Ryan Harnden

Biography

Ryan Harnden competed alongside brother E.J. on the team that at Sochi 2014 won Canada’s third straight Olympic gold medal in men’s curling. The team skipped by his cousin Brad Jacobs posted a 7-2 round robin record in Sochi, before defeating China 10-6 in the semifinal and Great Britain 9-3 in the final. They had started the Olympic tournament with a 1-2 record, but an honest team chat sparked them to run the table the rest of the way.

The Harnden brothers first competed at the Brier in 2008, before joining forces with Jacobs in 2009. In 2010 they became the first Northern Ontario team to qualify for the playoffs at the Brier since 1993 and won the bronze medal. In 2013 they became the first Northern Ontario team to win the Brier since 1985 and went on to win silver at the world championships.

Despite their national and international success, Team Jacobs was not directly qualified to the 2013 Canadian Curling Trials. They had to go through the pre-trials bonspiel, from which they were the very last qualifiers for the Trials. The team went on to post a perfect 7-0 record in round robin play at the Trials, giving them a bye to the final where they beat Team John Morris 7-4.

The Sochi 2014 foursome stayed together through the 2018-19 season. In that time, they finished as the runners-up at the 2015 Brier and won bronze medals at the 2016 and 2019 Briers. For the 2019-20 season, two-time Olympian Marc Kennedy replaced Ryan Fry at third. The new-look Team Jacobs won three straight Grand Slam events in 2019-20 and made it to the 3-4 page playoff game at the 2020 Brier.

A Little More About Ryan

Getting into the Sport: Older brother E.J. Harnden is also a member of Team Brad Jacobs… Started curling at age four and began playing competitively at age nine… During their father’s practices, the two young boys would run around the ice in hockey helmets… Father Eric was a four-time Brier competitor and he always aspired to curl at the highest level like his dad… Outside Interests: Worked as a real estate appraiser before become a real estate sales representative… Certified firefighter who volunteers with Price Township but would like to become a full time firefighter in Sault Ste. Marie… Earned his Bachelor of Arts in geography from Algoma University and his business diploma from Sault College… Enjoys camping, training in the gym and travelling… The annual Team Jacobs Charity Golf Classic raises money for the Sault Area Hospital Maternal Child Care Fund and the Team Jacobs Follow Your Dream Bursary at Algoma University… Odds and Ends: Receives regular treatment for tennis elbow and a bad lower back… Began believing in his Olympic dream when the team started having success against other top teams…