Canadian curling legend Howard busier than ever since retiring as a player

Switzerland coach Glenn Howard is seen at the BKT World Men's Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Sask., on Sunday, March 30, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

MOOSE JAW — Four-time world champion Glenn Howard is as busy as ever since moving to the coach’s bench after his retirement as a curler.

“To say it’s been a roller-coaster ride would be an understatement,” Howard said with a laugh.

Howard ended his four-decade playing career last spring after a wonky knee forced him to step away. This season alone, he has coached teams skipped by Chelsea Carey, Kate Cameron, son Scott Howard and daughter Carly Howard.

The 62-year-old resident of Tiny, Ont., is wearing Swiss colours this week at the BKT World Men’s Curling Championship after getting an “11th hour” call to work with Yannick Schwaller’s team at the Temple Gardens Centre.

“I jumped at the chance, it’s an opportunity of a lifetime for me,” Howard said. “It’s an honour to be a part of this team. I think they’re one of the best teams in the world.”

Howard, working with fellow coach Haavard Vad Petersson, helped guide the fourth-ranked side to a 7-3 record over the first six days of round-robin competition.

“Obviously my main goal this year was to coach team Chelsea Carey,” Howard said. “That was our goal. We were going to go to Scotties and then we were going off to the Olympic Trials next (season).

“Unfortunately the way things happen and the way the curling world is, the team disbanded.”

Howard, who previously coached teams skipped by Eve Muirhead and Jennifer Jones, was picked up by Cameron’s team in the middle of the season. That team finished 4-4 at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., last February.

For the men’s worlds, Howard set up some team video calls and one-on-one chats after Swiss fourth Benoit Schwarz-Van Berkel had reached out. The players arrived in nearby Regina almost two weeks ago and trained with Howard over the days leading up to the competition.

“A whole bunch of meetings, a whole bunch of strategy sessions, really crammed in a lot,” Howard said in a recent interview. “And what I’ve loved is they’ve been sponges. They’re listening and they’re hearing me, they’re hearing Haavard. And they’re asking a ton of questions.”

The 30-year-old Schwaller skips the team and throws third stones. Schwarz-Van Berkel throws last rock with Sven Michel and lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin on the front end.

“Just a very positive, awesome guy to be around,” Schwaller said. “And yeah, he’s one of the top one per cent of curlers to ever do it. So he has a lot of things to say.”

The Swiss rink won bronze at the 2023 world playdowns in Ottawa but settled for a 6-6 showing on home ice last year in Schaffhausen.

They entered the world championship with a season record of 52-25.

Howard, meanwhile, won the Canadian championship four times and made 14 Brier podium appearances over his career. He also won 14 titles on the Grand Slam of Curling circuit.

“He did it all,” Schwaller said. “So we can (also) have the right talks together with Haavard, who had an awesome career as well.

“I feel like we have quite a stacked coaching bench.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 4, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press