“My body cannot keep up”

In another curling announcement, veteran Glenn Howard has acknowledged recent knee issues and has retired from high-performance men’s curling.

The four-time Brier and world champion also captured 17 Ontario Tankard championships—eight straight from 2006 through 2013—as well as 14 Grand Slam tournament victories.

Howard will turn 62 in July. His career spanned multiple eras and teams—as a two-time provincial junior finalist, world champion third with his brother Russ, and skip of his own teams.

“I truly never thought this day would come as I was convinced I would play the game forever,” Howard said in a lengthy social media posting on Tuesday afternoon.

“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 played eight seasons with his 33-year-old son Scott, who skipped the team at the Brier in 2024 and 2022. In both cases the elder Howard had started the season skipping the team but was unable to finish it due to knee issues.

In 2021, Howard was injured in a snowmobile accident and Wayne Middaugh jumped from alternate to skip position at the Brier. Glenn’s longtime Brier buddy was the talk of the tournament, and the team bowed out in the playoffs after an amazing 7-1 round robin won/loss record.

Howard has also coached at the highest levels, going to the Olympic Winter Games with Eve Muirhead’s Team Great Britain and also coaching Team Jennifer Jones to back-to-back silver medals at the STOH over the past two seasons.

Howard—who appeared in the Curling Cares calendar fundraiser at age 59—went on to thank countless team members, event volunteers, spectators and his family.

“So, unfortunately this is my goodbye to competitive curling. While I am 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.

“I look forward to the future and what it will bring for both myself and the sport of curling.”