Curtis Joseph

Early life

Joseph was born to unmarried teenage parents. Five days after his birth, his mother, Wendy Munro, placed him for adoption with Jeanne Joseph, a nurse who had befriended her during her hospital stay, and her husband Harold Joseph. Jeanne and her husband decided to name the baby Curtis after his birth father Curtis Nickle. Curtis grew up with an older stepbrother Grant and a stepbrother Victor; he also has three older stepsisters and a step brother from a previous marriage. The family was of mixed race with Harold and Victor being black. It was not until he signed with the St. Louis Blues that Joseph legally changed his name from Curtis Shayne Munro to Curtis Shayne Joseph.

Joseph initially attended Whitchurch Highlands Public School until the family relocated to the Keswick area. Although Joseph led his high school team, Notre Dame College (Wilcox, Saskatchewan) to the Centennial Cup and then played for the University of Wisconsinadison of the NCAA, he went undrafted. He signed as a free agent with the Blues in 1989. In 198990 season he played 23 games with the Peoria Rivermen in the IHL.

Playing career

Joseph is nicknamed "Cujo" and has worn the number 31 for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes and the Calgary Flames. Joseph is a three time Nhl All-Star (1994, 1999, 2000), and he was awarded the 199900 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for exemplifying leadership qualities on and off the ice and making noteworthy humanitarian contributions to his community. Perhaps his greatest achievement came in Salt Lake City 2002, where he was a member of the Olympic Gold Medal winning Canadian men's hockey team.

University of Wisconsin

Curtis Joseph began his college play at the University of Wisconsin. While playing for the Badgers, Joseph won 21 games and was voted to the WCHA All Conference Team. Shortly after his first season, Joseph left for the NHL.

NHL beginnings

Joseph broke into the NHL in 1989, he played for the St. Louis Blues. In the off-season following the 199091 NHL season, the Blues signed Brendan Shanahan from the New Jersey Devils. Shanahan was a restricted free agent, and thus the Devils were entitled to compensation. The teams could not agree on what the compensation was; the Blues offered Curtis Joseph, Rod Brind'Amour, and two draft picks, while the Devils wanted Scott Stevens. Joseph seemed to be the answer the Devils were looking for in goal, however the case went to arbitration, and a judge ruled that Stevens was to be awarded to the Devils in September 1991. Joseph would remain with the Blues until 1995. The 199293 NHL season was his most successful season as he played a key role in the upset of the Chicago Blackhawks, the reigning Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions, sweeping them in four games in the first round of the playoffs. The Blues then faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in a second-round series that went seven games, thanks in large part to Joseph. The Leafs eventually prevailed. Because of his efforts, he was nominated as a finalist for the Vezina Trophy that season. He finished third in voting behind winner Ed Belfour and Tom Barrasso.

In 1995, he was traded (with Mike Grier) to the Edmonton Oilers for a first-round pick in the 1996 entry draft (eventually Marty Reasoner) and a first-round pick in the 1997 entry draft. With Edmonton, Joseph won two Zane Feldman Trophies (team MVP) and one Most Popular Player award. He backstopped the Oilers to first round playoff upsets of the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in 1997 and 1998, respectively, their first playoff series wins since 1992.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Following the 97'-98' season, Joseph signed as a free agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a move which made him unpopular in Edmonton. In his first road game against Edmonton as a member of the Leafs, Joseph posted a shutout and was named the first star of the game. Throughout the game, he was greeted with boos, however, he was cheered by the fans in Edmonton upon being announced the first star of the game due to being a fan favourite. It was with the Leafs that Joseph became a superstar and he was consistently one of the most popular players of both his team (since Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour) and in the league. While with the Leafs, he had three consecutive seasons of 30+ wins, he was twice runner-up for the Vezina Trophy in 1999 and 2000, a finalist for the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1999, and won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2000. The NHL Awards presentation was held in Toronto in both 1999 and 2000, both years that Joseph was runner-up for the Vezina. When Dominik Hasek was announced the winner in 1999 and again when Olaf Kolzig was announced the winner in 2000, the audience in Toronto booed loudly, and also broke out into chants of "Cujo, Cujo!". Joseph played a key role in the Leafs' run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 1999 and 2002. In 2000, during Game One of the series against the New Jersey Devils, he was considered the deciding factor in the 2-1 win where the Leafs were outshot 33-21.

After Leafs General Manager Pat Quinn was unwilling to give Joseph a four year contract (he offered three years), he left after the 20012002 season to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. Some also speculated that the relationship between Quinn and Joseph was frosty because Quinn had benched Joseph in the Salt Lake City Olympics after the first game, although Joseph himself denied the rumours, saying that he played a bad first game against Sweden (losing 5-2) and that Martin Brodeur played very well for the rest of the tournament, earning his spot as the starter. Joseph had also hinted at wanting to play for a team that could win it all, implying the Leafs were not such a team. Joseph's move to Detroit was highly publicized and unpopular in Toronto.

Detroit Red Wings

Joseph moved to the Detroit Red Wings, who had just won the Stanley Cup. Joseph initially was not popular with Red Wings fans but eventually found his form in the latter half of the 200203 season to backstop his team to the division title. Detroit was upset in the first round of the playoffs in 2003 by the eventual conference champions, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In the 20032004 season he was originally Detroit's backup goalie when Dominik Haek came out of retirement, and Detroit management tried to trade Joseph, since the team also had a capable backup in Manny Legac. However, Joseph's $8 million USD per year contract made him hard to move. After a stint in the minors, he returned to the Red Wings lineup while Haek was nursing a groin injury. The Red Wings plan was to attract him to other teams until Haek returned to the lineup. But in February, Haek decided to call it quits for the season, which once again solidified Joseph's position as the Red Wings starting goaltender. The Wings finished first overall in the league. The Wings were defeated in the second round of the playoffs in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup finalists from the Western Conference, the Calgary Flames.

Recent years

Joseph moved to the Phoenix Coyotes via free agency in 2005 and signed a one year deal. On October 28, 2005, he won his 400th NHL game. On March 28, 2006, he posted his 424th Career Win, thereby moving into sixth place on the NHL all-time list, passing Tony Esposito. Joseph had shown interest in re-joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, indicating that he would be fine with a back-up role and a reduced salary. In September 2007 the Ottawa Senators quietly expressed interest in acquiring Joseph if they could unload Martin Gerber and his large contract. Joseph was a member of Team Canada in the 2007 Spengler Cup, leading them to the championship on December 31, 2007.

On January 14, 2008, Joseph signed a one-year, US$1.5 Million contract with the Calgary Flames . On March 1 of 2008, Joseph moved past Terry Sawchuk for fourth place in all-time NHL wins with 448 in a 3-1 win over his former team, the Phoenix Coyotes. On April 13, 2008, Joseph replaced Mikka Kiprusoff less than four minutes into the first period of Game #3 of the Flames' first round series of the 2008 playoffs with the San Jose Sharks. Joseph backstopped the Flames to a come from behind 4-3 win after initially falling behind 3-0. This win made him the first goaltender to win a post-season game as a member of five different teams: St.Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit and Calgary.

On July 1, 2008, Joseph rejoined the Toronto Maple Leafs by signing a 1 year, $700,000 contract.

On December 30, 2008, Joseph recorded his 450th career win in a 4-3 overtime victory against the Atlanta Thrashers.

On April 8, 2009, Joseph recorded his 352 NHL loss which ties Gump Worsley for the NHL record for most losses by a goaltender.

Joseph announced his retirement on January 12th, 2010 in Toronto.

Career statistics

Regular season

 

 

Season

Team

League

GP

W

L

T*

MIN

GA

SO

GAA

SV%

198889

Wisconsin Badgers

WCHA

38

21

11

5

2267

94

1

2.49

198990

Peoria Rivermen

IHL

23

10

8

2

1241

80

0

3.87

198990

St. Louis Blues

NHL

15

9

5

1

852

48

0

3.38

.890

199091

St. Louis Blues

NHL

30

16

10

2

1710

89

0

3.12

.898

199192

St. Louis Blues

NHL

60

27

20

10

3494

175

2

3.01

.910

199293

St. Louis Blues

NHL

68

29

28

9

3890

196

1

3.02

.911

199394

St. Louis Blues

NHL

71

36

23

11

4127

213

1

3.10

.911

199495

St. Louis Blues

NHL

36

20

10

1

1914

89

1

2.79

.902

199596

Las Vegas Thunder

IHL

15

12

2

1

873

29

1

1.99

.929

199596

Edmonton Oilers

NHL

34

15

16

2

1935

111

0

3.44

.886

199697

Edmonton Oilers

NHL

72

32

29

9

4089

200

6

2.93

.907

199798

Edmonton Oilers

NHL

71

29

31

9

4132

181

8

2.63

.905

199899

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

67

35

24

7

4001

171

3

2.56

.910

199900

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

63

36

20

7

3801

158

4

2.49

.915

200001

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

68

33

27

8

4100

163

6

2.39

.915

200102

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

51

29

17

5

3065

114

4

2.23

.906

200203

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

61

34

19

6

3566

148

5

2.49

.912

200304

Grand Rapids Griffins

AHL

1

1

0

0

60

1

0

1.00

.952

200304

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

31

16

10

3

1708

68

2

2.39

.909

200506

Phoenix Coyotes

NHL

60

32

21

3

3424

166

4

2.91

.902

200607

Phoenix Coyotes

NHL

55

18

31

2

2993

159

4

3.19

.893

200708

Calgary Flames

NHL

9

3

2

0

399

17

0

2.55

.906

200809

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

21

5

9

1

383

50

0

3.57

.869

NHL totals

943

454

352

90

54055

2516

51

2.79

.906

*Note: As of the 200506 season, ties have been replaced by an overtime or shootout loss

Post-season

 

 

Season

Team

League

GP

W

L

MIN

GA

SA

SO

GAA

SV%

198990

St. Louis Blues

NHL

6

4

1

327

18

166

0

3.30

.892

199192

St. Louis Blues

NHL

6

2

4

379

23

217

0

3.64

.894

199293

St. Louis Blues

NHL

11

7

4

715

27

438

2

2.27

.938

199394

St. Louis Blues

NHL

4

0

4

246

15

158

0

3.66

.905

199495

St. Louis Blues

NHL

7

3

3

392

24

178

0

3.67

.865

199697

Edmonton Oilers

NHL

12

5

7

767

36

405

2

2.82

.911

199798

Edmonton Oilers

NHL

12

5

7

715

23

319

3

1.93

.928

199899

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

17

9

8

1011

41

440

1

2.43

.907

199900

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

12

6

6

729

25

369

1

2.06

.932

200001

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

11

7

4

685

24

329

3

2.10

.927

200102

Toronto Maple Leafs

NHL

20

10

10

1253

48

557

3

2.30

.934

200203

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

4

0

4

289

10

120

0

2.08

.917

200304

Detroit Red Wings

NHL

9

4

4

518

12

197

1

1.39

.939

200708

Calgary Flames

NHL

2

1

0

79

1

33

0

0.76

.970

NHL totals

132

63

66

8,106

327

3,904

16

2.45

.917

International play

Olympic medal record

Men's ice hockey

Gold

2002 Salt Lake City

Canada

Joseph represented Canada at:

1996 IIHF World Championships (Silver Medal)

1996 World Cup of Hockey (Lost Final)

1997 IIHF World Championships (Gold Medal)

1998 Winter Olympics (4th place)

2002 Winter Olympics (Gold Medal)

2007 Spengler Cup (Gold Medal)

Awards

1993-94 NHL All-Star Game

1998-99 NHL All-Star Game

1999-00 NHL All-Star Game

2000 King Clancy Memorial Trophy

2002 Olympic Gold Medal (Team Canada)

2007 Spengler Cup (Team Canada)

See also

List of National Hockey League statistical leaders

References

General

"Curtis Josephiography". Hockey Hall of Fame. http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18303. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 

Curtis Joseph's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Specific

^ "Curtis Joseph's profile at hockeydb.com". Hockey db.com the Internet Hockey database. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php3?pid=2595. Retrieved 2007-11-15. 

^ Sportsnet signings

^ Larry Wigge (2006-04-03). "Once again, 'Cujo' is in command". NHL. http://www.nhl.com/columns/wigge/joseph040306.html. Retrieved 2007-12-31. 

^ a b Wigge, Larry (2000-01-31). "The Man Called Cujo". The Sporting News. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-59624249.html. Retrieved 2007-12-31. 

^ "Curtis Joseph". NHL players. TSN. http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=1380&name;=&hubname=nhl. 

^ "Curtis Josephiography". Hockey Hall of Fame. http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18303. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 

^ "Curtis Joseph". hockeygoalies.org. http://www.hockeygoalies.org/bio/joseph.html. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 

^ http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=18303

^ a b "Canada wins 2007 Spengler Cup". TSN. 2007-12-31. http://tsn.ca/canadian_hockey/news_story/?ID=226188&hubname=canadian_hockey. Retrieved 2008-01-04. 

^ http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=281368

Preceded by

Rob Ray

Winner of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy

2000

Succeeded by

Shjon Podein

Persondata

NAME

Joseph, Curtis

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

Cujo

SHORT DESCRIPTION

ice hockey player

DATE OF BIRTH

April 29, 1967

PLACE OF BIRTH

Keswick, Ontario

DATE OF DEATH

PLACE OF DEATH

Categories: 1967 births | Calgary Flames players | Adoptees | Canadian ice hockey goaltenders | Canadians of British descent | Detroit Red Wings players | Edmonton Oilers players | Grand Rapids Griffins players | Ice hockey personnel from Ontario | Ice hockey players at the 1998 Winter Olympics | Ice hockey players at the 2002 Winter Olympics | King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners | Las Vegas Thunder players | Living people | National Hockey League All-Stars | Olympic gold medalists for Canada | Olympic ice hockey players of Canada | People from York Region | Peoria Rivermen (IHL) players | Phoenix Coyotes players | St. Louis Blues players | Toronto Maple Leafs players | Undrafted National Hockey League players | Winter Olympics medalists | Wisconsin Badgers ice hockey players | Canadian racehorse owners and breeders
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