Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier Joseph were trying to get a hold of their parents.
It was July 2, the second day of NHL free agency, and the Joseph brothers had big news to tell their mother, France, and father, Frantzi.
“We tried to call them a couple times; they didn’t want to answer at first,†P.O Joseph said in a recent phone interview.
Their sons were going to be teammates in ºüÀêÊÓƵ. Within a half-hour, Mathieu had been traded from Ottawa to the Blues, and P.O signed a one-year contract to play for the Blues after Pittsburgh did not issue him a qualifying offer.
It is the first time in their lives they will play for the same team, so they called their parents on FaceTime.
“We told them that we were both going to play in ºüÀêÊÓƵ this year,†Mathieu said. “Obviously, they were really happy. They won’t have to watch two games every night now. They can just watch one. ... Probably going to give them a little bit more free time as well.â€
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P.O: “When we told them the news, Mom, you could see the smile on her face. My dad was just super happy for both of us. We owe them everything, so for us to see their reaction, it means the world, especially now they’re just going to cheer for one team instead of two.â€
Mathieu, 27, is a speedy winger, a 35-point player last year with the Senators who can help the bottom six with defense and penalty killing. P.O, 25, is a left-handed defenseman who adds depth to the ºüÀêÊÓƵ blue line and competition with Scott Perunovich and Tyler Tucker for playing time.
They will become the seventh set of brothers to play for the Blues and the first since Rich and Ron Sutter from 1991-93. There was also Barclay, Bob and Bill Plager (1967-77), Noel and Roger Picard (1967-68), Danny and Kevin O’Shea (1971-73), Harvey and Curt Bennett (1978-79), and Paul and Gino Cavallini (1988-92).
“I don’t think I could have missed a chance to join the team that he was playing with,†P.O said. “One time in my life to have the opportunity to play with him, I think I had to jump at this occasion. I certainly did.â€
Mathieu: “I think it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to have a chance to play with each other.â€
The Josephs are originally from Laval, Quebec, and played against each other in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League. They live together in the offseason at a condo in Brossard, or as Mathieu says, “We’ve lived together for the past 27 years, I guess.†They are looking at options to potentially live together in ºüÀêÊÓƵ, as well.
In the past, France and Frantzi would have multiple teams on which to keep tabs.
Mathieu would be playing for the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL, but P.O would be on the Charlottetown Islanders. Mathieu would play for Tampa Bay in the NHL and Syracuse in the AHL, but P.O would play for Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
They played against each other for the first time on Jan. 20, 2023, when they were both called for high-sticking penalties — on each other. Upon further review of the replay, P.O’s own stick caught Mathieu up high and then hit himself in the face, but the penalties stood as called.
Television cameras showed France in a Penguins jersey and Frantzi in a Senators jersey in the crowd, both putting their arms up and shrugging at both their sons in the penalty box at the same time.
Now, there won’t be any concern about such infractions.
“I think we’re just going to bring so much more joy towards each other and have a fun time being with each other,†P.O said. “I think people are going to like that in the room, especially seeing us having fun, battling for the same goal of winning every single game. It’s going to be easy to tell him if he did something wrong or if he did something good.â€
The brothers, however, face different paths toward playing time in the NHL.
Mathieu, signed for two more years at a $2.95 million salary-cap hit, is expected to be a fixture in the bottom six, likely on Radek Faksa or Oskar Sundqvist’s wing. He played mostly left wing with the Senators last year but also played on the right side during his junior career.
“I feel like I’m a guy that gives an honest effort every night,†said Mathieu, who described himself as a “smiley guy.†“I love to compete. I love to be hard to play against, be 100% pretty much every shift. I say pretty much, but I’m trying, at least, every shift to be 100%. I feel like I’m an energy guy, bring a lot of speed to the game.â€
P.O, meanwhile, is trying to establish himself as a full-time NHLer after he was a frequent healthy scratch last season with Pittsburgh. In the 52 games in which he did play, including a decent chunk alongside Kris Letang, he had 11 points.
“Personally, I felt I had more to give than what I did,†P.O said. “Little injuries that happened, but overall I’m really happy with how I finished the last 20 games, maybe. I had the chance to play with Kris for the end of the season and I feel like I showed I wanted to be there and ready to be an NHL-caliber defenseman.â€
With news of Torey Krug’s injury that could potentially sideline him for the entire season, there appears to be one spot open on the Blues’ defense on the left side, for which P.O will battle with Perunovich and Tucker.
“I’m really just going there to show them that I want to be there, that I deserve to be there and I’m not going to change who I am because there’s more defensemen,†P.O said. “I’m just going to go out there, have fun, compete as hard as I can, try to crack the lineup.â€