Al Hackner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Al Hackner
Curler
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Born	(1954-07-18) July 18, 1954 (age 71) Nipigon, Ontario
Team
Curling club	Fort William CC Thunder Bay, ON
Skip	Al Hackner
Third	Joe Scharf
Second	Jamie Childs
Lead	Gary Champagne
Career
Member Association	Alberta (1976–1977)  Northern Ontario (1979–present)
Brier appearances	9 (1980, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1995, 2001)
World Championship appearances	2 (1982, 1985)
Medal record Representing  Canada Men's Curling World Championships Gold 1982 Garmisch-Partenkirchen Team Gold 1985 Glasgow Team World Senior Championships Silver 2007 Edmonton Team Representing  Northern Ontario Labatt Brier Gold 1982 Brandon Team Gold 1985 Moncton Team Silver 1980 Calgary Team Silver 1981 Halifax Team

Allan A. Hackner, born on July 18, 1954, is a famous Canadian curler. People often call him "the Iceman" because of his cool and calm style of play. He grew up in Nipigon, Ontario, and became a champion curler from Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Al Hackner is a Hall of Famer who won the Brier and World Championships twice as a skip, which is the team leader in curling. He is also a member of the Ojibwa people, from the Red Rock Indian Band. After retiring from competitive play, he has helped coach the USA Curling team.

Al Hackner's Curling Journey

Al Hackner was the skip (team captain) for the Northern Ontario team in nine Brier championships. The Brier is Canada's national men's curling championship. He won this important event twice.

Winning the Brier Championships

In 1982, Al Hackner's team won their first Brier title. They defeated the team from British Columbia, led by Brent Giles, in the final game.

Three years later, in 1985, Hackner won his second Brier. This time, his team beat Pat Ryan's team from Alberta. The final game was very exciting and is remembered for a special shot.

The Famous "Hackner Double"

The "Hackner Double" is one of the most difficult shots in curling. Hackner made this shot at the 1985 Labatt Brier final to tie the game, sending it to an extra end, where his team won.

In the 1985 Brier final, Hackner needed to make a very difficult shot to tie the game in the last end. This shot, known as the "Al Hackner double," involved hitting two stones that were far apart, around another stone. It was almost impossible, but he made it! This tied the game, and his team then won in an extra end. The Northern Ontario Curling Association called this the greatest moment in their curling history.

Other Curling Achievements

Besides playing for Northern Ontario, Hackner also played for Alberta in 1977. He was the second player on Don Sutton's team at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.

In 2004, Al Hackner was recognized for his amazing career. He was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

Hackner continued to play curling as he got older. In 2006, he won the Canadian Senior Curling Championships. The next year, in 2007, he earned a silver medal at the World Senior Curling Championships.

Later Years and Coaching

In 2013, Hackner said he was going to stop playing in provincial championships. However, he returned to the ice soon after. In 2015, he played in the men's provincial final but lost to Brad Jacobs.

Hackner also led the Northern Ontario team to victory at the Canadian Masters Curling Championships in 2017. He won this event again in 2022.

From 2012 to 2014, and again starting in 2017, Hackner was part of the coaching staff for the Team USA women's curling team. He coached them at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where they finished in eighth place.

After the 2022 Canadian Senior Curling Championships, Al Hackner announced that he was officially retiring from competitive curling.

Personal Life

Al Hackner used to work as a transportation conductor for CN Rail, which is a large railway company. He is married and has one son.