Curtis Joseph, known affectionately to hockey fans around the world as Cujo, was an unlikely NHL superstar. The boy from Keswick, Ontario, didn’t put on a pair of skates until most kids his age were already far along in organized hockey, and he was passed over by every team in the NHL draft. Despite an unorthodox start, he would go on to play eighteen seasons with the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames; be ranked among the all-time greats in several key categories; and win an Olympic gold medal while representing Canada. Joseph is a legend in Toronto, where his fandom rivals that of other beloved Leaf greats, and he’s widely thought of as one of the best goalies of all time.
For the first time, in this revealing memoir, Joseph talks about his highly unusual upbringing and what led him to put on his first pair of skates. Written by Kirstie McLellan Day, the world’s top writer of hockey books, this book surprises and entertains, and shares on- and off-the-ice tales no fan has heard before: the untold story behind the legend.
Curtis Joseph was born in Richmond Hill and grew up in Sharon, Ontario. He played for Notre Dame College in Saskatchewan and the University of Wisconsin but went undrafted. He eventually became an all-star with the St. Louis Blues and went on to play for Edmonton, Toronto, Detroit, Phoenix and Calgary before winding up his career with the Leafs. He won a gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Joseph is an ambassador for the Maple Leafs and received the King Clancy Memorial Trophy after establishing Cujo’s Kids Charitable Foundation and Cujo’s Crease Satellite Anesthesia Room, both at SickKids Hospital. He’s husband to Stephanie and a dad of seven. Follow him on Twitter @Cujo.
KIRSTIE McLELLAN DAY ranks among the top hockey writers in the world thanks to seven national #1 bestsellers: Theo Fleury’s Playing with Fire, Bob Probert’s Tough Guy, Ron MacLean’s Cornered and Hockey Towns, Wayne Gretzky’s 99: Stories of the Game, Kelly Hrudey’s Calling the Shots, and Curtis Joseph’s Cujo. Kirstie, a mother of five great kids, has three grandkids and is married to Pyramid Production television producer Larry Day. They live in Calgary.