The Old Bear has been named the greatest Canadian male curler of all-time.
Kevin Martin, an Olympic, Brier and world champion, captured 14 of 31 first-place votes from a panel consisting of broadcasters, reporters and elite-level curlers. Martin also received nine second-place votes, three third-place votes, three fourth-place votes and one fifth-place vote for a total score of 328.
Following Martin is four-time Canadian and world champion Glenn Howard of Ontario who earned four first-place votes and a total score of 189.
Coming in at No. 3 with three first-place votes and a score of 180 is Randy Ferbey. Ferbey has the most Brier titles in history with six.
Russ Howard had two first-place votes and a total score of 139 to finish in the fourth position while John Morris rounded out the top five with three first-place votes and a score of 127.
Wayne Middaugh earned two first-place votes for seventh. Marc Kennedy and Dave Nedohin each grabbed a first-place vote to finish eighth and 10th respectively.
Saskatchewan curling legend Ernie Richardson did not receive a first-place vote, but still finished with the sixth highest point total. Brad Gushue finished in the ninth position.
Ken Watson, who won his three national titles in the 1930s and ’40, was the only other curler to earn a first-place vote, but did finish in the top 10.
1. Kevin Martin (Alberta)
Key Stats: Four Briers, One World Championship, One Olympic Gold Medal, 18 Grand Slams
With his incredible run of wins on the provincial, national and international stages, Kevin Martin has earned the title of Canada’s greatest male curler.
Martin’s lengthy record includes a win in his first trip to the Tim Hortons Brier in 1991. He would add three more titles including back-to-back wins in 2008 and 09.
He also won the world championship in 2008 but it was in 2010 where he earned his most important win – leading his team to the top step of the Olympic podium with a perfect record at the Winter Games in Vancouver.
Martin’s legacy includes being a leading force in the creation of the Grand Slam series and also operating development camps to assist the growth of the game.
The Old Bear . . . Canada’s greatest male curler.
2. Glenn Howard (Ontario)
Key Stats: Four Briers, Four World Championships, 16 Grand Slams
Glenn Howard has played 218 games at the Brier, the most by any curler. Not only that, but he’s won it four times and finished second a remarkable seven times. His first two titles came as third for his brother Russ while his latter pair saw him skip the winning rink.
And in his four trips to the world championship, he’s never failed to come out on top.
Howard has also captured 16 Grand Slam titles and holds the record for Ontario men’s titles with 17.
3. Randy Ferbey (Alberta)
Key Stats: Six Briers, Four World Championships, Three Grand Slams
No one has won more Tim Hortons Brier titles than Randy Ferbey, who has lifted the famed tankard six times. His first two crowns came while playing third for Pat Ryan on a team noted for its defense.
His next four were as part of the famed Ferbey Four rink, where he called the game and threw third stones, switching to a high-pressure offense.
Those four victories came in a span of five seasons with the only miss being a runner-up finish.
4. Russ Howard (Ontario, New Brunswick)
Key Stats: Two Briers, Two World Championships, One Olympic Gold Medal, Two Grand Slams
Russ Howard can lay claim to being the first Canadian curler to win a Tim Hortons Brier, a World Championship and an Olympic gold medal, a trifecta that supports his position as the fourth best player of all time.
In his 14 Brier appearances, Howard won two titles and finished second four times. He also added two world championship crowns to his record.
In 2005, Brad Gushue added him as a last-minute replacement to his rink at the Canadian Curling Trials, where Howard called the game and threw second. The team won the trials and than captured gold in Torino, making Howard the oldest Canadian athlete to ever win an Olympic medal.
5. John Morris (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario)
Key Stats: Three Briers, One World Championship, Two Olympic Gold Medals, 11 Grand Slams
Few curlers have won as many big titles as John Morris. He started by capturing back-to-back Canadian and world junior crowns. He then added a pair of Brier titles while playing third for Kevin Martin, both of those coming with undefeated records.
Morris was also key in helping the Canadian team to a perfect record at the 2010 Olympics where it won gold.
And in 2018, Morris partnered with Kaitlyn Lawes to win the first gold medal in Mixed Doubles curling, making him the most successful Canadian Olympic curler.
6. Ernie Richardson (Saskatchewan)
Key Stats: Four Briers, Four World Championships
No one dominated curling in the late 1950s and early 1960s like the Richardson team from Saskatchewan. And the leader of that team was skip Ernie Richardson, who became curling’s first superstar.
He led his team that included his brother and two cousins to four Brier titles in five years, winning game after game, year after year.
Their success put them on magazine covers and led them to endorse everything from curling boots to socks. For his contributions to the sport, Richardson received the Order of Canada in 1978.
7. Wayne Middaugh (Ontario)
Key Stats: Three Briers, Three World Championships, 15 Grand Slams
Wayne Middaugh holds the distinction of winning Brier titles as a second, third and skip, showing his immense talent not matter what the shot.
His first title came in 1993 while playing second for Russ Howard. He followed that up by skipping a rink to the Canadian crown 1998 and added a third title as the third for Glenn Howard in 2012.
In each case, Middaugh’s rinks went on to win the world championship.
8. Marc Kennedy (Alberta)
Key Stats: Three Briers, Two World Championships, One Olympic Gold Medal, 12 Grand Slams
A smooth-sliding left-hander, Marc Kennedy was part of Kevin Martin’s rink that was probably the most dominant in the world during its hey day. The squad went undefeated in back-to-back Briers and then added an Olympic gold medal 2010 in Vancouver. He also played in the 2018 Olympics as third for Kevin Koe.
Kennedy’s strength was his ability to play the big-weight hit or the precision draw when it was needed. With his strong sweeping, he was the ultimate team player.
9. Brad Gushue (Newfoundland and Labrador)
Key Stats: Two Briers, One World Championship, One Olympic Gold Medal, 11 Grand Slams
No skip has won more games at the Tim Hortons Brier than Brad Gushue, who is making his 16th appearance at the Canadian championship this year.
Gushue’s win at the 2017 Brier was the first in 41 years for a team from Newfoundland and Labrador, setting off a wild celebration in that province. He followed it up with another victory last year.
But the pinnacle of his career came in 2006 when he skipped the Canadian team to the gold medal at the Olympics in Torino, Italy, the first gold for a Canadian men’s team.
10. David Nedohin (Alberta)
Key Stats: Four Briers, Three World Championships, Four Grand Slams
As the last-rock thrower for the Ferbey Four, Dave Nedohin played some of the biggest shots in curling’s history. Several of those were key in leading the team to four Brier wins in five years, a period of utter dominance for that Alberta foursome.
Nedohin also helped his team win three world championships, posting a remarkable shooting percentage of 95 per cent in the 2005 final.
