Eric Christopher "E. J." Harnden, Jr. (born April 14, 1983)[1] is a Canadian curler. He currently throws second stones for the Canadian champion Brad Gushue rink.
Career
Early career
Harnden is the son of three-time Northern Ontario champion Eric Harnden, Sr. and Susan Hardnen.[1] E. J. 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.
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 , 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. The next season, the team won the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, earning them the right to represent Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics. At the Olympics in Sochi, they led Canada to a 9–3 victory in the men's final, defeating Great Britain to claim the gold medal.
2014–2019
Following their Olympic success, the Jacobs rink once again made it to the Brier in 2015. After posting a 10–1 round robin record in first place, they won the 1 vs. 2 game sending them to the finals against the defending Brier champions, Team Canada (skipped by Pat Simmons), which they lost. Later in the season the Jacobs rink won their first career Grand Slam event, winning the 2015 Players' Championship.
At the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, the Jacobs rink once again tore through the round robin, going undefeated to finish in first place. However, they ran into trouble in the playoffs, losing to Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1 vs. 2 game and to Alberta in the semifinal. They did rebound in the bronze medal game, defeating Manitoba to finish third overall.
The Jacobs team played in the 2017 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials attempting to head to the Olympics again, but his team would finish with a disappointing 3–5 record, missing the playoffs. The team again represented Northern Ontario at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, making it to the playoffs with an 8–3 record, but lost to Alberta's Brendan Bottcher rink in the 3 vs. 4 game.
The next season, the Jacobs rink won the 2018 Tour Challenge Grand Slam event. A month later, the team won the 2018 Canada Cup, their first Canada Cup title, defeating Kevin Koe's rink in the final. The team had Marc Kennedy playing third, filling in for Ryan Fry, who was on sabbatical following unsportsmanlike behaviour and excessive drinking at the 2018 Red Deer Curling Classic.[2]
The team once again represented Northern Ontario at the 2019 Tim Hortons Brier. The team went 9-2 in the round robin and championship round combined. Jacobs lost the 1 vs. 2 game to Kevin Koe and the semifinal to Brendan Bottcher resulting in the team getting the bronze medal.[3]
In May 2022, after Brad Jacobs decided to step away from curling for at least a season, Harnden joined Brad Gushue's Newfoundland and Labrador rink, replacing their long-time second Brett Gallant, who had decided to move to Alberta with plans to marry mixed doubles partner Jocelyn Peterman and join Brendan Bottcher's team in the western province. Harnden had already served as the Gushue rink's alternate at the 2022 world men's curling championship the previous month and earned a silver medal.[7] The team would win Canadian titles at the 2023 and 2024 Briers, and a silver medal at the 2023 world championship.
Personal life
Outside of curling, Harnden works as a product manager for Instant Games at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.[8] He attended Algoma University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration and marketing.[9] He is married to Rachelle Harnden and has two children.[10]