By The Canadian Press

E.J. Harnden, second on Team Dunstone, to retire from competitive curling in 2026

Dec 28, 2025 | 1:18 PM

Canadian curler and Olympic champion E.J. Harnden is calling it a career.

Harnden announced Sunday in an Instagram post that he is playing his final full season of competitive curling.

The 42-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., currently plays second on Kamloops skip Matt Dunstone’s Winnipeg-based team alongside his brother and lead Ryan Harnden.

The Brush Brothers won Olympic gold at the 2014 Sochi Games on a team skipped by their cousin Brad Jacobs.

E.J. Harnden has also captured four silver medals at the world championships (2013, 2022, 2023, 2024) and three Canadian men’s curling championships in 2013, 2023 and 2024, winning the last two titles with Brad Gushue’s St. John’s rink.

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He’ll compete for his fourth career Brier title from Feb. 27 to March 8 in St. John’s, hoping to better the second place finish at the 2025 Brier in Kelowna.

“This sport has given me more than I could have ever imagined. From the first stone I threw to competing at the highest level, curling has shaped who I am,” Harnden wrote in a long post thanking his teammates, coaches and family. “Every time I stepped onto the ice, I gave everything I had — for my team, for the moment, and for the love of the game.

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities, experiences, and memories curling has provided me — Canadian championships, Grand Slam victories, and the honour of winning an Olympic gold medal. Those moments will stay with me forever.”

Team Dunstone – which also features third Colton Lott – is currently ranked fourth in the world and second in Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2025.

The Canadian Press