Curtis Sanford

Curtis Sanford (born October 10, 1979) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently with the Montreal Canadiens organization of the National Hockey League (NHL).
==Playing career==
Sanford played junior hockey for the Wiarton Wolves of the Western Junior C Hockey League, the Collingwood Blues of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (OPJHL), the Owen Sound Greys of the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League, and the Owen Sound Platers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) before turning pro.
Undrafted out of junior, he was picked up as a free agent by the St. Louis Blues after his final year with the Platers in 2000 and spent his first five seasons in the club's farm system between the Peoria Rivermen of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and Worcester IceCats of the American Hockey League (AHL). Sanford earned a call-up with the Blues during the 2002–03 season after injuries to goaltenders Fred Brathwaite and Brent Johnson in October. He played in his first game when fellow rookie call-up Reinhard Divis also went down with an injury after the first period on October 17, 2002 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He made 12 saves in relief in a 7-1 victory for the Blues. Sanford briefly earned the starting position in the absence of the Blues' usual goaltenders before going down with an injury himself, a high-ankle sprain, on October 24 against the Edmonton Oilers. He returned to start in several more games and posted a 5–1 record and a 1.96 GAA in his first stint with the Blues before being returned to Worcester.
In 2005–06, Sanford appeared poised to play backup to the recently acquired Patrick Lalime. However, as Lalime struggled, Sanford seized the starting position and was having a career year until going down with a sprained ACL in his left knee in March. Before missing the remainder of the season, Sanford had a 13-13-5 record with a 2.66 GAA and .908 save percentage. The Blues finished in last place that year. Recorvered from his knee injury, Sanford returned the next season and competed with Manny Legace for the starting position. In November, he was sidelined for several games with a groin strain, then re-injured his groin in December, missing an extended period of time. Sanford returned to complete the season but saw his numbers decrease to an 8-12-5 record with a 3.18 GAA and .888 save percentage.
Sanford became an unrestricted free agent in the off-season and on July 3, 2007, the Vancouver Canucks signed Sanford to a one-year, $600,000 contract to back up starting goaltender Roberto Luongo. He appeared in 16 games in the 2007–08 season, filling in for Luongo mostly in light of his rib injury in December. Posting a 2.83 GAA, he was re-signed to another one-year deal worth $650,000 by the Canucks on July 3, 2008.
Before the start of the 2008–09 season, Sanford and the Canucks held a contest challenging fans to submit artword for a new mask design. This was to go along with his new nickname of, "The Big C.S." Sanford's nickname, "the Sandman", inspired his previous mask designs. As Luongo went down with a groin injury in late-November, Sanford assumed the starting position. However, Sanford himself became prone to injury and suffered back spasms in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on December 1, 2008, before being place on injured reserve with a groin injury on December 30. With the subsequent acquisition of Jason LaBarbera and the imminent return of Luongo, he was placed on waivers by the Canucks on January 14, 2009. Clearing waivers, Sanford was assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL, where he completed the season.
In the off-season, Sanford signed a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on July 20, 2009.
==Awards==
*Named to the ECHL Second All-Star Team in 2001.
==Career statistics==
  	  	  	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Season 	Team 	League 	 	GP 	W 	L 	T	OT	MIN 	GA 	SO	GAA 	SV%
1994–95 	Wiarton Wolves 	WJCHL 	 	18 	 	 	 	– 	949 	98 	0 	6.20	
1995–96 	Collingwood Blues 	OPJHL 	 	21 	 	 	 	– 	2128	74 	0 	3.54	
1996–97 	Owen Sound Greys 	MWJHL 	 	6 	 	 	 	– 	360 	28 	0 	4.68	
1996–97 	Owen Sound Platers 	OHL 	 	19 	4 	8 	1	– 	847 	77 	0 	5.45	
1997–98 	Owen Sound Platers 	OHL 	 	30 	13	10	2	– 	1542	114	1 	4.44	
1998–99 	Owen Sound Platers 	OHL 	 	56 	30	16	5	– 	2998	191	2 	3.82	
1999–00 	Owen Sound Platers 	OHL 	 	53 	18	26	6	– 	3124	198	1 	3.80	
1999–00 	Missouri River Otters	UHL 	 	6 	3 	1 	0	– 	237 	6 	0 	1.52	
2000–01 	Peoria Rivermen 	ECHL 	 	24 	15	7 	4	– 	1511	48 	3 	1.91	
2000–01 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	5 	3 	0 	1	– 	237 	16 	0 	4.06	
2001–02 	Peoria Rivermen 	ECHL 	 	24 	13	8 	2	– 	1418	158	 	2.45	
2001–02 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	9 	5 	4 	2	– 	537 	22 	0 	2.46	
2002–03 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	8 	5 	1 	0	– 	397 	13 	1 	1.96	.912
2002–03 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	41 	18	14	8	– 	2317	93 	3 	2.41	.919
2003–04 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	43 	20	16	3	– 	2367	84 	5 	2.13	.921
2004–05 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	50 	19	25	2	– 	2743	123	2 	2.69	.901
2005–06 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	34 	13	13	—	5 	1830	81 	3 	2.66	.908
2005–06 	Worcester IceCats 	AHL 	 	6 	4 	2 	–	0 	358 	11 	2 	1.84	.929
2006–07 	St. Louis Blues 	NHL 	 	31 	8 	12	—	5 	1491	79 	0 	3.18	.888
2006–07 	Peoria Rivermen 	AHL 	 	2 	1 	1 	–	0 	119 	49 	0 	2.52	.898
2007–08 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	16 	4 	3 	–	1 	679 	32 	0 	2.83	.898
2008–09 	Vancouver Canucks 	NHL 	 	19 	7 	8 	–	0 	972 	42 	1 	2.59	.906
2008–09 	Manitoba Moose 	AHL 	 	16 	7 	3 	–	3 	865 	25 	2 	1.73	.936
NHL totals	NHL totals 	NHL totals	 	108	37	37	0	11	5369	247	5 	2.76	.901
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==External links==
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Category:Born in 1979
Category:Canadian ice hockey players
Category:Manitoba Moose players
Category:Missouri River Otters players
Category:Owen Sound Platers alumni
Category:Peoria Rivermen players
Category:Rochester Americans players
Category:St. Louis Blues players
Category:Vancouver Canucks players
Category:Worcester IceCats players