Russ Howard - Career

Career

In 2005, he called the shots for Brad Gushue's team at the Canadian Olympic Trials, while he played second. Howard, along with Gushue (who throws last rocks), lead Jamie Korab and third Mark Nichols went on to win the trials, giving them the right to represent Canada at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal, defeating Finland 10-4 in the final match. The gold medal was the first time that a Canadian team had won the gold medal for men's curling. Howard, who turned 50 during the Olympics, is also the oldest Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal. The oldest person ever to win a gold medal was Robin Welsh, aged 54, who won gold at curling in the 1924 Winter Olympics.

As a skip, Howard has been in four previous trials, but never went on to the Olympics. He and his wife Wendy, work as Real Estate Agents for Royal LePage Atlantic . His brother, Glenn Howard, is also a well known curler. Howard is also the innovator of the "Moncton Rule", which evolved into the "Free Guard Zone", part of international and Olympic rules. This makes his 2006 medal particularly significant, as it is likely that without the excitement this rule adds to the sport it would not have become an Olympic event in the 1990s.

In the 2009-10 curling season, although he played in bonspiels throughout the year, Howard did not curl in the New Brunswick Tankard due to his broadcasting commitments with TSN. Howard has been commentating curling events for TSN since 2001.

In 2006, he was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame.