Glenn Howard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glenn Howard
Curler
Born	(1962-07-17) July 17, 1962 (age 62) Midland, Ontario
Career
Member Association	Ontario
Brier appearances	20 (1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024)
World Championship appearances	4 (1987, 1993, 2007, 2012)
Top CTRS ranking	1st (2008–09; 2011–12)
Grand Slam victories	14 (2002 National, 2004 National, 2006 Masters (Dec.), 2008 Masters (Jan.), 2008 Players', 2008 Masters (Nov.), 2009 Canadian Open, 2009 World Cup, 2011 World Cup, 2012 National, 2012 Canadian Open, 2013 Players', 2013 Masters, 2014 National)
Medal record Men's Curling Representing  Canada World Championships Gold 1987 Vancouver Gold 1993 Geneva Gold 2007 Edmonton Gold 2012 Basel Representing  Ontario Canadian Olympic Trials Silver 2009 Edmonton Tim Hortons Brier Gold 1987 Edmonton Gold 1993 Ottawa Gold 2007 Hamilton Gold 2012 Saskatoon Silver 1986 Kitchener-Waterloo Silver 1992 Regina Silver 1994 Red Deer Silver 2006 Regina Silver 2008 Winnipeg Silver 2010 Halifax Silver 2011 London Bronze 1989 Saskatoon Bronze 2009 Calgary Bronze 2013 Edmonton

Glenn William Howard (born July 17, 1962) is a retired Canadian curler. He is known as one of the most successful curlers ever. He has won four world championships and four Briers. He also won 17 Ontario provincial championships. This includes a record of eight wins in a row from 2006 to 2013. He has played in 20 Brier events, which is the third most for any curler. He has won 14 Grand Slam titles. He also won the 2001 TSN and 2013 Dominion All-Star Skin Games. In 2010, he won the 2010 Canada Cup of Curling.

Glenn Howard now coaches his son Scott Howard's curling team in Ontario.

Glenn Howard's Curling Journey

Starting Out in Curling

Glenn Howard started playing curling when he was about 10 years old. He played in two Ontario Junior Championship finals in 1980 and 1981. He lost both of these close games. In 1984, he won the Ontario University Athletics Association title while playing for the University of Waterloo.

In 1983, Glenn joined his older brother Russ Howard's team. He played as the third player. They played for the Bala Curling Club. The team finished with a 5–4 record that year.

Playing with His Brother Russ

After university, Glenn teamed up with his brother Russ again. They played together for many years. With Russ, Glenn won two Briers and two World Championships.

Their team, which included Tim Belcourt and Kent Carstairs, first won the provincial championship in 1986. This allowed them to play at the 1986 Labatt Brier. They finished the round robin with a great 9–2 record. However, they lost in the final game to Alberta's team.

In 1987, the Howard team won their second provincial title. At the 1987 Labatt Brier, they finished first with a 9–2 record. They went straight to the final and won against British Columbia. This win sent them to the 1987 World Men's Curling Championship. They finished second in the round robin there. In the playoffs, they won against Denmark and then West Germany in the final. This made them World Champions.

The team won another provincial championship in 1989. Glenn was named the all-star third player again. At the 1989 Labatt Brier, they tied for first place. But they were knocked out in the semifinal game.

New Teammates and More Wins

In the 1989–90 season, the team got two new front-end players: Wayne Middaugh and Peter Corner. They won their first provincial championship together in 1991. At the 1991 Labatt Brier, they didn't do as well, missing the playoffs.

The team won their second provincial title in a row in 1992. They had a strong showing at the 1992 Labatt Brier. They finished second in the round robin. They won their semifinal game but lost in the final to Manitoba.

In 1993, the team won their third straight Ontario title. Glenn was again named the all-star third. They also won the first-ever Players' Championship event. Two weeks later, they won the 1993 Labatt Brier, which was Glenn's second Brier title. Representing Canada at the 1993 World Men's Curling Championship, they finished first in the round robin. They went on to win the World Championship, Glenn's second.

The team won a fourth straight provincial title in 1994. They played at the 1994 Labatt Brier. They had a good round robin record. They won their semifinal but lost in the final to British Columbia.

Changes and Challenges

In 1994, Wayne Middaugh left the team. The team added Ken McDermot and Peter Corner moved to second. They tried to win a record fifth straight provincial championship in 1995. They reached the final but lost in an extra end.

In 1995, Noel Herron joined the team. In 1996, they reached the provincial final again but lost. The team kept changing players to try and qualify for the 1998 Winter Olympics. They won the Players' Championship in 1997. This earned them a spot at the 1997 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.

At the 1997 Olympic Trials, the team didn't do well. Russ Howard then moved to New Brunswick in 1998. Glenn and Russ played together for a while longer. But then Russ started his own team in New Brunswick. Glenn then became the skip of his own team in Ontario.

Glenn Howard as Skip

In 2000, Glenn Howard formed his own team in Ontario. He played with Richard Hart, Collin Mitchell, and Jason Mitchell. This was Glenn's first time as a skip at the provincial championship in 2001. They finished tied for first in the round robin. But they lost both of their playoff games.

In the 2001–02 season, Team Howard won the TSN Skins Game. They beat Kevin Martin and won $77,200.

For a couple of years (2002 and 2003), Glenn Howard's team and many other top teams did not play in the Brier. This was because they wanted more prize money and to have their own sponsors. Instead, they played in the new Grand Slam of Curling series. Howard's team won their first Grand Slam event in 2002. They won another Grand Slam in 2004.

Dominating the Game

Howard (left) and his team (Brent Laing, Craig Savill and Richard Hart) at the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier. This team played together from 2004 to 2011.

In 2004, Brent Laing and Craig Savill joined Glenn Howard's team. They played with Richard Hart. This team became very successful. In 2006, they won the provincial championship. At the 2006 Tim Hortons Brier, they had a great record but lost in the final.

The 2006–07 season was amazing for Howard's team. They won their third Grand Slam event. They also won the 2007 provincial championships without losing a single game. At the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier, they lost only one game in the round robin. They went on to win the Brier title. Howard's team continued their success at the 2007 Ford World Men's Curling Championship. They lost only one game there too. They won the final against Germany, earning Glenn his third World Championship.

In 2008, the team won another Grand Slam and their provincial championship. At the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier, they played well but lost in the final to Kevin Martin. They finished the season by winning the 2008 Players' Championship. This was Howard's fifth Grand Slam win. It also gave them a spot at the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials.

Team Howard won their third straight Masters Grand Slam in 2008. Glenn Howard became only the third skip to win a "career Grand Slam." This means he won all four major Grand Slam events. He achieved this by winning the 2009 Canadian Open.

Howard's last shot against Saskatchewan at the 2009 Brier is one of the best curling shots ever.

At the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier, Howard's team finished second. He is famous for a shot he made in a game against Saskatchewan. His team was down by two points with his last shot. He had to score three points to win. He made an amazing shot where his rock hit two of his own rocks, which then hit two of the opponent's rocks, taking them out. This allowed him to score three points and win the game. This shot is considered one of the greatest in curling history.

In 2009, Team Howard won their fourth straight Masters championship. A month later, they played in the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They had a great record but lost to Kevin Martin, who went on to win the Olympic gold medal. While Martin was at the Olympics, Howard won the 2010 Ontario championship without losing a game. At the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier, Howard's team had a perfect 11–0 record in the round robin. But they lost in the final to Kevin Koe.

Howard won his only Canada Cup championship in 2010. Richard Hart took a break, and Wayne Middaugh played as third for this event. In 2011, the team won the provincial championship again. At the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier, they reached the final but lost. After this season, Richard Hart retired from competitive curling. Wayne Middaugh then joined the team full-time.

More Championships and Retirement

With Wayne Middaugh as third, the Howard team won its fifth Masters Grand Slam in 2011. They won another Grand Slam in 2012. The team swept through the 2012 provincial championship, winning every game. At the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier, they continued their strong play. They won the final against Kevin Koe, giving Glenn his fourth Brier championship. The team then represented Canada at the 2012 World Men's Curling Championship. They lost only one game there and won the final against Scotland. This was Glenn Howard's fourth World title.

Howard won his 11th Grand Slam title in 2012. In 2013, he won the 2013 All-Star Skins Game. His regular team won the 2013 provincial championship again. This was Howard's 15th provincial title and his eighth in a row. At the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier, they had a great round robin record. But they lost in the playoffs. The team finished the season by winning the 2013 Players' Championship.

The team won The Masters in 2013. This was Howard's sixth Masters title and his final Grand Slam win. They played in the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials but missed the playoffs. In 2014, Howard's record eight-straight provincial championship run ended when they lost in the final. Howard won his 14th career Grand Slam in March 2014. After this season, Brent Laing left the team. Richard Hart came out of retirement to play second.

Howard's new team in 2014–15 didn't do as well. They didn't even qualify for the provincial championships. For the 2015–16 season, Wayne Middaugh rejoined the team. Glenn's son, Scott, also joined as lead. The team won the 2016 Ontario Tankard provincial championship. At the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, they had a 4–7 record.

In 2016, David Mathers joined the team. Richard Hart moved back to third. The team won Howard's record 17th provincial championship in 2017. At the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier, they had a 4–7 record. In 2017, Hart was injured, and Adam Spencer replaced him. The team played in the 2017 Olympic Pre-Trials but were eliminated. In 2018, they lost in the provincial final.

In 2018, Tim March joined the team. Glenn's son Scott moved to third. The team didn't win the provincial championship in 2019 or 2020, losing to the same team in the final both times.

In 2021, there was no provincial championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. Howard's team qualified for the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier as a Wild Card team. Glenn himself had a snowmobile accident and couldn't play. So, Wayne Middaugh came out of retirement to skip the team. Howard still attended and even threw some stones in one game. The team played well but just missed the playoffs.

Howard's team tried to qualify for the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials but didn't make it. Glenn had knee pain and missed the 2022 Ontario Tankard. His son Scott skipped the team, and they won the Tankard. Glenn's knee got better for the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier. At this event, he won his 100th Brier game. In July 2022, he had knee surgery.

In 2023, the Howard team went undefeated in the provincial championship until the final, where they lost. In December 2023, Glenn's knee caused him to miss the rest of the season. His son Scott led the team to win the 2024 Ontario Tankard. At the 2024 Montana's Brier, Scott skipped the team. After the season, Glenn Howard retired from playing competitive curling.

Coaching Career

In 2016, Glenn Howard became the tactical coach for Team Eve Muirhead's Scottish team. This was his first time coaching a top curling team. He coached Muirhead's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics. They reached the semifinals.

After 2018, Howard didn't coach until 2022. He then coached the Jennifer Jones women's curling team until she retired in 2024. He continued to coach the team when Chelsea Carey took over.

Even when he was injured, Glenn often coached his own team. Now that he has retired from playing, he will continue to coach his son Scott's team. Glenn also coaches his daughter Carly's curling team.

Personal Life

Glenn Howard's father, Bill Howard, was a grocery store manager and curling club manager. His mother is Barbara Howard.

Glenn works as a consultant and spokesperson for Brewers Retail Inc.. He lives in Tiny, Ontario. He is married and has two children, Scott and Carly, who both play curling. Glenn made a guest appearance on the TV show Little Mosque on the Prairie. In 2013, he was added to the Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: Glenn Howard para niños