Harnden is one of the b’ys
Ontario curler joins Team Gushue as they gear up for next season
When it came time to find a new team to curl with, E.J. Harnden didn’t have to look far to find a suitable match.
In fact, he needed only to go as far as his teammates from this year’s World Men’s Curling Championship to find a team in need of someone to throw second.
Harnden, who formerly played with Brad Jacobs, was an alternate with Team Gushue at the World’s in Las Vegas and as it turns out they were looking for someone to do just that once it was announced Brett Gallant would be leaving the team at the end of the season.
So, when it came time for skip Brad Gushue and the team, which also includes third Mark Nichols and lead Geoff Walker, to start looking for Gallant’s replacement, there was mutual interest from both parties.
Both wanted to continue to play at a higher level and compete with the best teams in Canada and the world.
I was hoping that I'd had the opportunity to play with Brad, Mark, and Jeff, and thankfully, it happened,” said Harnden during a media availability. “It was also about playing with individuals that I could get along with really well and have a lot of respect for and at the end of the day, have a lot of fun with hopefully a lot of success.
The news of Harnden’s addition to the team was made public when it was announced across the team’s social media feeds.
Since Gallant’s decision to move on, Gushue made sure to take their time when deciding on a new teammate and ensuring whoever was going to step in was going to be a good fit on the ice and off of it.
They quickly developed a short list of candidates, of which Harnden was on. That list was quickly shortened when it became apparent that Brad Jacobs was going to take a hiatus from the sport and Harnden may be up for grabs.
Things fell into place rather quickly after that.
“I know it was pretty chaotic for all the other teams, but it was honestly quite simple for us,” said Gushue. “E.J. was the guy we wanted.”
RESIDENCY MANEUVERS
Before the team could make the Harnden addition official, there was the need to make sure the team followed the residency rules set out by Curling Canada.
They say that teams can have just one player who lives outside of the province the team is representing. In this case, since Harnden is not a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador, Geoff Walker will be maintaining residency in the province to make things fit.
It is something that he has done in the past as a member of Team Gushue.
“We've done this in the past, and we wanted to make sure all those requirements were going to be met,” said Gushue. “We're confident we're going to be able to do that as we've done in the past.”
A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE
In Harnden, Team Gushue is adding a player with a bucket’s worth of international experience from his time with Brad Jacobs’ rink.
Harnden was a part of the Jacobs’ team that won the Brier in 2013 and then brought home a silver medal from the world championships that year.
He won an Olympic gold medal at the Sochi Winter Games in 2014 as a part of Team Canada and he also has several grand slam titles to his name.
Nichols has spent a lot of time competing against Harnden and he knows what he can bring to the table.
“I'm very excited to have E.J. on board,” he said. "His skill and his resume speak for itself. He's a great player and he's proven himself, day in and day out on tour.”
Gushue had similar thoughts when he was asked about what it means to have Harnden officially on board, especially since they got the chance to gel further as teammates at the World Championships.
“(We have a) huge amount of respect for E.J. and we've watched E.J. over the last five or six years be one of the best, if not the best, second in the game,” said Gushue. “So from a an actual talent perspective, it was an easy fit and an easy choice.”
It is no secret that Team Gushue has a horde of dedicated fans that stop what they’re doing whenever their team is playing in order to watch.
On game days and beyond, there is no shortage of support from people from the province and beyond. Since the announcement that Harnden is joining the team, those fans have been showering him and the team with support.
For Harnden, it was another aspect of Team Gushue that drew him to the team.
He is also looking forward to the opportunity to compete at the highest level possible.
“I've won one Canadian championship and I want to win many more,” said Harnden. “For me, again, to be able to put myself in a position where I can be a part of a great team that has a really good potential future, that was most important.”