Curtis Joseph says he regrets leaving the Toronto Maple Leafs | Your Morning

The legendary goalie chats about his career and what fans can expect from his new memoir.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to Your Morning for the latest: bit.ly/2hX11GF
Connect with Your Morning:
For the latest in news and lifestyle visit: www.theloop.ca/your-morning/
Your Morning on Facebook: / yourmorningctv
Follow Your Morning on Twitter: / yourmorning
Follow Your Morning on Instagram: / yourmorning
Hosted by Ben Mulroney and Anne-Marie Mediwake, along with anchors Melissa Grelo, Lindsey Deluce and Kelsey McEwen, YOUR MORNING delivers a fresh perspective on today's headlines, engaging conversations with trending celebrities and news makers, plus helpful advice and know-how to make sure you and yours are ready for the day ahead.

[@ruthanncollebert2706]

One of the best goalies

[@nhattran536]

Class act. Cujo is the best

[@donnywhite6619]

Ya for sure cujo took a bite out of many teams we played against. God bless

[@rono108]

It is a great book and incredible story. Thanks Curtis. You belong in the Hockey Hall of Fame for sure.

[@magneto8002]

I will buy his book.

[@Eladore]

If Sparks don’t work out maybe its not too late?

[@dremin15]

magerageful *Cue Dangle’s impression of Kyle Dubas*

[@709mash]

Cujo is still in better shape than half the golies still on the go lol. He may be too small for the newer NHL style though. (his words)

[@dmitrybystrov6143]

Just watch at Scott in WHL

[@michaelmurphy4880]

Sparks is fine. F'ing Leafs fans never happy with what you have and jump ship at the slightest things that go wrong. Just be-Leaf!

[@martytruelove5026]

I honestly wish things had worked out better.He is definitely not alone,I liked Reimer and a couple of others as well...it sure is"in the moment" when you are a goalie in Toronto.

[@iron60bitch62]

Great guy thx

[@35jigganator]

I remember as a teen I was crushed when he left us for the Wings. I live near the Detroit-Windsor border and it was painful hearing my classmates who were Wings fans, gloat about how they signed him. He's one of the best goaltenders of all time simply because he brought teams to the playoffs that had no business being there. Not to mention he wasn't the reason the Wings didn't win anything.

[@reggiepathak9684]

he couldnt win the big game. That was his problem the detroit team was stacked and hasek won the cup with the wings the year before. And after curtis last the wings won another cup. Also leafs went to semi finals against buffalo he got out played by hasek. IN Canada cup in 2002 he was the started he didnt play well the first game lost to sweden and broduer took over and Canada won with him. A good goalie but when it mattered the most he could never get it done.

[@ScaryRevenant]

@@reggiepathak9684they got swept in 4 by the ducks cause they couldn’t score. Also at least a couple overtime losses in that series so can’t blame Cujo at all for that

[@reggiepathak9684]

@@ScaryRevenant he cant win the big game. in 1995 he got destroyed by vancouver an dmike keenan sent him packing. Cujo is a colorful goalie but he could never win the big game. What about world cup? Lost to mike richter and theother one he got benched for broduer

[@ScaryRevenant]

@@reggiepathak9684 I know he had that reputation- this is coming from a life long leafs fan who was pissed when we lost to Carolina in 02, and was equally pissed when he ditched to Detroit to go “win a cup” but that organization also did him pretty dirty imo

[@serenitynow6513]

Ya , I was pissed you left. But I understand you took a chance of winning a cup. Totally understandable. You and Potvin and eddie are still my favourite goalies of all time. You definitely had the most heat though. Take care of yourself man, cheers 🍻

[@brianlb78]

He doesn't seem to have much love for St. Louis and they idolized him there. Obviously there was the Keenan situation but to the fans he was everything to them and it's where he got his start and I think played the most.

[@tdunph4250]

He was a great goalie. I remember being severely pissed when he opted to leave the Leafs, but he got cocky and figured the grass was greener somewhere else. He took a hit for it and he ended up regretting it. He didn't really have it better in Detroit but oh well, you win some, you loose some!

[@ROMSradio]

He had an amazing run he wanted a cup and deserved one it's okay cujo lol

[@MrTCHOSS]

Blues fans here - my favorite goalie of all time. Triva - What was Curtis Joseph's nickname before it became CUJO?

[@gocardinals8887]

What was it?

[@MrTCHOSS]

@@gocardinals8887 "The Cat" --- but then at some point after that, Felix Potvin came along, and with his name Felix, he naturally was a perfect fit for "Felix the Cat". At some point after that, Joseph started getting called "CUJO" which is a better name anyway

[@reesepacker7983]

WISH he had have been in Edmonton during the 06 Oilers run ..won 32 games for the Coyotes that yr....him and Roloson instead of Roloson /Markkaen /Conklin might have been the difference when Roloson went down in game one ..which imo turned the series .

[@gkoknok6076]

Rolson was really good for a period of time.

[@PeteNice29]

Still mad he was traded from the Blues years ago. He was part of the core three with Hull and Shanahan.

[@gejugfeguug5623]

He left for detroit because they had just won the cup and were at the time stacked with future hall of famers. I might have done the same. Lets be honest, leafs wouldve never won the cup wuth that defense and its still the same shit today. The leafs havent had a good defense since 94 with pat burns as a coach. Defense wins championships.

[@gazingatmars]

You had me till the end there. I kinda wanna double down on offense at deadline.

[@dumpchangepants]

Still have your autograph on a trading card. It was numbered 12 / 120

[@Davidjon1946]

Sabres ruined his best chance in 1999 sabres ruled the eastern conference that season. Or should i say Dominic hasek ruled the eastern conference

[@timfronimos459]

This Detroiter bleeds Maple Leaf blue. CUJO is still one of my favorite players from the NHL. Red Wings did him wrong for sure. CUJO class act.

[@matthoffman6962]

I’ll just leave this here. For anyone who was dumb enough including the red wings organization for blaming Cujo for their shortcomings. First year playoffs with Detroit. 917sv% 2.08 GAA Second year playoffs with Detroit. 939sv% 1.39 GAA

[@JoeyArmstrong2800]

Nah. I loved him as an Edmonton Oiler.

[@fernmccreary2729]

I live like that and honestly it's alpha

[@bubbles3161]

Heartbreaking story i'm fighting for my two children who are living in similar conditions .

[@PeteNice29]

He wasn't going to win one in Toronto either so it's all good

[@chachifeere]

grew up so poor , but played single A rep hockey

[@user-ic7gl9nz1m]

I love you Cujo, but you're not fooling anyone with those hair plugs

[@lonewolverine1184]

LOL! I will always love him even with the fake hair! He will be my hero forever.

[@Kimberly-rj2sc]

How rude

[@ImJcoll]

Tool

[@jaseys]

Looks great

[@Bawbster1]

Cujo... Played like sh!t at the Salt Lake Games. Pat Quinn did what was right and put another goalie in, who was playing better. Cujo wouldn't even acknowledge Quinn at the ceremony back in Toronto after the Olympics. He would've preferred losing as the starter than win a gold medal as the back up. He then sulked the rest of the year and left Toronto because of it. THAT'S WHY HE LEFT. Another time, he was hurt towards the end of a season, the Leaf back-up goalie didn't have a good game and Cujo was all smiles and laughing during an interview... the the back-up had a couple of good games, and Cujo didn't look too happy after that. It's ok, because Eddie Belfour was actually better. Cujo was far from a class act, he was very selfish.

[@carlosp8697]

Stfu your an idiot

[@elladanakinleafs6067]

He played only one game, the opener vs. Sweden. The WHOLE TEAM played like shit. Cujo was just the one that took the fall, unfortunately. There's a few pages written by Wayne Gretzky in the book where he says that the reason he picked Cujo to be on the team was because he was the best goalie in the league that season, that the whole team played poorly in the first game and he believes that the result would have been the same if Cujo remained in the net for the rest of the tournament. How could you say Brodeur was playing better? Cujo took a depleted Leafs team to the Conference Final that year, whereas Brodeur was out in the first round and Belfour didn't make the playoffs. Gretzky is right: Cujo was the BEST goalie in the league during that time. I love Pat Quinn, but Joseph had every right to be upset that his own coach gave in to pressure and gave him the hook after just one game in which Joseph had no support. Your examples of Cujo laughing and then being upset require proof and context. His job was one of the most secure in the league, so there would be no need to be happy or upset based on his backup's performance because he was still going to be the starter when he returned from injury. LOL, Belfour was not better. By far. In his three seasons with the Leafs, we missed the playoffs one year (where he was horrible), we got eliminated in the first round in another, and we made the second round in another year where he was great against the Senators and bad against the Flyers. One good series to talk about, that's it. Cujo made the playoffs in each of his four years as a starter and made it to the at least the second round each time, and twice to the third round. And in two of those runs, his save % was over .930, something Belfour didn't accomplish with the Leafs. And Cujo was very selfish? LOL. He won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2000 for his work off the ice in helping sick kids. He brought out sick kids to Leafs games and had them put in luxury suites, and he established a room in the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto that resembled the Leafs dressing room. He made big donations every year and was always active in the community. If you don't like him for personal reasons, don't try to attack his impeccable character.

[@Bawbster1]

@@elladanakinleafs6067 yes, he played one game... played like shit, and his Toronto teammate, Mats Sundin scored on him from the blue line. Hardly an Olympic performance. When a team has no confidence in the goalie in net, and especially when there's another option, they tend to play poorly in front of him as they were trying to do too much to compensate for Cujo's very poor performance. The Leafs were hardly "depleted". They had some injuries, but that team had more depth than the current Leafs roster - in fact the Leafs were playing so well, people were suggesting that inserting Sundin back in when they did, as he was still hurt, was the mistake that cost the Leafs a shot at the cup that season - remember, they won game 1 against Carolina in the Conference finals. Cujo may have been the best goalie in the league that season, but when the Olympics started, the regular season was only half over and hindsight is 20/20 - Cujo played like shit and Quinn had no choice but to replace him for the more experienced Brodeur,. Most people were saying Brodeur should have been the guy from the start. I was a Leafs fan and a Cujo fan, until snubbed Pat Quinn like that at the ACC opening ceremony celebrating the gold medal. The context was, a lot of Leaf fans at the time made the same observations as me, and him being a UFA along with Belfour, the talk in the on-line "newsgroup" chat rooms was that Belfour might be a better team player and the Leafs should look at replacing Cujo... despite that, the Leafs tried to sign Cujo first. Belfour was fundamentally better. Cujo was more of a reactionary goalie who relied on his reflexes, whereas Belfour was better at positioning. Considering both were starting to age, the betting line was that Belfour had a better chance at being better for longer - it was the move the Leafs should've made from the start, period. Cujo wanted a 4 year deal, and the Leafs offered 3. Also take into consideration, when the Leafs signed Cujo, they made him the highest paid goaltender in the NHL. The year you say Belfour played like shit?!? NO - that was the year the "Muskoga 7" were all signed to ridiculous no-trade contracts and most had shit seasons in front of Belfour - also that was after the "lost season" where they all sat out for a year and the first year that the salary cap era, so those contracts really hurt the Leafs for the next few years. The Leafs play-off success had more to do with t he Team in from of Cujo. They were loaded. Cujo's work with sick kids off the ice is admirable, however it hardly proves he wasn't a selfish HOCKEY PLAYER. Again, he was a UFA and he would've preferred the Leafs stumbled without him. When Coey Schwab started playing good with Cujo out at the end of the 2001-02 Regular season, you could tell he was none too happy as opposed to Schwabs first game when he stumbled a bit. That was a red flag to me, and a lot of others, and when the "Olympic snub" happened at the ACC after the gold medal was won, it reaffirmed my gut feelings about him. The following is taken from Cujo's wiki page: _"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's move to Detroit was highly publicized and unpopular in Toronto."_

[@elladanakinleafs6067]

@@Bawbster1 You're using a lot of of intangible arguments to backup your claims, such as how you say a lot of people agree with you, but you fail to mention how Cujo is one of the most beloved goalies in Leafs history and the very mention of his name brings about loud cheers whenever he's at a game or at an event. Nobody really misses Belfour today. He's never at the alumni events (I don't think he's even invited) and I never really see anybody wondering why he's not one of the goalies playing in alumni games. If Cujo was missing, everyone would ask where he was. Also, when Cujo left for Detroit, it was highly controversial because the fan base was split: there were those that were very upset, and those that were very heartbroken (like myself). That's because we knew what he meant to us. When Belfour left for Florida, nobody really cared. I don't know what you mean by Belfour possibly being a better team player than Joseph. A goalie is paid to stop the puck from going in the net, and Joseph was beloved by teammates. You're gonna need to elaborate a bit more on that one if you're gonna argue it. And yes, the Leafs were very depleted in the 2002 playoff run lol. We only had two quality defensemen: Kaberle and McCabe, and what depth did we have on offense? Renberg missed pretty much the entire playoffs, Sundin missed most of it, and our bottom six were filled with call ups from the Saint John's Maple Leafs. Alyn McCauley, a career 3rd liner, was playing on the 1st line and played his heart out, way over his head and the best in his entire NHL career. He only got 16 points in 82 games that season, yet got 15 points in 20 games in the playoffs... think about that. Roberts was a man on a mission and put the team on his back, and Mogilny under performed in many games but still came up clutch in big moments. Cujo standing on his head, and a handful of players got us to the Conference Final. The argument of whether to insert Sundin back into the lineup against Carolina is a different argument entirely. It's something I actually agree to not have brought him back, because I firmly believe to not mess with a winning lineup. That in itself could have messed up our team's chemistry that was formed, and the lines were shuffled. But don't forget how incredible Cujo was that series. Carolina beat us 2-1 in overtime THREE TIMES that series. Cujo also shut them out 1-0 in Game 5 when facing elimination. That was four games that we scored only one goal, and got shutout in another. The offense had dried up, but Cujo was phenomenal and we wouldn't have made it to six games without him.

[@matthoffman6962]

@@Bawbster1 looool you say you were a Cujo fan. If that “snub” is what triggered you, you weren’t much of a fan to begin with. Btw it wasn’t a snub he fully put his hand out but didn’t take off his goalie glove because he was in game mode. So what? Who cares? The media made that a big story out of nothing. Of course he was pissed off about the olympics who wouldn’t be? The whole entire team canada played like trash the first game. Not just Cujo. I can guarantee you that if was given the next game they would of won and Brodeur wouldn’t have been the goalie. Don’t even get me started on Belfour. He has 1 good season with the leafs. The other he only made it to the first round. Belfour was not the better goalie in a leafs uniform. Not even close. Cujo brought those shitty leafs teams to 2 conference finals. Did Belfour do that? Yeah, didn’t think so.