Every dog has his day, and the goalie nicknamed Cujo certainly had plenty of triumphant moments in his 19-year NHL career.

The clock ended on Curtis Joseph’s last spring, when he suffered his 352nd loss to match Gump Worsley’s all-time record. But he waited until Tuesday to officially retire, saying he had no regrets and felt fortunate to play as long as he did.

"It's a good day and it's been a great career," Joseph said. "I'm a lucky, lucky guy to do what I do for a living for 19 years.

"I'm extremely happy and certainly believe I didn't leave anything on the table. I had a great run and a great career and enjoyed every minute of it."

The classy Joseph was relaxed and more candid than he was during a playing career that saw him amass 454 victories — fourth on the all-time list behind Martin Brodeur (585), Patrick Roy (551) and Ed Belfour (484).

The 42-year-old Joseph was asked if regretted departing Toronto — his third NHL stop after stints with the St. Louis Blues and Edmonton Oilers — for the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent in 2002. The answer was no. Joseph enjoyed the new setting, just like he did with later opportunities to play with the Phoenix Coyotes and Calgary Flames.

There will be a debate as to whether Joseph belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame. His critics will point to the fact that he never won a Stanley Cup or even advanced to a final, didn't win the 1996 World Cup of Hockey and lost his starting position on the Canadian team at the 2002 Olympics to Martin Brodeur.

But Joseph's supporters will point to his impressive victory total, despite playing on some mediocre teams and his ability to carry those clubs to playoff success.

There are four series that come to mind. He propelled the underdog Blues past the Chicago Blackhawks in the opening round in 1993, a year after the Blackhawks advanced all the way to the Stanley Cup final. There were his two first-round upsets with the seventh-seeded Oilers against the second-ranked Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in 1997 and 1998, respectively.

In 2001, it wasn't Shayne Corson who shut down Alexei Yashin, it was Joseph as he delivered two opening game shutouts for the Maple Leafs against the heavily-favoured Ottawa Senators.

"No question, he's a Hall of Famer," said Hockey Night In Canada analyst and his former Toronto teammate Glenn Healy. "That was a time when we could go into any building against any team, get outplayed and outshot, but we felt we had a chance. Even if we were playing in our running shoes, we felt we had a chance.

"As a backup, there are times on the schedule when you see your team is about to play four games in six nights and that he may be tired so you better be ready, but the one game I expected him to have the most trouble in would be his best game. I'd think, 'I’m going to be sitting for another two weeks. Am I going to get another chance?'"

The fact that Joseph even received a chance to play in the NHL is a remarkable story. Five days after 17-year-old Wendy Munro gave birth to Joseph he was adopted by a nurse in the hospital, Jeanne Joseph. He was a shy kid and emerged himself in athletics.

Curtis eventually found goaltending to his liking. A late bloomer, he earned a scholarship to Notre Dame in Wilcox, Sask. He recalled on Tuesday that while at Notre Dame the kindness of current senior vice-president David McNab of the Anaheim Ducks kept him dreaming of one day playing in the NHL.

McNab was worked for the Hartford Whalers then and kept sending letters of encouragement as well as the odd Whalers hat or t-shirt.

'He is a quality person'

One of Joseph's teammates at Notre Dame was Rod Brind'Amour. The attention he received helped Joseph land a scholarship to the University of Wisconsin.

Brind'Amour went to Michigan State and both wound up with the Blues under general manager Ron Caron. Brind’Amour was a first-round pick, while Joseph signed as an undrafted free agent.

"He will be remembered for how much he was respected by his teammates," Healy said. "He is a quality person.

"Forget about him as a goaltender — his numbers, his skill will speak for itself. I will always remember the way he carried himself off the ice and in the dressing room."

Joseph called his four seasons with the Leafs the pinnacle of his career. At times, Toronto could be a trying place to play, but Joseph rarely displayed the strain.

He was easily the most charitable player on the team. Besides his work at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, he also paid for a private suite in which he hosted children with long-term illnesses every game.

"It didn't matter if he played poorly, he made his way up to that box to spend time with the kids," Healy recalled.

Joseph had two of his two teenage sons at the media conference with him as well as his long-time friend and agent, Don Meehan. Joseph's 18-year-old daughter and youngest son were not there because of school commitments. The goalie thanked Meehan for his friendship and support and Joseph's message to his children and his fans were "it's all worth it, every ounce of it. All the memories, the victories, the ups and downs, it's all worth it.

"I know the detractors from my career and I know my strengths, for sure. All I know is that, hopefully, my teammates will say that I was important, that I gave it everything and that I didn't leave anything to chance over my whole career."