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26 thursday feb 7 2002 c economist sun stotiffville tribune 1- v photo illustrationrob alary staff photoerin riley york region residents heading to the 2002 winter olympics are at top hockey player curtis joseph figure skater emanuel sandhu figure skater jglvis stojko figure skater lenny faustinq freestyle skier veronica brenner and referee jacqui palm above on ice and snow our olympians tackle the world s hockey yarns go it has a pretty good spin despite a badly dis located shoulder the young goaltenders underdog jr b hockey team so desperately needed him in the playoffs a harnesslike device was rigged up and attached to the net allowing him to play despite the handicap the story goes the youngster per formed admirably in a losing cause for the king city dukes many years later the national hockey league star is hoping for the chance to backstop canadas fortunes in mens hockey at the winter olympics in salt lake city the story about the harness is a local legend yet thetale is tes tament to curtis josephs ter mination a calling card of sorts especially in pressure cooker sit uations often in his 12year career with three nhl teams including the toronto maple leafs the east gwillimbury minor hockey association grad- uate has breathed life into other- wise lifeless playoff teams the season in king city launched mr joseph through tier ii jr a in richmond hill and on to the notre dame hounds then to a scholarship to the university of wisconsin and a free agent contract with the st louis blues it the shoulder popped out about 10 times and i finally had surgery after my first seasonof pro mr joseph 34 recalled last week dismissing the rest of the story with a grin im just fortu nate that it didnt come out dur ing my season at notre dame or two seasons at wisconsin mr josephs stature among the top goaltenders in the nhl is beyond dispute nevertheless the veteran who recentlyplayed in his 700thnhl game eagerly awaits the tournament starting feb 15 against sweden with mondays announce ment dallas stars ed belfour will be the no 3 man it becomes a choice between mr joseph and new jersey devils goalie martin brodeur even if they dont make a decision to go- with one guy maybe they feel its best right now not to close their options said mr joseph speculating pre- medal round games could be split between two or all three- men the mens hockey team will be scrutinized more than- any more olympic profiles page 27 kathleen griffin been there done that skating is not i figured i had this one down pat ive been skating since age two many of my childhood winters were spent on my familys back yard rink in montreal or playing shinny in the out door rinks around the neighbour hood i remember changing from figure skates to boys skates when i was about 10 at my fathers insistence withfive girls no boys in the family i guess he thought it was one way he could really get involved ourbauet irish dancing and horsebackriding lessons didnt do much to feed his love of hockey nor his considerable- skill at jplaying the gameand teaching it to us now just a tad older i thought the switch to speed skates wouldnt be that hard over time especially during winter olympic years featuring excit ing canadian success stories ive often thought speed skating was something i could do reasonably well- skating is skating right 1 drop in anytime invited both don ego of newmarket and gary witney of markham respective heads of york regions sister speed skating clubs members total about 50 including children and seniors and they skate see blades page 27 no payments jkli if at i ii m ffi hwhwihihhbi t j- rf v a nt i qu es ref1nished beyond compare i 158 main street unionville 905 4749677 this gothic revival dining suite including large 1 i carved sideboard with hidden linen drawers 2 door i carved china cabinet throne carved chairs and a i refectory style dining able with two self storing leaves l5995 1995