again defeated by Minnesota, this time in the semifinals.
After that season, Turnbull was named the captain of the Badgers. Her leadership has been instrumental in the success of No. 3 Wisconsin, as she continues pushing each player to be their best. Senior forward Karley Sylvester is Turnbull’s linemate, who leads the team in points with 32, assists with 20, and plus/minus with a +26 mark. Senior Katy Josephs is the final member of the veteran line that has been the spark plug for the Badgers. This is all orchestrated by the captain and her guidance.
“Her dedication is amazing, she comes to the rink every day ready to work, ready to give it her all,” said Sylvester. “She definitely gives that impression to the rest of the team and the rest of the team can build off that. I think she’s also very vocal in that aspect. Just all around a really good leader.”
The Badgers are compiling another elite season, currently posting a 22-4-4 overall mark and a 17-4-3 conference mark, though it may be difficult to win a conference title at this point, as Wisconsin sits five points behind arch enemy Minnesota. But, with the way the Badgers are playing, demolishing Top 10 teams, a national title is certainly a realistic goal. The senior leadership, with Turnbull at the helm, will have to be the ones to step up in the postseason.
The Badgers are catching fire at the right time, as they picked up five points in a series with No. 6 Minnesota Duluth. After Turnbull scored her first career hat trick on Senior Night, the second game of the series, Head Coach Mark Johnson praised her impact on the squad.
“You need good leadership. If you have good leadership, you generally end up with good chemistry and you put those things together and that’s a good way to start with any group,” Johnson said. “Blayre has been around, she’s been mentored by some of the kids that have graduated and they’ve passed the torch to her and she’s done a great job for us.”
As Wisconsin finishes out the regular season, the team will make a push for the conference title and then turn toward postseason play. The Badgers have all the pieces for a deep playoff run, but perennial foe Minnesota looms large. After losing to Minnesota late in the postseason two out of the last three years, Turnbull and the rest of her fellow seniors will certainly be playing with a vengeance and a desire to send the Gophers packing.
And maybe if she leads her team to a national title, she will be placed on that short list of notable people from the small town of Stellarton, Nova Scotia.
