Curling legend Glenn Howard calls it a career at age 61
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At age 61 and having battled a bad knee for the past few years, four-time world champion Glenn Howard finally decided it was time to close the book on his men’s competitive curling career.
“I truly never thought this day would come as I was convinced I would play the game forever,” Howard said in a post on social media on Tuesday.
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“Unfortunately, my knee is telling me I have gone past my expiry date. It is always difficult coming to this decision, as my mind knows there is so much more fuel left in the tank, but my body cannot keep up.”
Howard spent almost four full decades on the competitive men’s scene.
He first played in the Brier in 1986 and won his first championship in 1987 as the third for his older brother, Russ. The Howards went on to win the world championship that year and repeated the feat in 1993.
Glenn also won the Brier and world championship twice as a skip, in 2007 and in 2012.
He won the world title every time he played in that championship.
He continued to play competitively on the Grand Slam tour and in Briers — representing Ontario in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2024 — but occasionally had to sit out due to injuries.
Gradually, his son Scott took over as skip of the team and, this year in Regina, though Glenn was listed as the team’s second, he did not play, acting as more of a coach for his son’s foursome.
“I knew many years ago I wanted to finish my career playing with my son Scott,” Glenn said in his social media post. “We have now played together for eight years, way more than I had ever anticipated or hoped for. It has been a wonderful journey watching Scott grow into the confident curler that he is today.”
Glenn is likely to stay involved in curling. He coached Team Jennifer Jones this past season and has worked with international teams in the past, including at the Olympic Winter Games.
“While I’m sad that this journey and my curling story is coming to an end, I am hopeful that I will keep my hand in the best sport in the world in some way, shape or form,” he said.
“Curling has been such a prominent part of my life, for as long as I can remember and I can’t imagine my life without it.”
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