Curtis Joseph

From Free net encyclopedia

Template:MedalTop Template:MedalSport Template:MedalGold Template:MedalBottom

Curtis Shayne Joseph (born April 29, 1967 in Keswick, Ontario, Canada), nicknamed "Cujo", is a National Hockey League goaltender who is considered one of the best goaltenders in the game. Joseph has played wearing the number 31 for the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, and the Phoenix Coyotes. A three time NHL All-Star (1993-94, 1998-99, 1999-00), he was awarded the 1999-00 King Clancy Memorial Trophy for exemplifying leadership qualities on and off the ice and making noteworthy humanitarian contributions to his community.

Joseph was born to unwed teenage parents. Five days after his birth, his mother, Wendy Munro, gave him up for adoption to Jeanne Joseph, a nurse who had befriended her during her hospital stay. Jeanne and her husband decided to name the baby Curtis after his father, Curtis Nickle. However, it wasn't until he signed with the Blues that he legally changed his name from Curtis Shayne Munro to Curtis Shayne Joseph.

Although Joseph led his first college team, Notre Dame University (Wilcox, Saskatchewan) to the Centennial Cup, then played for the University of Wisconsin of the NCAA, he went undrafted. He signed as a free agent with the Blues in 1989. In 1989-90 season he played 23 games with the Peoria Rivermen in the IHL. From 1989 to 1995 he played for the Blues, then was traded to the Edmonton Oilers where he played until 1998. With Edmonton, Joseph won two Zane Feldman Trophies (team MVP) and one Most Popular Player award. He then played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, a move unpopular in Edmonton, until 2002 when he left to play for the Detroit Red Wings. His move to Detroit was highly publicized and unpopular in Toronto. He moved to the Red Wings to play for a team that had a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup. Detroit was defeated in the first round of the playoffs in 2003. In the 2003-2004 season he was originally Detroit's backup goalie when Dominik Hašek came out of retirement, but Hasek's injuries allowed Joseph to play more regularly. He moved to the Phoenix Coyotes via free agency in 2005 and signed a one year deal. Joseph was a member of the mens gold medal team that competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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’s all-time list, passing legendary goaltender Tony Esposito.

Curtis and his wife Nancy have four children; Madison, Tristan, Taylor and Luke.

Career statistics

Curtis Joseph

Season	Team	GP	MIN	W	L	T	GA	SO	Avg
1989-1990	St. Louis	15	851	9	5	1	48	0	3.38
1990-1991	St. Louis	30	1,710	16	10	2	89	0	3.12
1991-1992	St. Louis	60	3,493	27	20	10	175	2	3.01
1992-1993	St. Louis	68	3,890	29	28	9	196	1	3.02
1993-1994	St. Louis	71	4,126	36	23	11	213	1	3.10
1994-1995	St. Louis	36	1,913	20	10	1	89	1	2.79
1995-1996	Edmonton	34	1,935	15	16	2	111	0	3.44
1996-1997	Edmonton	72	4,100	32	29	9	200	6	2.93
1997-1998	Edmonton	71	4,132	29	31	9	181	8	2.63
1998-1999	Toronto	67	4,001	35	24	7	171	3	2.56
1999-2000	Toronto	63	3,801	36	20	7	158	4	2.49
2000-2001	Toronto	68	4,100	33	27	8	163	6	2.39
2001-2002	Toronto	51	3,064	29	17	5	114	4	2.23
2002-2003	Detroit	61	3,566	34	19	6	148	5	2.49
2003-2004	Detroit	31	1,707	16	10	3	68	2	2.39
NHL Totals		798	46,396	396	289	90	2124	43	2.75

Template:Start box Template:Succession box Template:End boxfi:Curtis Joseph