He was one of the top defensive centers in the league during his career and one of the NHL's best at faceoffs; Otto was a two-time finalist for the Frank J. Selke Trophy.

He was known for his confrontations with Mark Messier as part of the Flames' rivalry with the Edmonton Oilers and was a member of Calgary's 1989 Stanley Cup championship winning team.

A native of Elk River, Minnesota, Otto played college hockey for Division II school Bemidji State.

Coach Bob Johnson discovered his niche when he had Otto shut down Marcel Dionne, the top player of the Los Angeles Kings.

[6] The Flames entered the 1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the top team in the NHL, and a prohibitive favorite against their first round opponent, the Vancouver Canucks.

Late in the first overtime period, Otto rushed toward the net as Jim Peplinski carried the puck up the right side boards.

[11] He scored a total of 19 points in 22 playoff games as the Flames won their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.

[4] Considered one of the league's best faceoff men and a top two-way forward, Otto was frequently the subject of inquiries by other teams in trade talks, which the Flames refused.

[16] He was among the most sought after players in free agency,[17] and was pursued by the New York Rangers, who hoped that he could help their team shut down Eric Lindros of the Philadelphia Flyers.

[16] He scored 41 points in 67 games in 1995–96, including the 500th of his career, when he notched a goal and an assist in a 5–4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on March 13, 1997.

[18] Still regarded as one of the league's top defensive centers in 1996–97,[19] Otto helped the Flyers reach the 1997 Stanley Cup Finals, which they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

[1] His goal against Czechoslovakia helped the US complete its third of three consecutive upset victories, including defeats of Canada and Sweden, that left the United States in second place after the preliminary round.

[6] Otto scored two goals in a 7–3 victory over Finland in the semi-final to lead the United States into its first championship game in five Canada Cup appearances.

As a player with the Flames, he was a spokesman for the Calgary Children's Milk Fund Society,[6] and was named the recipient of the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award in 1993 in recognition of his leadership and community involvement.

[32] While he had worked with the University of Calgary Dinos hockey program for a couple seasons following his retirement, Otto left to be closer to his family.

[34] Canadian punk band Belvedere wrote a song about Joel Otto's career called "Two minutes for looking so good".