Curtis Joseph - Early Life

Early Life

Joseph was born to unmarried teenage parents. Five days after his birth, his mother, Wendy Munro, placed him for adoption with Jeanne Joseph, a nurse who had befriended her during her hospital stay, and her husband Harold Joseph. Jeanne and her husband decided to name the baby Curtis after his birth father Curtis Nickle. Curtis grew up with an older stepbrother Grant and a stepbrother Victor; he also has three older stepsisters and a step brother from a previous marriage. The family was of mixed race with Harold and Victor being black. It was not until he signed with the St. Louis Blues that Joseph legally changed his name from Curtis Shayne Munro to Curtis Shayne Joseph.

Joseph initially attended Whitchurch Highlands Public School until the family relocated to the Keswick area. He grew up playing hockey for the East Gwillimbury Eagles of the OMHA until moving west to play for his high school team, Notre Dame College (Wilcox, Saskatchewan) to the Centennial Cup and then played for the University of Wisconsin–Madison of the NCAA, he went undrafted. He signed as a free agent with the Blues in 1989. In 1989–90 season he played 23 games with the Peoria Rivermen in the IHL.