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Benjamin "Ben" Hebert [1] (born March 16, 1983) is a Canadian curler, a Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medallist, 2008 World Champion and four time Brier Champion from Chestermere, Alberta. [2] He currently plays lead on Team Brad Jacobs.
In 2019, Hebert was named the greatest Canadian male lead in history in a TSN poll of broadcasters, reporters and top curlers. [3]
Hebert, originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, began curling during his school years. In 1998, he led his high school team to compete in the finals for the city of Regina, ultimately losing to the group from Campbell Collegiate. [4]
He played lead for Pat Simmons from 2003 to 2006, where he played in two Briers for Saskatchewan (2005 & 2006). The team finished 6-5 and 5-6 respectively. Hebert was also the 5th player on Team Canada, skipped by Steve Laycock, which won the World Junior Curling Championships in 2003. [5]
Hebert moved to Alberta, and joined up briefly with the John Morris team. He then went with Morris later on in the year to play for Kevin Martin. With his new team, he won the Canada Cup in 2007 and finished fourth place at the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier. In 2008, Hebert was a part of the Alberta team that won the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier, and a member of Team Canada that won the 2008 World Men's Curling Championship. In 2009, Hebert was again the Lead for Team Alberta that repeated as 2009 Tim Hortons Brier Champions as they went 13-0 for the second consecutive Brier, and in the process set a new Brier record with most consecutive wins at 26.
Scandal broke out in their final round robin game at the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials against the Glenn Howard rink. Howard's third, Richard Hart, accused Hebert of an illegal brushing move in the 9th end. Replays show Hebert illegally lifting his broom off the ice in a vertical direction, instead of lifting it off to the side. This tactic is sometimes made to slow down a rock by dropping debris in front of the rock. Indeed, the rock he was sweeping was heavy, and Hebert's tactic may have caused the rock to veer off course slightly. Whether or not the act was intentional was left undiscovered.
Hebert and the rest of Team Martin went on to defeat Glenn Howard in the Final of the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. Team Martin went on to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, winning the gold medal after their 6-3 defeat of Thomas Ulsrud in the finals. Team Martin then capped an amazing 2009/2010 season by winning The Players Championship with an 8-7 extra end victory over Brad Gushue. Martin's team finished 2010 at the top of the WCT Money List with $139,750 and at the top of the WCT Order of Merit. Martin and co. capped the season with a 32-game winning streak.
Hebert and Team Martin won The National in December 2010. In January 2011, Team Martin won the TSN Skins Game defeating Scotland's David Murdoch in the Final and earning $57,000 in the process. They later defeated Kevin Koe in the Alberta Provincial Final and went on to finish 4th at the 2011 Tim Horton's Brier where Hebert was named a First Team All Star at Lead. They capped the season with a win at the Players Championship. With the win, Hebert and his team won the $25,000 first-place prize, plus took home a $50,000 bonus for winning the season-long Capital One Cup points race. The rink finished the season with $125,500 in prize money, second only to Winnipeg's Mike McEwen, who collected $127,490. [6]
Hebert is married and has two children. [7] He is a Business Development Manager with Caltech Surveys Ltd, primarily an oil and gas land surveying company servicing Western Canada (BC, AB, SK, and MB). [8] His cousins DJ and Dustin Kidby are also curlers, [9] as is his uncle Brad Hebert. [10]
| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998–99 [11] | Kyle George | Ben Hebert | Adan Veare | Dustin Kidby | |
| 1999–00 [12] | Kyle George | Ben Hebert | Todd Montgomery | Dustin Kidby | |
| 2000–01 [10] | Kyle George | Ben Hebert | Todd Montgomery | Dustin Kidby | |
| 2001–02 | Kyle George | Ben Hebert | Todd Montgomery | Dustin Kidby | 2002 CJCC |
| 2002–03 [13] | Kyle George | Ben Hebert | Todd Montgomery | Dustin Kidby | |
| 2003–04 | Pat Simmons | Jeff Sharp | Chris Haichert | Ben Hebert | 2004 CC |
| 2004–05 | Pat Simmons | Jeff Sharp | Chris Haichert | Ben Hebert | 2005 Sask., [14] Brier |
| 2005–06 | Pat Simmons | Jeff Sharp | Chris Haichert | Ben Hebert | 2006 Sask., [14] Brier |
| 2006–07 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2007 Alta., CC, Brier |
| 2007–08 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2008 Alta., CC, Brier, WCC |
| 2008–09 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2009 Alta., CC, Brier, WCC |
| 2009–10 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2009 COCT, 2010 OG |
| 2010–11 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2010 CC, 2011 Alta., Brier |
| 2011–12 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2011 CC, 2012 Alta. |
| 2012–13 | Kevin Martin | John Morris | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2012 CC, 2013 Alta., Brier |
| 2013–14 | Kevin Martin | David Nedohin | Marc Kennedy | Ben Hebert | 2013 COCT, 2014 Alta. |
| 2014–15 | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Brent Laing | Ben Hebert | 2014 CC, 2015 Alta., Brier |
| 2015–16 | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Brent Laing | Ben Hebert | 2015 CC, 2016 Alta., Brier, WCC |
| 2016–17 | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Brent Laing | Ben Hebert | 2016 CC, 2017 Brier |
| 2017–18 | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Brent Laing | Ben Hebert | 2017 COCT, 2018 OG |
| 2018–19 | Kevin Koe | B. J. Neufeld | Colton Flasch | Ben Hebert | 2018 CC, 2019 Alta., Brier, WCC |
| 2019–20 | Kevin Koe | B. J. Neufeld | Colton Flasch | Ben Hebert | 2019 CC, 2020 Brier |
| 2020–21 | Kevin Koe | B. J. Neufeld | John Morris | Ben Hebert | 2021 Brier |
| 2021–22 | Kevin Koe | B. J. Neufeld | John Morris | Ben Hebert | 2021 COCT, 2022 Alta., Brier |
| 2022–23 | Brendan Bottcher | Marc Kennedy | Brett Gallant | Ben Hebert | 2023 Alta., Brier |
| 2023–24 | Brendan Bottcher | Marc Kennedy | Brett Gallant | Ben Hebert | 2024 Brier |
| 2024–25 | Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | Brett Gallant | Ben Hebert |
Randy S. Ferbey is a Canadian retired curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta. Ferbey is a six-time Canadian champion and a four-time World Champion. He recently coached the Rachel Homan women's team.
Russell W. "Russ" Howard, CM, ONL is a Canadian curler and Olympic champion, based in Regina, Saskatchewan, but originally from Midland, Ontario. He lived in Moncton, New Brunswick, from 2000 to 2019. Known for his gravelly voice, Howard has been to the Brier 14 times, winning the title twice. He is also a two-time world champion, winning in 1987 and 1993. He has also won three TSN Skins Games in 1991, 1992, and 1993, and participated in two Canadian Mixed Curling Championships in 2000 and 2001. He won gold at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He played in two Canadian Senior Curling Championships in 2008 and 2009 finishing with a silver medal both of those years. Russ Howard was inducted into the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. He is currently a curling analyst and commentator for TSN’s Season of Champions curling coverage.
Kevin Martin, nicknamed "The Old Bear" and "K-Mart", is a Canadian retired curler originally from Lougheed, Alberta and residing in Edmonton. He is an Olympic, World and four-time Canadian champion and a member of the World Curling Hall of Fame. He is considered by many commentators and former and current curlers to be the greatest curler of all time. He is also known for his rivalries with Randy Ferbey/David Nedohin, the best Alberta provincial rivalry ever as the two teams were generally regarded the best in the world from 2002 to 2006; his rivalry with Jeff Stoughton, perhaps the most famous all prairies rivalry ever which spanned over 2 decades from 1991 to 2014; with Glenn Howard from 2007 to 2014, perhaps the best two team rivalry in Canadian curling history, and his rivalry with Sweden's Peja Lindholm from 1997 to 2006, perhaps the best ever men's Canada-Europe rivalry.
John C. Morris is a Canadian curler, and two-time Olympic gold medallist from Canmore, Alberta. Morris played third for the Kevin Martin team until April 24, 2013. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom. Morris grew up in Gloucester, Ontario and at the age of five began curling at the Navy Curling Club.
Brent George Laing is a Canadian curler from Barrie, Ontario. He grew up in Meaford, Ontario.
Marc Kennedy is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medallist from St. Albert, Alberta. He currently plays third on Team Brad Jacobs.
Kevin Koe is a Canadian curler. Koe is a two-time World champion and four-time Canadian champion. He was the skip of the Canadian men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Patrick "Simms" Simmons is a Canadian curler. Simmons played on the 2014 and 2015 Canadian champion rink, the latter year as skip. As a skip, he has also represented Saskatchewan in four straight Briers from 2005 to 2008 and again in 2011. He has also represented Alberta twice at the Brier.
James Grattan, nicknamed "Jimmy the Kid" is a Canadian curler from Oromocto, New Brunswick. He currently skips his own team.
Brendan Michael Bottcher is a Canadian curler from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Bottcher is a three-time provincial men's champion, and was the skip of the 2021 Canadian men's championship team, having led Alberta to victory at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.
The 2010–11 curling season began in September 2010 and ended in April 2011.
Brendan "B. J." Neufeld is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Neufeld plays third for the Matt Dunstone rink. He started curling around the age of ten and, like older brother Denni Neufeld, cites the achievements of his father as leading his interest into the game of curling. His father is Chris Neufeld who was a three-time Manitoba curling champion and one time Labatt Brier champion in 1992 as part of the Vic Peters team.
The 2011–12 curling season began in September 2011 and ended in April 2012.
Geoff Walker is a Canadian curler, currently living in Edmonton, Alberta. He currently plays lead for the Brad Gushue rink. He was the Men's World Champion in 2017 and won silver the following year in 2018. A six-time national champion, he won the Brier in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Walker was a two-time World Junior Champion when he won gold in 2006 and 2007.
Colton Flasch is a Canadian curler currently residing in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He currently plays third on Team Mike McEwen.
Darren Moulding is a Canadian curler from Lacombe, Alberta and curls out of the Saville Sports Centre and the Lacombe Curling Club. He currently coaches and is the alternate on Team Evan van Amsterdam. He is a former Canadian Junior Silver Medallist, a Canadian Mixed Champion, and represented Alberta in the 2017, 2018, 2020 and Team Wild Card in the 2019 Brier Canadian men's championship.
Bradley Thiessen is a Canadian curler. He was a long-time member of the Brendan Bottcher rink, throwing second stones for the team until 2022. With Bottcher, he won the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and represented Canada at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship.
Karrick Martin is a Canadian curler. He currently plays lead on Team Kevin Koe. He is the son of 2010 Olympic champion skip Kevin Martin.
Dustin "Deuce" Kidby is a Canadian curler from Regina, Saskatchewan. He most recently threw lead rocks for Team Matt Dunstone.
The 2022 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 4 to 13 at the ENMAX Centre in Lethbridge, Alberta. In the final, the defending Olympic bronze medallist Brad Gushue Wild Card #1 team, which also include Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker from Newfoundland and Labrador defeated Alberta, skipped by Kevin Koe. It was Gushue's fourth career Brier title, and the team did it shorthanded, as Nichols missed the playoffs due to testing positive for COVID-19. According to Curling Canada, it was the first time a three-player team won a Brier final. Gushue's four Brier wins ties the record with Ernie Richardson, Randy Ferbey, Kevin Martin and Koe for most Brier championships as a skip, and his rink tied the "Ferbey Four" for most Brier championships as a foursome with four titles. Gushue played as a Wild Card team as they missed the Newfoundland and Labrador provincials due to their participation in the Olympics, and were the first team to ever play at the Brier and the Olympics in the same year. They were also the first Wild Card team to win the Brier. The Gushue rink represented Canada at the 2022 World Men's Curling Championship at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, United States, where they won the silver medal.
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