The One Stephen King Reference That Caught The Author Himself Off Guard

In a January 29 episode of Stephen King-themed podcast “The Kingcast,” the horror author joined hosts Eric Vespe and Scott Wampler to discuss the latest King movie adaptation – “Longlegs” director Osgood Perkins’ “The Monkey” – among many other things. Since King has written so many books that his work spans several decades, his fellow creators and other notable people occasionally drop fun little homages to his work. When King was asked to name the most surprising Stephen King Easter egg that he’s ever encountered in the wild, the writer was able to recall one that truly managed to catch him unawares.

“I found out that there was a pro hockey goalie named Curtis Joseph, who called himself ‘Cujo’. And he wore a mask that had a dog face on it. That’s really resonant.” 

Curtis “Cujo” Joseph is no little league pushover, either. The Canadian made his NHL debut in 1989 and, with the exception of the cancelled lockout season in 2004-2005, stayed in the league until 2009. To remove any doubt that his nickname was inspired by King’s 1981 novel of the same name, Joseph underlined the reference with his frothing, savage dog mask that’s still one of the best-known goalie mask designs in NHL history. Even after ending his player career, Joseph has continued to fly the Cujo flag on his social media accounts … and even his memoir, titled “Cujo: The Unstold Story of My Life On and Off the Ice.” If there was a Hall of Fame of Stephen King references, the athlete’s name would surely be up there with the greats. 

Stephen King’s best books and their assorted adaptations (the axe through the door scene in Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining,” the bloody finale from Brian de Palma’s “Carrie,” various moments from both adaptations of “It” etc.) have been parodied, homaged, and referenced so many times over the years that they comprise a fairly thick thread in the vast tapestry of pop culture. The author’s pop culture status is such that both “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons” have featured King as a guest character and referenced his work multiple times.

Nods to famous King moments are arguably at their best when they come from directions that you’d never think to associate with the author’s work. Who could have guessed that more than one “Pokémon” video game features an in-universe movie about four kids walking on railroad tracks that’s clearly “Stand by Me,” Rob Reiner’s 1986 adaptation of King’s “The Body”? Still, even moments like this pale in comparison to a professional athlete who’s spent much of his time in the spotlight using the name of a character from the book King doesn’t really even remember writing.