Abandoned at Youth, Curtis Joseph Found a Way to Survive
Curtis Joseph is well known for being dominant in the crease back in the day, «Cujo» was the first goalie in NHL history to get 30 or more wins in a season on five different teams, as well as having the most wins as a goaltender (454) without ever winning a Stanley Cup.
After his time in the NHL, Curtis decided to speak out on his harsh childhood that caught people off guard. As we take a dive into Josephs book he wrote back in 2018, it reveals some deep stories.
«I had a weird life», Joseph writes. «Two moms, three dads and I grew up in a home full of mentally ill patients run by a crazy person. The last thing anybody expected was that I would some day make a living playing hockey.»
Josephs was a «rehabilitation centre» north of Toronto. His mother, who adopted him as a baby, ran the place. An addict, she was unstable and left him to fend for himself.
«By the time I was 10 years old, I was living on a steady diet of stale cookies, processed cheese slice sandwiches and frozen institutional hamburgers - God knows what they were made of,» he writes.
Curtis's mattress was on the floor, finding a dry spot on the floor was a challenge because his mothers cats used it as a litter box. «My mom treated animals better then her kids».
Curtis, now 54, found sunlight in hockey.
Documenting his life, they reconnected with family and friends who helped fill in his story - often contributing pictures from his youth.
Joseph now has the loving family he craved growing up. He has four kids from his first marriage and two from his second plus a nephew he is also raising. They range in age from four to 26.
Today, Joseph divides his time between homes in suburban Toronto and Arizona and works as an ambassador for the Maple Leafs.
«A nice cushy job,» Joseph, who remains a revered figure in Leaf Nation, said with a smile.
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