Harnden, Team Gushue announce 'mutual' decision to part ways

The juggling of team members has become much more common in Canadian curling in recent years and some big news dropped Thursday evening.

Ahead of appearing in the Henderson Metal Fall Classic next week in the Sault, Brad Gushue and his Newfoundland and Labrador-based team will be minus one team member when they arrive in the Sault and it will actually be a Sault native not with the team in second E.J. Harnden.

In a press release issued Thursday evening, the team announced the decision that the team and Harnden “have agreed to part ways effective immediately.”

Exactly what led to the decision was not made clear, only that the decision was a mutual one.

“We are grateful for E.J.’s unwavering commitment and the tremendous impact he has made on our team,” Gushue said in a statement. “We wish him all the best in the future.”

The Canadian Press reported that Gushue declined an interview request, but told the news outlet in a text that “it was amicable and the best decision for both sides.”

Harnden joined the Gushue rink as a full time member of the team in May 2022 and came in the weeks following Harnden joining the team as a fifth at the 2022 world championship.

The veteran local curler called being a part of the Gushue rink “an incredible journey.”

“I am proud of what we accomplished together, and I wish Brad, Mark, and Geoff the very best,” Harnden also said in a prepared statement.