Curtis Joseph
Why I Chose Cujo
I chose Cujo because I have always liked him and he plays for Team
Canada in the 2002 Winter Olympic games. He is also doing very well in
the NHL post season. Read on to find out how kind Curtis is behind the
scenes.
Local Information
Curtis Joseph was born on April 29th, 1967, three days before Toronto won
the Stanley Cup. He was born in Keswick, Ontario, Canada. He weighs 86
kg or 189 lb. and is 5’11” tall. The sport he competes in is Men’s Ice
Hockey. Curtis’ position that he plays is goaltender, wearing #31 on his
Maple Leafs uniform. The teams he has played for in the past are the St.
Louis Blues and the Edmonton Oilers. Cujo saves shots left-handed but
shoots right, so you will often find him backhanding shots out of harms
way.
History
When Curtis was born his birth mother abandoned him at the city hospital.
A local nurse, Mrs. Joseph, working there, found him, adopted him, and
raised him as though he were her own blood. When Cujo was drafted to
play in the NHL, his first team was the St. Louis Blues. He legally changed
his last name from Munroe to Joseph, which made his mother proud.
Nicknames
Joseph likes to be called Cujo, like the raging beast in Stephen King’s
novel, and No. 31.
Awards
On the 23rd of December 2000 Curtis became only the 17th goalie to record
300 career wins. In 1988, Curtis was named MVP(Most Valuable Player in
the NHL), and voted fourth in 1998. In 1989 he was awarded second for the Hobby
Baker Award and in 2000 Curtis won the Clancey Trophy. Curtis is one of
the top five goalies in the NHL. He has also gone to two NHL all-star
games.
Statistics
| Team | Year | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA |
| St.Louis | 93-94 | 71 | 36 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 3.10 |
| St.Louis | 94-95 | 36 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2.79 |
| Edmonton | 95-96 | 34 | 15 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 3.44 |
| Edmonton | 96-97 | 72 | 32 | 29 | 9 | 6 | 2.93 |
| Edmonton | 97-98 | 71 | 29 | 31 | 9 | 8 | 2.63 |
| Toronto | 99-00 | 63 | 36 | 20 | 7 | 4 | 2.49 |
| Toronto | 00-01 | 68 | 33 | 27 | 8 | 6 | 2.39 |
| NHL Total | 12 yrs | 655 | 317 | 243 | 76 | 32 | 2.83 |
Organizations
On the ice, Cujo’s great, as he is off the ice. He is active in several
children’s organizations. The most well known is ‘Kids for Cujo’. This is
when he gathers 16 sick boys and girls from the hospital and gives them
tickets to every Maple Leaf game for the whole season!
Olympic Starter
Everybody was talking about Cujo getting the start in Canada's first game against
Sweden. But, with all the pressure, he had a pretty poor game but an
excellent effort. Canada’s next game they won, with Brodeur between the
pipes, but that’s a different story.
Injuries
Joseph has fractured he is left hand, sprained his left finger, and broken his
left hand.
Late Starter
Curtis’ mom wouldn’t let him play ice hockey because she thought it was
too rough. But when Curtis was 11, she finally let her son try it out. Curtis
was put in the net because he was wobbly on his skates. It just so happened
that Cujo’s own teammates couldn’t even score on him! When mini-Cujo
was 17, his parents moved to Nova Scotia. Curtis stayed behind with a
different family during that period and went to Richmond Hill for two years.
At age 20, Curtis was ready to give up. But then, finally, a scout noticed
him. He suggested Cujo go to Notre Dame College in Saskatchewan. There he
worked as a handy-man. Then he decided to go to the University of
Wisconsin. Cujo had a very good start, and went to the 1989 championship,
and that was the key to the NHL.
Past Olympic Occasions
At Nagano in 1998, Curtis played 3rd string, followed by Colorado’s
Patrick Roy and New Jersey Devil’s Martin Brodeur. But neither Joseph nor
Brodeur dressed.
Wrap-up
Curtis Joseph is a spectacular goaltender with lightning quick reflexes. He is
a very nice person in...well... person.
Things I Found Interesting About Cujo
The only things I found out that I already didn’t know about Cujo were that
he had sprained his hand and that he started playing ice-hockey at age 11.
One of the things I’ve always liked about Curtis' story is that his mother
abandoned him. I like his adoptive mother because she was so kind to him.
Curtis Joseph is an interesting guy, and that’s one of the reasons why I am
his biggest fan. CUJO ROCKS!
