So Long Cujo

Today one of the true greats called it a career. Goaltender Curtis Joseph officially retired today.

Curtis Joseph was always one of my favourite goalies. Along with Ed Belfour and Mike Richter, he was one of my goaltending heroes growing up. Even during his time in St. Louis, I always enjoyed watching him play. He was a battler, a competitor. He never gave up on a puck. He relied on athleticism and reflexes rather than technique. It didn't matter what part of his body he used to stop the puck, only that some part of his body stopped it.

He was old school.

This style died in the 1990s, replaced over that decade by the butterfly style that almost every goaltender now employs. Curtis Joseph is one of the last of his kind. As youngster playing road hockey, I played a lot like Cujo. It wasn't until I was well into my teens that I began to incorporate the butterfly style, one that I now almost exclusively rely on. But there will always be that little bit of Curtis Joseph in me, the ability and willingness to make a sprawling save when necessary, saves that perhaps a more technical goaltender might not make. For that, I am grateful to number thirty-one.

With retirement comes the inevitable debate as to whether the player in question belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. If you ask me, there can be no debate in the case of Curtis Joseph. As far as I'm concerned, his ticket is punched, and it's merely a question of when rather than if.

I will start with statistics and get them out of the way. Over 18 seasons, Cujo compiled 454 wins (4th all-time behind only Martin Brodeur, Patrick Roy, and Ed Belfour; all sure fire Hall of Famers), 51 shutouts, a 2.79 goals against average, and a .906 save percentage in 943 games. The wins alone is impressive and when you consider the teams that Cujo played for, the goals against average and save percentage aren't too shabby either. The detractors have pointed to the fact that Cujo is tied with Gump Worsley for the most losses in NHL history with 352, but that speaks to Cujo's longevity and the quality of teams he played on and not his skill.

During the playoffs his numbers were even better, posting 16 shutouts, a 2.42 goals against average and .917 save percentage in 133 games. With numbers like that it's hard to believe that he never won a Stanley Cup. But then again, who knows how far the Red Wings would have gone in 2004 if they hadn't run into a Finnish netminder by the name of Miikka Kiprusoff (there is actually a story behind Game Six of this series which I will write about one of these days).

Let's ignore numbers for just a second, and get to what really made Cujo one of the game's greats. When you look at the teams he played for, it's a wonder he made the playoffs with regularity. What makes Cujo great is that he turned mediocre teams into good teams; teams that had no business being anywhere near the playoffs and single handedly putting them in. He even stole a few playoff series for good measure as Edmonton Oiler fans can attest to. If not for his heroics in 1999 and 2002, there is no way the Toronto Maple Leafs would have been one series away from ending their Stanley Cup drought.

All statistics and talent aside, there is no questioning the character and class of Curtis Joseph. Even a baseball writer would need an electron microscope to any kind of character flaw or classless act. He was one of those players that carried himself with nothing but class and gave generously to the communities in which he played.

And above all, he had one of the coolest masks ever. Enough with the debate already, put him in the Hall.

So long Cujo, the hockey world will miss you.

-matt