(Jul 2) (tsn.ca) As first reported by TSN, Curtis Joseph is no longer a Toronto Maple Leaf. In a matter of hours, he will be a Detroit Red Wing.
Joseph held a news conference in Toronto Tuesday morning to announce that he would not be returning to the Maple Leafs, and has agreed to a contract with the Red Wings.
Following the news conference in Toronto, Joseph will be flying directly to Detroit, where he will put the finishing touches on a new contract to be the number one goaltender for the defending Stanley Cup champions. A press conference will follow sometime Tuesday afternoon to make it official.
Joseph broke up when he talked about leaving his teammates in Toronto, and the kids at Sick Children's Hospital. Joseph noted that he would continue his local charitable works as long as possible.
He praised Leafs coach and general manager Pat Quinn, and his number one negotiator, Bill Watters.
"It's been tough," Joseph said. "There were many considerations and a lot of sleepless nights.
"Hopefully everyone will respect the decision and know that I made it for the right reasons."
Joseph noted that money was not a big sticking point, as the Leafs had made a generous offer.
"Detroit offers a unique opportunity," said Joseph. "Everyone who goes there says the future is now, and that was very enticing."
When asked if the Leafs were on track to win a Stanley Cup, Joseph sat silently until agent Don Meehan moved the questioning in a different direction. Meehan called the Leafs' championship aspirations, "academic" since Joseph was no longer with the team.
The All-Star goalie is expected to receive a contract in the range of three-years and $24 million, although there may be some incentives incorporated that could allow for a fourth year. He could also earn a $1 million bonus if Detroit wins the Stanley Cup. In any case, it's expected that the financial value of the Red Wing contract will be slightly less than what the Maple Leafs offered, which was a three year deal worth about $26 million.
Detroit general manager Ken Holland has publicly stated for more than a week that he wouldn't pay any goaltender more than the $8 million a year Dominik Hasek was scheduled to earn next season and the year after that.
The news comes just one day after Joseph told Maple Leaf team management that he was not going to sign a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs and has decided to pursue other options.
Joesph became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Leafs had exclusive rights to bargain with Joseph until that date, but the Calgary Flames got Joseph's rights for about two hours Sunday before the goalie became open property at midnight.
In return for Joseph's rights, the Leafs received a conditional eighth-round draft pick in 2004 from the Flames and Calgary will get compensatory draft picks for Joseph's new signing.
``I think based on our actions in the last 48 hours we saw this coming,'' Bill Watters, assistant to the Leafs president, told The Canadian Press on Tuesday. ``As much as we didn't want to think it was going to be that way, it became readily apparent to us that it would happen.
``That's why we moved his rights to Calgary (Sunday night) to get at least some form of compensation. It has pretty much played out the way we expected it would.''
Joseph was seeking a four-year deal with Toronto at around $9 million US a season. The biggest stumbling b**** from the Leafs' perspective was giving a four-year deal to a 35-year-old goaltender, especially with the threat of the 2004-05 season being wiped out by a labour war.
Talks broke down early in January and sources said that the offer at that time was for three years at $8.5 million US with the fourth season contingent on Joseph reaching certain personal performance bonuses.
General manager and coach Pat Quinn, while stating his desire to sign Joseph, had publicly expressed concerns about signing him to a four-year deal.
Joseph, 35, also made it clear that he wanted to finish his career with a team that has a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup and wanted the Leafs to demonstrate they were willing to take the necessary steps.
