CANADIAN ICON TRAINS CURLERS
‘BEST TACTICAL GUY IN THE WORLD’ SOUGHT OUT BY SWEDISH CHAMPS
It all began when Anna Hasselborg and her teammates made a call to Wayne Middaugh’s wife in 2018. “They actually called my wife to say ‘Sherry, is it OK if five Swedish women drag your husband around the world?’” Middaugh said this week at the Olympic Winter Games, where he is coaching the Swedish women’s team.
“Sherry was like ‘Yeah, take him!’ That’s how it started.”
Middaugh is a three-time Canadian and world curling champion who had to give up the game for an extended period after a devastating skiing accident in 2016.
His life changed forever on that January day, when he landed poorly on a jump and broke his leg in multiple places. He underwent several surgeries, a titanium rod was implanted, and he spent two years recovering to the point where he could walk normally again.
He has since returned to competitive curling — he actually skipped an injured Glenn Howard’s team in the Brier in 2021 — but for several years he was certain he was done.
That’s why the 54-year-old from Victoria Harbour, Ont., was thrilled when presented with the opportunity to coach a great international team, skipped by Hasselborg.
“That was what brought me back to curling, after my accident,” the Canadian Curling Hall of Famer said.
“I missed curling and wanted to be part of it and they literally presented an opportunity to me that was too hard to pass up. It was like a dream come true.”
The Hasselborg team had already won an Olympic gold medal by the time Middaugh came along, but the Swedes were looking for someone with experience and knowledge of the game.
“He’s probably the best tactical guy in the world but he’s also such a nice guy who takes care of us,” Hasselborg said. “He really wants us to be great out there and we work so well as a team. He really gets us and he really gets me, as a skip. He challenges me and that’s something I really like.
“To have a guy like Wayne on your side is pretty huge.”
Middaugh is one of six Canadian coaches working with the 10 women’s teams at these Olympics.
Like Peter Gallant (South Korea), J.D. Lind (Japan), Heather Rogers (Denmark), Laine Peters (United States) and Pierre Charette (Switzerland), Middaugh is essentially working to help other countries beat Canada.
The Canadian influence has been a big part of the growth of curling internationally, and countries like Sweden and Switzerland have moved to the forefront of the game in terms of success.
“It’s very interesting but it’s all part of the game,” Middaugh said. “It’s just one of those things where Canada has always been leading the game.
“It’s probably because of the exposure that Canadians have from a very young age, being exposed to curling day in and day out. It’s on TV, and the events we play, we may see a little bit more strategy-wise.”
It hasn’t been easy for Middaugh to be a part of the Hasselborg team over the last couple years, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He was with the Swedes in the curling bubble in Calgary last March but didn’t spend time with them again until two weeks before the Beijing Olympics.
Now that he’s here, he’s soaking up every bit of the experience.
The Swedes entered Sunday’s play with a 3-2 record, which will have to improve considerably if Hasselborg wants to repeat as Olympic champion.
But no matter what happens, Middaugh intends to enjoy the moment.
“It’s a great experience,” he said.
“I’d never been to the Olympics in my career and it’s something I always
HE REALLY WANTS US TO BE GREAT OUT THERE AND WE WORK SO WELL AS A TEAM. HE REALLY GETS US AND HE REALLY GETS ME, AS A SKIP.
dreamed to be part of. They’ve provided me with that opportunity and here I am.
“To work with a team that’s already that good and help them get a little bit better and travel the world, that’s an unbelievable opportunity.”