Marc Kennedy (born February 5, 1982) is a Canadian curler, and Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medallist from St. Albert, Alberta. He currently plays third on Team Brad Jacobs.
In 2019, Kennedy was named the greatest Canadian male second in history in a TSN poll of broadcasters, reporters and top curlers. [2]
Kennedy was born in St. Albert, Alberta, the son of Don and Connie. He started curling at age six. [3] He is a Canadian Winter Games champion [4] and three-time provincial junior champion. He won his first provincial men's championship with Kevin Martin in 2007. As a junior, he played second for Carter Rycroft at the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships and played third for Jeff Erickson at the 1999 and 2001 Canadian Juniors.
In 2003 Kennedy was an alternate for the 2003 Winter Universiade gold medal-winning team from Brandon University skipped by Mike McEwen.
After 2-time World Junior Champion John Morris moved to Alberta in 2003, Kennedy joined his team at second position. In 2004, they lost the Canada Cup final to Randy Ferbey.
In 2006, both Morris and Kennedy joined 2-time Brier champion Kevin Martin on his new team.
In 2008, Kennedy won the Brier and the World Championships as a member of the team. They repeated their Brier win in 2009, going undefeated for a second straight year and setting a record for consecutive Brier games won (26) previously held by the Ferbey foursome.
In 2010, Kennedy won an Olympic Gold Medal in Vancouver with Kevin Martin, John Morris and Ben Hebert as Team Canada defeated Thomas Ulsrud of Norway 6-3 in the Gold Medal Game.
After a win at the Alberta provincials, Kennedy headed with Team Martin to the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier. They went through the round robin with a 9-2 win–loss record and lost the page 3 vs. 4 playoff game to Ontario and the bronze medal game to Newfoundland/Labrador. Kennedy left the Brier before the bronze medal game because he and his wife were expecting a new child.
In 2013, Kennedy and Team Martin won the Alberta provincials with a close win over Kevin Koe to earn a berth in the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier in their hometown Edmonton. On the first day, Kennedy won the Ford Hot Shots skills and shot-making competition that preceded the start of round-robin play. [5] The team played in the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, finishing third.
Following Kevin Martin's retirement from curling in 2014, Kennedy joined Team Kevin Koe at third. They played in their first Brier together in 2015, finishing with a 6-5 record, missing the playoffs. In December 2015, Kennedy, along with his teammates, claimed the first berth in the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials with their Canada Cup victory in Grande Prairie, AB. The team continued their winning ways that season by winning the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier and a gold medal at the 2016 World Men's Curling Championship. Representing Team Canada as defending champions, the team lost in the final of the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier.
The team would go on to win the 2017 Olympic Trials and represented Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics, finishing fourth.
Following the 2017-18 season, Kennedy announced he would take a break from competitive curling to heal injuries and focus on family. [6] He subsequently took a position as national team program performance consultant with Curling Canada. [7] He was invited to play third for team Brad Jacobs at the 2018 Canada Cup, to fill in for Ryan Fry, who took a couple of events off, following unsportsmanlike behaviour from an event he played in. [8] Kennedy's addition to the team worked out, and they would win the event. [9] Kennedy announced in March 2019 that he would join Team Jacobs to replace Ryan Fry for the next three curling seasons. [10] In their first event, the 2019 AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic, the team went undefeated up until the final where they would lose to Team Epping. Team Jacobs won three straight Grand Slam events at the Tour Challenge, National and the Canadian Open. They would unsurprisingly win the 2020 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship, going in as the number one seed. At the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, they battled through two tiebreakers before losing to Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue in the 3 vs. 4 game, all within the same day. It would be the team's last event of the season as both the Players' Championship and the Champions Cup Grand Slam events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [11]
Team Jacobs played in two tour events during the 2020–21 season, winning the Stu Sells Oakville Tankard and losing in the qualification game of the Ashley HomeStore Curling Classic. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled. As the reigning provincial champions, Team Jacobs was chosen to represent Northern Ontario at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier. [12] At the Brier, they finished with a 7–5 record. [13] Also during the 2020–21 season, Kennedy served as the alternate for the Brendan Bottcher rink at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship. He was added to the team as a backup plan in case Bottcher's third Darren Moulding's back injury that he sustained during the 2021 Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship re-emerged as an issue. [14] Kennedy, however, did not have to play in any games for the team as Moulding's back held up for the tournament.
Kennedy was named to a third Olympic team as the alternate for the Brad Gushue rink for the Beijing 2022 Olympics. [15]
Kennedy's team, skipped by Brad Gushue, qualified as the Canadian representatives by winning the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, defeating Brad Jacobs 4–3 in the final. Kennedy was the alternate for the team. [16] [17] The team would go onto win the bronze medal. [18] [19] [20]
Kennedy is married to his wife, Nicole Kennedy (née MacDonald), and they have two daughters. His brother Glen is also a curler. [3]
Kennedy has a marketing degree from the University of Alberta. He was a franchise owner for M&M Meat Shops until he sold his business in 2012 to focus more on curling. He also worked as a real estate agent for Sarasota Realty. [21] Kennedy currently works as a coaching consultant. [22]
Kennedy is a Hec Gervais Scholarship winner, as well as a Can Fund recipient [23] He is also currently an MBA Student at the University of Alberta. [24]
Marc and Nicole began a youth bonspiel in 2016 called the Marc Kennedy Junior Classic, held in St. Albert and Edmonton. The Bonspiel saw a spin-off program in 2018 (Over The Pond) introducing international teams selected through the Nordic Jr Curling Tour. Two Canadian teams are also selected and visit the year-end event in Sweden. Unofficially, the MKJC is the largest youth/junior bonspiel in the World hosting almost 70 teams at its peak. [ citation needed ]
In his youth, Kennedy also played Canadian football and played for the Edmonton Huskies. [3]
| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead | Events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | Carter Rycroft | Glen Kennedy | Marc Kennedy | Jason Lesmeister | 1998 CJCC |
| 1998–99 | Jeff Erickson | Marc Kennedy | Kevin Skarban | Kevin McNee | 1999 CJCC |
| 1999–00 | Jeff Erickson | Marc Kennedy | Kevin Skarban | Kevin McNee | |
| 2000–01 | Jeff Erickson | Marc Kennedy | Kevin Skarban | Aaron Sarafinchan | 2001 CJCC |
| 2001–02 [25] | Marc Kennedy | Chris Schille | Kevin Skarban | Aaron Sarafinchan | |
| 2002–03 [26] | Chris Schille | Marc Kennedy | Steven Meadows | Stephen Jensen | |
| 2003–04 | John Morris | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Paul Moffatt | 2004 Alta., CC |
| 2004–05 | John Morris | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Paul Moffatt | 2005 Alta., CC |
| 2005–06 | John Morris | Kevin Koe | Marc Kennedy | Paul Moffatt | 2005 COCT, 2006 Alta., CC |
| 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 | Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | E. J. Harnden | Ryan Harnden | 2018 CC (lone event) |
| 2019–20 | Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | E. J. Harnden | Ryan Harnden | 2019 CC, 2020 Northern Ont., 2020 Brier |
| 2020–21 [27] | Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | E. J. Harnden | Ryan Harnden | 2021 Brier |
| 2021–22 | Brad Jacobs | Marc Kennedy | E. J. Harnden | Ryan Harnden | 2021 COCT, 2022 Brier |
| Brad Gushue | Mark Nichols | Brett Gallant | Geoff Walker alt.: Marc Kennedy | 2022 OG | |
| 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 |
Second Team All Star (Third) 2020
First Team All Star (Third) 2022
First Team All Star (Third) 2024
Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal by defeating Finland 10–4. He also represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze medal. In addition to the Olympics, Gushue won the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship with teammates Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, and Geoff Walker. He is a record six-time Brier champion skip, having won in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024 all with Nichols, Gallant and Walker, except for 2023 and 2024 with E. J. Harnden replacing Gallant. Their win in 2017 was Newfoundland and Labrador's first Brier title in 41 years. At the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, Gushue set a new record for Brier game wins as a skip, breaking a three-way tie with previous record-holders Russ Howard and Kevin Martin.
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.
Mark Nichols, ONL is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. He currently plays third for the Brad Gushue rink. Nichols is a former Olympic champion curler, having played third for Team Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where the team won a gold medal. He also won a World Championship with Gushue in 2017.
Brent George Laing is a Canadian curler from Horseshoe Valley, Ontario. He grew up in Meaford, Ontario.
Ryan Bennett Fry is a retired Canadian curler currently living in Pickering, Ontario. He most recently played third on the Mike McEwen team and coached the Rachel Homan team. He currently coaches the Joël Retornaz rink. He previously played third for Team Brad Jacobs, and the team represented Canada and won the gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The team also won the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier. Fry won a silver medal at the 2013 World Men's Curling Championship.
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.
Benjamin "Ben" Hebert is a Canadian curler, a Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic gold medallist, 2008 World Champion and four time Brier Champion from Chestermere, Alberta. He currently plays lead on Team Brad Jacobs.
Brett Philip Gallant is a Canadian curler from Chestermere, Alberta. He currently plays second on Team Brad Jacobs.
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.
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.
Bradley Robert Jacobs is a Canadian curler from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He currently skips his own team out of Calgary, Alberta. He is an Olympic champion skip, having led Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Jacobs is also the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier championship skip and the 2013 World Championship runner-up. He is a 12-time Northern Ontario provincial champion, and one-time provincial junior champion.
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.
Eric Christopher "E. J." Harnden, Jr. is a Canadian curler. He currently throws second stones for the Canadian champion Brad Gushue rink.
Ryan Harnden is a Canadian curler. He currently plays lead on Team Matt Dunstone. He is the former lead for the Brad Jacobs rink, with whom he represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal.
The 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 5–13, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario.
Darren Moulding is a Canadian curler from Lacombe, Alberta and curls out of the Saville Sports Centre and the Lacombe Curling Club. 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.
The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from February 29 to March 8 at the Leon's Centre in Kingston, Ontario. The winning Brad Gushue rink was scheduled to represent Canada at the 2020 World Men's Curling Championship at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
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.
| Demonstration events | |
|---|---|
| Official events |
|
