In the summer of 2002, the Toronto Maple Leafs failed to come to an agreement with unrestricted free agent goaltender Curtis Joseph.
Known more by his nickname of “CuJo,” the Keswick, Ontario, native opted to sign with the Detroit Red Wings on a three-year contract after the Wings had just won their 10th Stanley Cup in franchise history.
According to the Globe and Mail, Joseph eventually took less money than he would’ve received had he re-signed in Toronto by replacing Domink Hasek in Hockeytown.
Fast forward 16 years, and the now 51-year-old reflected back on his decision to join the powerhouse Red Wings’ roster that included Steve Yzerman, Sergei Federov, Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Nicklas Lidstrom and two upcoming stars named Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
Speaking with CTV’s Your Morning, the former Blue, Oiler, Leaf, Red Wing, Coyote and Flame told Kelsey McEwen that he had one major regret on exiting from his hometown.
“I wouldn’t have signed in Detroit, I would’ve stayed here [in Toronto]. Everything was great, I was playing fantastic, but I think my ego may have got in the way and I thought I could go win a cup and come back.”
“I mean, it’s craziness to think that you thought you were that good that you wouldn’t be replaced.”
“So, year, I wouldn’t have left Toronto.”
In Joseph’s first year in Detroit, the Red Wings were swept in the first round by the underdog Anaheim Mighty Ducks lead by Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere. The following season, the Wings and CuJo were bounced in the second round by the resilient Calgary Flames, who marched all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, but ultimately fell short to the Tampa Bay Lightning
Joseph eventually returned back to Toronto for the 2008-09 season absent of a Stanley Cup ring and officially called it quits on January 12, 2010. Joseph set the record for the most wins ever by an NHL goaltender to never win a Stanley Cup, a record that was broken by Roberto Luongo.
Although it's a hypothetical and Joseph's replacement Ed Belfour was solid in replacing CuJo, Leaf fans can't help but ponder of what could've been had Joseph never left the Leafs, especially given how dominant he was when he backstopped the Leafs to the Eastern Conference Final in 1999 and again in 2002.
