Curling great Jeff Stoughton to retire at season's end

One of curling's all-time great skips, Jeff Stoughton, is retiring. The man known in equal parts for his shotmaking ability and his sense of humour has decided that it is time to step off the ice, something he will do in a mostly permanent way at the end of this season.

"I've been thinking about it for a while and this feels like the right time," the three-time Brier champion said, over the phone, about an hour after he made the announcement to his Twitter followers.

"It's never easy to say you're going to retire from the game," continued the 51 year old Stoughton, adding that he doesn't believe there's anything on the horizon that would keep him playing actively into next season. "It's a done deal," he confirmed.

Sounding at ease with the decision, the man who's wowed the curling world for more than two decades shifted from serious to humorous and back again during our conversation, about as effortlessly as he performed one of his trademark Stoughton Spin-o-ramas.

“Drive the wife crazy, I think,” was his response to the question of whatever will he do to keep himself busy next winter?

The two-time world champion has been skipping a team with Rob Fowler, Alex Forrest and Connor Njegovan, this season. He told the three of his decision a few days ago, wanting to give them plenty of time to start planning their future without him.

Seems he'd have liked to keep things quiet, but once the first member of the media started nosing around, Stoughton decided to announce his retirement, in low key fashion.

“It’s sort of been a done deal for myself and the family for the last little while but when it finally gets out in the real world, it’s surprising that people actually notice, so it’s been flattering and humbling and emotional, there’s no doubt about it," he said of the warm response he's been getting from friends and fans.

He deserves it, of course.

Being one of the three or four best skips of the last 25 years would be reason enough for that. His good nature, repeatedly illustrated, makes it even more deserving. Whether it was passing out beer koozies to fans at a Brier, or happily indulging a crowd whenever they called out for another spin from the hack, Stoughton was obliging.

The good news is, he plans to stay connected to curling as much as possible in the wake of his full-time playing days ending (he doesn't rule out jumping in to help a team out now and again).

“I hope this opens a bunch of doors. I obviously love the game of curling. I want that to continue and be more involved because now I’ve got free time."

“That’s really where I see myself," he continued, peering into his future. "Being involved with the game that I love, either with the CCA (Canadian Curling Association) or Curl Manitoba, or through coaching, through media. Whatever it happens to be, I want to be part of this game. Just because I’m not curling doesn’t mean I can’t be.”

“Now that one chapter is closed, hopefully more doors will open for other things.”

One thing Stoughton will get - and it's something he's already started to notice - is a different perspective. One that alows him to look at his accomplishments and take stock of them.

“You don’t think about it all when you’re playing," he explains. "You’re just trying to win the next event or win provincials or get to the curling trials, so you don’t really reflect on it."

“Last spring, we finally bought a trophy case and put it down in the basement and I was hauling out a whole bunch of stuff that was just sitting in boxes. Finally I have some of the stuff that I’ve won, over the years with my teammates, on display."

Stoughton and his current foursome will take part in the Prairie Showdown, in Grand Prairie, Alberta, next month.

Then, a farewell performance at The Players' Championship, in Toronto, in April, should his team qualify. The top twelve teams on the World Curling Tour's Order of Merit Standings (year-to-date) get invitations. Right now, Stoughton's team stands twelfth. He'd like to be there and he even knows how he'd like it to play out.

“If we get there, I expect all the other teams to roll over and let my team win," he says, laughing.

“That would show a lot of respect and I would admire that.”

Shifting back to a more serious tone, Stoughton says he knows there might well be some emotion as the season closes.

"The last two events, I’m sure, will be pretty tough. Would love to win them and finish on a high note.”

Three Brier wins (1996, 1999, 2011), with four more top-three finishes. Two World Championships (1996, 2011) and a silver. Four Grand Slam victories. Eleven Manitoba championships. Those kinds of accomplishments come from the CV of a game's giant.

“You never think that you’ve accomplished all that you want to because as a competitive player, everyone says they’d always like more," Stoughton says, sizing up his career.

"But, looking back, I think it’s pretty darn good.”

We'd all say so.