Curling legend Glenn Howard reflects on his career & what's next
After decades of dominance on the ice, Glenn Howard, one of the most decorated curlers in history, has announced his retirement.
With four world championships, four Briers, and 17 provincial titles under his belt, Howard leaves behind a legacy that has not only elevated the sport but also put the shores of South Georgian Bay on the world map.
In an interview with CTV News, conducted just two days into his retirement, Howard reflects on his illustrious career and what lies ahead.
"I realize now it is time to pack it in, and I've come to terms with it," Howard remarks, addressing the toll the sport has taken on his body. "My knee is so sore now that it's taking the fun out of the sport."
For Howard, curling has been more than just a sport; it's been a way of life deeply intertwined with his family and community.
"I felt at peace on the curling sheet," he shares. "It was everything. My family was involved, [my] mom, dad, brother, my two kids. Curling is everything to me."
Throughout his career, Howard shared the ice with his family, including his brother Russ. In 1987, Howard won his first Canadian championship and world championship with his brother by his side. The brothers played together for 15 years.
Howard also played eight years with his son Scott.
Reflecting on his journey from the small town of Midland, Howard acknowledges the significance of his achievements.
"It's super cool to be able to say you won a world championship championship. Those are special memories with all those amazing teammates," he says.
Howard's longtime friend, Bryan Wilson, highlights how the curling icon's talents extend far beyond his accomplishments on the ice.
"It's not just the curling but what he's done for the communities around here," Wilson says. "[He's a] great ambassador for the game [and] hard to replace."
As Howard steps into retirement, he leaves behind a changed game, with one of his proudest achievements being the evolution of the rules, spearheaded alongside his brother Russ.
"It was right here in this curling club [that] he came up with that idea of not being able to remove the first couple of rocks of an end. We just did that in practice. Long story short, it morphed into the three-rock, four-rock and the now existing five-rock rule," Howard says.
Looking ahead, Howard expresses confidence in curling's future, noting the abundance of young talent. He hopes to stay around for a bit longer as a coach.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING At least 60 are dead and scores are injured after a stampede at a religious event in northern India
At least 60 people were dead and scores were injured after a stampede at a religious gathering of thousands of people in northern India, officials said Tuesday.
Did WestJet cancel your flight? Here's what experts say you should do
WestJet cancelled more than 800 flights between June 27 and July 2, affecting tens of thousands of passengers. Here are the kinds of compensation experts say passengers affected by the cancellations may be entitled to, and how to go about advocating for it.
What a family lawyer says you should know before getting married
Barry Nussbaum, a Toronto-based family lawyer who has counselled countless couples, offers advice about the details you don't want to overlook before getting married.
Hurricane Beryl rips through open waters after devastating the southeast Caribbean
Hurricane Beryl roared through open waters on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 storm on a path that would take it near Jamaica and the Cayman Islands after earlier making landfall in the southeast Caribbean, killing at least two people.
This 12-year-old memorized the periodic table at age two. He's heading to NYU after finishing high school in just two years
Recent high school graduate Suborno Isaac Bari, 12, plans to start studying math and physics at New York University in the fall, but he’s already got his ambitious sights set on beginning a doctoral program.
OnlyFans vows it's a safe space. Predators exploit kids there
When a Florida teen went missing, her parents searched her phone, desperate for clues. What they found shocked them. For months, she’d sent nude photos and videos of herself to a man they now feared had abducted her.
'We thought we were going to die': Thirty injured as 'strong turbulence' forces Air Europa plane to land in Brazil
Thirty passengers were injured after a flight from Madrid to Uruguay was hit by "strong turbulence" and had to make an emergency landing in Brazil, Spanish airline Air Europa said on Monday.
Scientists wary of bird flu pandemic 'unfolding in slow motion'
Scientists tracking the spread of bird flu are increasingly concerned that gaps in surveillance may keep them several steps behind a new pandemic, according to Reuters interviews with more than a dozen leading disease experts.
Five years after historic tobacco ruling, 'nothing has changed'
Five years after a historic ruling against three major tobacco companies, no one has seen even a fraction of the money they're entitled to – and recent court filings suggest hundreds have died in the interim.