5 Best Curling Coaches of All Time

10 curling coaches, from Phill Drobnick to Jeff Stoughton and Peja Lindholm, each with achievements, years active, teams coached and nationality.

Each entry names the achievements, the active years, the athletes or teams involved and the nationality. The order reflects our view of who shaped curling most, not a statistic, and the closing FAQ picks up what the list leaves open.

If you are working through the subject more broadly, we keep the same kind of list for curling books and curling films and documentaries.

Best Curling Coaches:

Kevin Martin
Russ Howard
Glenn Howard
Rick Lang
Guy Hemmings
Phill Drobnick
Peja Lindholm
Jeff Stoughton
Marcel Rocque
David Hay

#1 Kevin Martin

🏆 Achievements: Olympic gold medalist, World Champion, multiple Grand Slam titles
📅 Years Active: Coach since 2014
👕 Teams Coached: Team Carruthers, Team Bottcher
🌐 Nationality: Canadian

Kevin Martin is a revered figure in the world of curling, not only for his competitive achievements but also for his role as a coach and mentor. After an illustrious career as a player which included Olympic gold at Vancouver 2010, and a World Championship title in 2008, Martin transitioned to coaching, where his expertise continues to influence the sport.

Starting his coaching career after retirement, Martin has passed on his strategic acumen and game sense to teams like Team Carruthers and Team Bottcher. He has influenced the growth and performance of these teams at national and international levels.

Besides coaching, Martin’s contributions to curling include commentary for major curling broadcasts, offering insights that stem from his deep understanding of the sport. His ability to analyze games and break down complex strategies has made him a respected voice in the curling community.

#2 Russ Howard

🏆 Achievements: Two-time World Champion, Olympic gold medalist
📅 Years Active: Coaching since the 2000s
👕 Teams Coached: Teams on a consulting basis
🌐 Nationality: Canadian

Russ Howard is celebrated as much for his coaching and development of the sport as he is for his achievements on the ice, where he won two World Championships and an Olympic gold medal in Turin 2006. His innovative strategies and hands-on approach have made him a cherished coach in the curling world.

While not tied to a single team, Howard has worked with various teams in a consulting role, providing guidance and sharing his vast experience. His contribution to coaching extends beyond technique and includes sportsmanship and the psychological aspects of curling.

Howard’s legacy includes the popularization of the “Moncton Rule,” which later evolved into the modern free-guard zone, fundamentally changing the tactics of curling and showcasing his innovation within the sport.

#3 Glenn Howard

🏆 Achievements: Four-time World Champion
📅 Years Active: Coaching since late 2010s
👕 Teams Coached: Team Epping
🌐 Nationality: Canadian

Glenn Howard has carried his unparalleled legacy as a player, with four World Championships to his name, into his coaching career. Known for his precision and strategic intelligence, he has become an important figure in coaching up-and-coming Canadian curling teams.

Howard has helped teams like Team Epping, working on refining their skills, game play, and team dynamics on their journey to compete at the highest levels of the sport. His impact on the ice is complemented by the impact he has had off the ice, mentoring players to realize their full potential.

His continued involvement in curling, whether as a competitor or coach, underlines his passion for the sport and his dedication to fostering excellence within the curling community.

#4 Rick Lang

🏆 Achievements: Three-time Brier Champion, two-time World Champion
📅 Years Active: Coaching since the 2000s
👕 Teams Coached: Canadian National Women’s Team; other teams in a consulting role
🌐 Nationality: Canadian

Rick Lang has a rich history in curling, both as a highly successful player and as a coach. After capturing numerous titles on the ice, including three Brier titles and two World Championship golds, he turned his attention to coaching, where his achievements have been equally commendable.

As a coach for the Canadian National Women’s Team, Lang has played a pivotal role in developing the talents of elite female curlers, preparing them for competition at the highest international levels. His leadership has been instrumental in numerous international competitions, including the Olympics and World Championships.

Known for his tactical knowledge and ability to inspire teams, Lang is distinguished by his dedication to the growth of curling in Canada and his commitment to nurturing the next generation of curling champions.

#5 Guy Hemmings

🏆 Achievements: Two-time Brier Runner-up
🌐 Nationality: Canadian

Guy Hemmings is best known for his charismatic personality and his performance as a competitor, where he became a fan favorite during his runs to the Brier final in the late 1990s. His ability to entertain and engage with audiences has made him a popular figure in the sport.

Though specific details on his coaching career are not extensive, he has been involved in developing the sport through various engagements, including curling clinics and as an ambassador for the sport, sharing his knowledge and passion for curling with enthusiasts of all levels.

His contribution to curling transcends the ice, with his efforts to popularize the sport and encourage its growth among amateurs and future talents. Guy Hemmings remains an influential personality in the curling community.

Understanding the dynamic roles and positions within a curling team can offer insight into the strategic decisions made by our featured best curling coaches, highlighting their importance in shaping champions.

#6 Phill Drobnick

🏆 Achievements: Coached John Shusters rink to the first Olympic curling gold medal in United States history, at Pyeongchang 2018.
📅 Years Active: 2006 to today
👕 Teams Coached: Team Shuster, Korey Dropkin and Cory Thiesse, United States national teams
🌐 Nationality: United States

American curling had never won an Olympic title and was not close to one when Drobnick took over the men’s programme. The 2018 run in Pyeongchang, from near elimination to beating Sweden in the final, is the result that changed the sport in the country.

He has also coached junior rinks and mixed doubles pairs to national and international titles, which is the less visible half of the job. Team Shuster stayed together under him for another Olympic cycle.

#7 Peja Lindholm

🏆 Achievements: National coach in Sweden and later Denmark and China, with a European title for the Danish women’s team.
📅 Years Active: 2010 to 2022
👕 Teams Coached: Niklas Edin, the Swedish and Danish women’s teams, Chinese national teams
🌐 Nationality: Sweden

Lindholm was a three time world champion skip before he started coaching, and he moved between programmes in a way few coaches do: Sweden, Denmark and China all hired him inside a decade.

He coached Niklas Edin, the most decorated skip in the sport, through world championship campaigns, and took the Danish women to European gold. The Chinese teams he prepared went into Beijing 2022 with a foreign coaching structure he had built.

#8 Jeff Stoughton

🏆 Achievements: Coached Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris to Olympic mixed doubles gold in 2018 and has been a national coach for Curling Canada since.
📅 Years Active: 2015 to today
👕 Teams Coached: Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris, Curling Canada national teams
🌐 Nationality: Canada

Mixed doubles was new to the Olympic programme in 2018 and nobody knew how to prepare for it. Stoughton, a world champion skip in his playing days, put together a Canadian pair late and they won every game they played.

He has stayed with Curling Canada as national coach for the men’s and mixed doubles programmes, which puts him in the room for most of the country’s international selection.

#9 Marcel Rocque

🏆 Achievements: Coached the Chinese men’s team to fourth place at the Sochi 2014 Olympics and has since coached several leading Canadian rinks.
📅 Years Active: 2013 to today
👕 Teams Coached: The Chinese men’s and mixed doubles teams, Team Rachel Homan, Team Clancy Grandy
🌐 Nationality: Canada

Rocque won four Briers and three world titles as a player, then took a job nobody else wanted and made China competitive with the curling nations. Fourth at an Olympic Games with that programme was a genuine overachievement.

Back in Canada he has coached Rachel Homan, one of the strongest women’s skips of the era, and continues to work with elite rinks in Alberta and British Columbia.

#10 David Hay

🏆 Achievements: Coached the British women’s team to a bronze medal at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
📅 Years Active: Until 2014
👕 Teams Coached: Team Great Britain women’s rink, 2014
🌐 Nationality: Scotland

Hay took the British women’s rink into Sochi 2014 and came home with bronze, the only curling medal Britain won at those Games. He had been a competitive skip in Scotland before moving into coaching.

Scottish rinks form the core of the British team, and Hay worked inside that system for years, which is part of why the transition to an Olympic squad was smooth.

FAQ

Who is the greatest curling coach of all time?

The greatest curling coach of all time is often considered to be Jules Owchar, known for guiding the legendary Kevin Martin team to numerous victories.