Like him, love him, or hate him, Curtis Joseph is coming back to Toronto to do what he can to help out the rebuilding Leafs. First announced by AM640 in Toronto, the news has now come down the wire for all to see.
When Toronto released 2006 starter Andrew Raycroft and his $2 million contract, spaces opened on the roster and under the salary cap.
The Maple Leafs put the collar on the CuJo contract with the opening of NHL Free Agency on Canada Day, signing one of the League’s most reliable veteran goaltenders at a reported $700,000 for the 2008-09 season. The team and the city are looking to Curtis Joseph to recapture his past blue-and-white standards and put the Leafs back into top contention. Although he is a few years out of his prime, he has been a pivotal cog here in the past and looks to give the fans more confidence in their team as a back up, likely to Vesa Toskala.
Joseph has posted a 2.78 GAA over a very consistent seventeen NHL seasons, first signing into the League with St Louis out of University in 1989 having been named WCHA MVP that year. His first season with the Blues he played 15 games with a 9-5-1 record, and since then he has written himself a consistent stat sheet. He’s played 922 NHL games at 449-343-95, and surpassed Terry Sawchuck for the all-time wins record last year with the Calgary Flames. He came in third in Vezina voting in 1992-93 as he continued to make a name for himself as a key player with the Blues.
He was also gaining a reputation around the League as one of the highest paid netminders and remained so throughout his career. Commanding his own price, Joseph has signed as a free agent with every team he has played for and has caused many to feel that he plays where the money is. His current contract, which will pay a reported $700,000 reflects his current position as a high profile back-up. If he ends up as a starter at some point in this season, he would be considered a relative steal.
More recently Joseph won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2000) due to his large impact on the local Toronto community. Internationally he has played for Canada in two Olympics (4thplace, Gold), two IIHF World Championships (Silver, Gold), one World Cup (2nd place) and most recently won Gold at the 2007 Spengler Cup.
He played only one game at the 2002 Olympics, a loss against Sweden in the first game of the tournament as the Canadiens were victimised by the Swedish Torpedo. The Leafs traded him to the Flames, but he didn’t play in Calgary before signing with Detroit.
Calgary fans next became aware of him during the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Brought into Detroit in 2002, CuJo was meant to continue on a Cup Dynasty for the Wings. When Dominik Hasek came out of retirement Joseph was pushed onto the bench, but came in to play a solid end-of-season when the Dominator was injured. Joseph came into the Flames/Red Wings series of 2004 with a 2-0 record and one shutout. Calgary went on to defeat Detroit four games to two in a result that had less to do with Joseph than it did the entire Detroit team. Yzerman had been injured, Nicklas Lidstrom did not play his best, nor did fading star Brett Hull, and Derian Hatcher spent more time being intimidated by boos than playing hockey. Joseph still played for a career-best 1.39 GAA and .939 save percentage for the Playoffs.
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After the lockout he signed with Phoenix, where, while playing for an average team had average stats. In 2007 he joined Team Canada to vie for the Spengler Cup in a bid to stay sharp while looking for an NHL club to play with for 2007-08. He spent the last few weeks shopping around teams like Toronto, San Jose and the New York Rangers, eventually settling on the Calgary Flames.
Joseph spent half of last season as a back-up to Miikka Kiprusoff and the Calgary Flames. Reuniting with head coach Mike Keenan proved to be less of a distraction than was originally feared in light of their past experience.
Keenan had singled out Joseph for criticism while GM-coaching St Louis, often pulling him out of games and reading him the riot act in front of team mates. CuJo lost his own temper, clearing the coach’s desk and scattering the contents during an encounter. The stormy relationship prompted Joseph to say that the trade from St Louis to Edmonton was “the best thing that ever happened to me. I couldn’t take it anymore.” Both men worked as professionals while working for the Flames, and Joseph had a limited but successful 2007-08 season.
Joseph's greatest moment in a Calgary sweater came during the first round of last year’s playoffs against the San Jose Sharks. Just four minutes into Game 3, Kiprusoff was replaced by Joseph after allowing three early goals. CuJo shut the door from there on out, and the Flames effected a brilliant comeback, winning the game 4-3 to take the lead in the series.
Over the years CuJo has been known for many things, not least of which is his nickname and the mask designs it has created, sporting the ferocious growling dog inspired by Stephen King’s horror novel. Joseph’s intention has always been to inspire a worse type of fear in shooters he faces with his unorthodox and unpredictable style, the trademark by which he is truly known. “You think you have him beat, but he comes out of nowhere and makes the save,” says former Oiler team-mate Jason Arnott, referring to Joseph’s disconcerting way of looking out of position only to flip back and make a stop.
Like all good goaltenders, Joseph battles to make a play. However he doesn’t play in any defined style, and so saves and plays can look like everything from a Pedigree to the dog’s lunch; it also means opposition offence will never know what to expect until it happens.
He would be defined as a stand-up goalie for lack of a better term, but he intentionally mixes things up. Some have compared his style of play to that of former Red Wing team-mate Dominik Hasek, with words like flopping, off-balance, flexible, stick-play, and unconventional being used regularly to describe both players. However where Hasek has tended to rely heavily upon using his team’s defence, Joseph displays a greater ability to play with anyone he needs to in whichever system required.
While his movement is unconventional, it finds consistency in his re-positioning and ability to stay with the puck. He may be considered cooler and more determined in his acrobatics than Hasek, and he seems less likely to let a game situation get to him. Former Flames head coach Pierre Page once said of Joseph, "He has no style. He's not very predictable. He's usually down on the ice, scrambling, but he always seems to find a way to get in front of the puck. He's a gambler, but he knows the percentages."
Joseph, returning to his “home team” will add to the Leafs if only in the dressing room. He has become comfortable with making the play in the big game or riding the bench as much or as little as is needed, so don‘t expect him to take over the team. Expressing a desire to return East to his home province, Joseph was always likely to move from Calgary and back to Ontario, where he hopes to continue making an impact. CuJo may have had an All-Star career, but he and many others in the Leafs locker room still long to win their first Cup. Toronto has some rebuilding to do to get to that point, but veteran leadership and a reliable back-up can only help the team towards their greatest eventual goal.
To learn about Joseph's childhood and hockey roots, read Curtis Joseph: Behind the Mask.
Curtis Joseph’s Vital Stats: Numbers coming into 2008-09
Born: Curtis Monro, 29 April 1967, Keswick, Ontario
Age: 41
NHL Teams: St Louis, Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, Phoenix, Calgary, Toronto (re-signed 1 July 2008)
NHL Seasons: 17
Games Played: 922
Career Shutouts: 51
Career GAA: 2.78
Career Save Percentage: .907
Post-Season GAA: 2.45
Post-Season Save Percentage: .917
Post-Season Shutouts: 16
Sweater Number: 31
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2 months ago
Awesome info...he sounds like a great guy.
2 months ago
cujo has always been a neat story.
2 months ago
Vital stats? I cant believe he still has vital signs! I thought Cujo had retired. LOL
from 2 months ago
I think he almost did. He has been off the starter's radar for a few years now, but he still has some life left in him. Also, as a representative for the City of Toronto he has done a lot over the years, so he'll do SOMETHING there, even if it's mostly in the community.
He isn't in his prime, to be sure, but he can still play and probably badly wants another shot at the Cup. That's what he thought he was doing signing with Calgary last year.
2 months ago
Awesome!
However... I don't think he "badly wants another shot at the Cup" as the above poster put it! He signed with the LEAFS!
from 2 months ago
Totally good point! That's what I'm saying... he wants a Cup (since he's never won one), but he's going to have to be a veteran influence in the rebuilding and stick around for a little bit if there is to be any hope of a Leafs Championship in the near future. Honestly, he probably wants to finish off his career, however that plays out, in his home and in the great atmosphere in Toronto.
2 months ago
He may get a chance at the Cup with the Leafs in the future... as a goalie coach or something but he's 41 and he will play one more year... maybe two depending on his health and Justin Pogge's progress.
from 2 months ago
I personally can't wait to see Pogge, and like you say, CuJo is 41. Who knows, he may stay involved after retirement, or he may push the goalie age envelope and, depending on 2008-09 performance, stay for another year or two. However, he and the teams he signs with are smart about it... average pay on a one year contract. Get him for a deal, but only play him sparingly, and if he really doesn't work out, it isn't permanent.
2 months ago
I always knew he would come back! Naming his 4 children after the Leafs was an obvious clue (TTML). It is good to have you back, Cujo!!
2 months ago
i think this is a good move. he will be a good relief to toskala and pogge (if he does poorly) for maybe 15-20 games this year
2 months ago
A good back up for sure for the Leafs. Someone who is comfortable with the city and the expectations that are on the Leafs.
Cujo won't hurt the Leafs. Then again the Leafs have bigger issues.
A really good pick up for a back up goaltender.
Hopefully a change of scenery will work out for Andrew Raycroft. He really was a good goalie in his rookie season and I hope that wasn't the peak of his career.
Nice move for the Leafs.
2 months ago
Wow thanks about the CuJo life story article. Pretty unneeded but whatever tutes your flute. Hes been around so long I think you coulda just said CuJo is coming back and everyone would have got the drift. Do you know how many freckles is on his back? I am sure you do.
Anyways Great job CuJo is a great goalie and fine for back up. Raycroft is gone...lets all be thankful that mr. i-dont-try is now the avs problem.
from 2 months ago
If you can't handle in-depth info, no worries. There's always main-stream media!
Anyway, when it comes down to it, I don't worry one way or the other about Joseph, other than as a major player in the game. As a Flames fan, he was but a blip on the radar with such a short term in Calgary, so it's not like he's my all-time hero. However, he did make a huge impact when he was in Toronto before and has been a key player in the NHL, and his return to the city is significant. But not everyone was around or watching hockey when Joseph was in his prime, and in a town like Toronto it's always better to head into water-cooler situations with all the stats.
Especially when everyone SHOULD know about him... but the fact is, six years after he was a regular mainstream starter, not everyone does.
Glad you liked it.
We'll see where this puts Pogge. Joseph won't be here long even if he does go for an extention next season, so hopefully Justin keeps himself in fighting trim. Now that there is no more question of Raycroft (what a bust), his future may come into starker focus.
2 months ago
Well anyone who is a leaf fan knows everything about CuJo as thats how leaf fans are. They know their stars. But nonetheless Raycroft is gone and CuJo is back. I'm happy as can be. I agree he won't be here long. I imagine just for this season he is 41 after all. Pogge is much more important in the minds of the leaf organization.
from 2 months ago
That's not entirely true. I've met some of the new generation of fans, who just started getting serious in the last five or six years. There's nothing wrong with it, but they can't be expected to know years worth of info which they weren't around for. Even in Toronto, some of these guys know the names, but they don't always know the details. And because so many people assume everyone knows all about him, they don't get a new re-cap. Besides, it's not just for Leafs fans... people in the division should know who they might be seeing as a highly-hyped back-up. He's been out of the starting position since 2003 basically, so post-lockout fans don't all know him.
Pogge was great when he was out West, and we got to see some pretty amazing goaltending. If he's smart, he will take advantage of having Joseph there. Not that I want to see stand-up style or flopping from Pogge, but veteran experience never hurts.
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