E. J. Harnden

E.J. Harnden
Curler
Born	(1983-04-14) April 14, 1983 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Team
Curling club	Community First CC, Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Skip	Brad Jacobs
Third	Ryan Fry
Second	E. J. Harnden
Lead	Ryan Harnden
Alternate	Lee Toner
Career
Brier appearances	8 (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017)
World Championship appearances	1 (2013)
Top CTRS ranking	1st (2013-14)
Grand Slam victories	3 (2015 Players' Championship; 2016 National; 2017 Champions Cup)
Medal record Men's curling Representing  Canada Olympic Games 2014 Sochi World Championships 2013 Victoria Representing  Northern Ontario Canadian Olympic Curling Trials 2013 Winnipeg Tim Hortons Brier 2013 Edmonton 2015 Calgary 2010 Halifax 2016 Ottawa

Eric "E. J." Harnden, Jr. (born April 14, 1983) is a Canadian curler. He currently throws second stones for the Canadian champion Brad Jacobs rink. The team represented Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics, winning a gold medal.

Playing career

Early career

Harnden is the son of three-time Northern Ontario champion Eric Harnden, Sr. Harnden was a skip during his junior career, but joined forces with his father for the 2007–08 season, as his third. The team, which also included brother Ryan and Caleb Flaxey at lead won the Dominion Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship that season, and would represent Northern Ontario at the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier. The team would have an unsuccessful Brier, finishing with a 3–8 record. Following the season, Harnden joined forces with Brad Jacobs, and has played with Jacobs ever since. He would play third for the team from 2008 to 2011 and then second since 2012, after Ryan Fry joined the team. In their first season together, the team lost in the 2009 Northern Ontario final to Mike Jakubo. The following season would be more successful. The team played in one Grand Slam, the 2012 The National that season, Harnden's first. The team went 0–5. However, the team did win The Dominion 2010 Northern Ontario Provincial Men's Championship and had a tremendous Brier that season. At the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier, the team finished 2nd after the round robin with a 9–2 record. However, they lost both of their playoff games and would have to settle for a bronze medal.

2010-2011 Season

During the 2010–11 curling season, the team played in two Grand Slams. They first played in the 2010 World Cup of Curling, where they finished 2–3. The team also played in the 2011 Players' Championship, but Harnden sat the event out, and was replaced by Ted Appelman. That season, the team would then go on to win their second straight provincial title, by winning The Dominion 2011 Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship. While they had a decent 7–4 record at the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier, it was not enough to make the playoffs, and they had to settle for 5th. For the 2011–12 season, the team entered two Slams, the 2011 World Cup of Curling where they had a 2–3 record) and the 2011 BDO Canadian Open where they made the playoffs for the first time, but lost in the quarter final. The team would then go on to win The Dominion 2012 Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship, their third straight title. At the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier, they once again finished 5th, but with a worse 5–6 record.

2012-2013 Season

The 2012–13 season would be the team's best season to date. The team welcomed Manitoba-born Ryan Fry at the third position, bumping Harnden to play second. The team would make the playoffs in all three Slams they entered, losing in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Masters of Curling and 2013 The National. They made it to the final in their first ever slam at the 2012 Canadian Open of Curling where they lost to the Glenn Howard rink. The team won The Dominion 2013 Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship once again, qualifying for the Brier for the fourth straight year. At the Brier, the team finished the round robin with an 8–3 record, good enough for 4th. The team pulled off victories against Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue, Ontario's Glenn Howard and Manitoba's Jeff Stoughton en route to win Northern Ontario's first Brier title in 28 years. The team would later represent Canada at the 2013 Ford World Men's Curling Championship where they won a silver medal.

Personal life

Outside of curling, Harnden works for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation as the senior manager for channel development. He attended Algoma University where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.^[1] He is married to Rachelle Harnden and has one child.^[2]

Teams

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References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to E. J. Harnden.

• E.J. Harnden on the World Curling Tour database
• E.J. Harnden on the CurlingZone database
• E.J. Harnden on the World Curling Federation database
• Olympic profile