Color of Hockey: Joseph brothers excited at chance to be Blues teammates

William Douglas has been writing The Color of Hockey blog since 2012. Douglas joined NHL.com in 2019 and writes about people of color in the sport. Today, he previews forward Mathieu Joseph and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, brothers who will be playing together for the first time with the St. Louis Blues this season.

Pierre-Olivier Joseph learned that his older brother, Mathieu Joseph, had been traded to the St. Louis Blues by the Ottawa Senators on July 2 by way of proximity.

"We were both sitting on the couch just watching tennis here at home," Pierre-Olivier said. "And the next thing you know, a casual Tuesday turned out to be one of the big days in our career and memory book."

That's because Pierre-Olivier signed a one-year, $950,000 contract with St. Louis the following day.

Pierre-Olivier, a defenseman, and Mathieu, a forward, are elated about being teammates for the first time and excited about being St. Louis' latest version of the "Blues Brothers."

"I feel like we're good competitors, we're best friends, we hold each other accountable when things aren't going well and we've pushed each other since we were very young," Mathieu said. "He wants to make a name for himself, and I want to be playing in the NHL as long as possible, so I think together we can help each other and together help the team win some games."

The Blues acquired Mathieu Joseph and a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Senators for future considerations. The speedy 27-year-old right wing had an NHL career-high 35 points (11 goals, 24 assists) in 72 games last season.

Selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fourth round (No. 120) of the 2015 NHL Draft, he has 135 points (55 goals, 80 assists) in 360 regular-season games for the Senators and Lightning and two assists in 10 playoff games. He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021.

Pierre-Olivier had 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in 52 games for the Penguins last season but was not given a qualifying offer after the season and became an unrestricted free agent July 1. The 25-year-old has 37 points (eight goals, 29 assists) in 147 regular-season games.

He was a first-round pick (No. 23) by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2017 NHL Draft, and was traded to the Penguins as part of the Phil Kessel trade on June 29, 2019.

They will be the seventh set of brothers to play for the Blues, joining Bill, Barclay and Bob Plager; Harvey and Curt Bennett; Gino and Paul Cavallini; Danny and Kevin O'Shea; Noel and Roger Picard; and Rich and Ron Sutter.

Mathieu and Pierre-Olivier had dreamed about being teammates, though they thought that it would perhaps occur in Europe when their NHL playing days were over.

Pierre-Olivier said he was talking with a number of teams during free agency, but a chance to finally play with Mathieu was hard to resist.

"Let's just say it did help a lot," Pierre-Olivier said. "There was a lot of talk, and the business part of the game kicked in after July 1. When he was traded there and I was already talking to St. Louis, it wasn't really a hard choice for me to put the business aside and embrace the fact that I have a chance to play with my brother."

The brothers, who live together during the offseason, found a home in St. Louis big enough for them and to accommodate the large contingent of family and friends they expect will come through to see them play this season.

"I think it's going to be a new experience for both of us in the sense that the midseason grinding part of it is different than the summer living together," Mathieu said. "We wanted to have some room and we didn't want to bother each other too much being best friends, spending a lot of time at the rink and the house together. We wanted to have some place where we could spend time apart a little bit, be independent when things aren't going well or when someone wants private space."

Though the Josephs share a brotherly love, a sibling rivalry occasionally surfaces.

"There’s nothing like brotherly competition," Mathieu said. "We like to work on our game after practice, we like to work in the gym, we like to compete at ping pong, play other things together. It's our mojo to have fun while doing it."

The two have played against each other several times over the years, in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the American Hockey League and the NHL.

There even was an incident where the brothers were whistled for high-sticking each other during a Penguins 4-1 win against the Senators on Jan. 20, 2023, with their parents in attendance at PPG Paints Arena.

"I think it just kind of happened," Mathieu said. "I think we both kind of run at each other a couple of times, a little pushing and shoving a couple of times. But, you know, that's part of the game.

"We really didn't see each other as brothers on the ice, more as opponents. I feel like I respect that of him, and I think he respects that of me too. But it still was pretty funny."