Joseph was the first goalie in NHL history to win 30 games in one season for five different teams. Though Joseph never got his team to the Stanley Cup Final or made an NHL postseason All-Star team, he finished his NHL career with 454 wins, still seventh in NHL history.
He accomplished all that without being drafted.
The St. Louis Blues signed Joseph on June 16, 1989 after he excelled during his freshman season at the University of Wisconsin. He was in the NHL by midseason in 1989-90, making his first NHL start against the Edmonton Oilers on Jan. 2, 1990, and earning his first victory four weeks later against the New York Islanders. By 1991-92, he was the starter.
Joseph helped the Blues sweep the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and in 1993-94 he went 36-23 with 11 ties. But the Blues were eliminated in the first round in 1994 and 1995, and on Aug. 4, 1995, St. Louis traded the unsigned free agent to the Edmonton Oilers.
>The Oilers eventually signed Joseph, and he keyed first-round playoff upsets against the Dallas Stars in 1997 and Colorado Avalanche in 1998. He then became a free agent and signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 15, 1998.
Joseph had three straight 30-win seasons with the Maple Leafs and helped Toronto advance to the conference finals in 1999 and 2002. He won the King Clancy Trophy in 2000 in recognition of his leadership and humanitarian efforts and was a member of Canada's gold medal-winning team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.
But when Joseph became a free agent, he wound up moving again, this time when he signed with the Detroit Red Wings on July 2, 2002. Joseph won 34 games in 2002-03 and allowed 10 goals in four playoff games, but Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim was even better, and the Red Wings were swept, losing four one-goal games.
Joseph and Manny Legace split the goaltending in 2003-04, helping the Red Wings win the Presidents' Trophy. But although Joseph played well in the playoffs, Detroit was upset by the Calgary Flames in the Western Conference Semifinals and he was on the move again, signing with the Phoenix Coyotes on Aug. 17, 2005.
As he'd done everywhere else, Joseph kept winning, going 32-21-3 for a non-playoff team. He dropped to 18-31-2 in 2006-07, then played one season each with the Flames and Maple Leafs before retiring. He finished his NHL career 454-352-6 with 90 ties, a 2.79 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and 51 shutouts.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- WCHA First All-Star Team (1989)
- WCHA Freshman of the Year (1989)
- WCHA Most Valuable Player (1989)
- NCAA West Second All-American Team (1989)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (1994, 2000)
- Signed as a free agent by St. Louis, June 16, 1989.
- Traded to Edmonton by St. Louis with the rights to Mike Grier for St. Louis' 1st round picks (previously acquired) in 1996 (Marty Reasoner) and 1997 (later traded to Los Angeles, Los Angeles selected Matt Zultek) NHL Drafts, August 4, 1995.
- Signed as a free agent by Toronto, July 15, 1998.
- Traded to Calgary by Toronto for Calgary's 3rd round pick (later traded to Minnesota, Minnesota selected Danny Irmen) in 2003 NHL Draft and future considerations, June 30, 2002.
- Signed as a free agent by Detroit, July 2, 2002.
- Signed as a free agent by Phoenix, August 17, 2005.
- Signed as a free agent by Calgary, January 17, 2008.
- Signed as a free agent by Toronto, July 1, 2008.
- Officially announced his retirement, January 12, 2010.