Reid Carruthers of Winnipeg, Manitoba retired from high performance curling on February 25. He won a gold medal as a second with Jeff Stoughton at the 2011 World Men’s Curling Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan. Today, he is the coach for Team Kerri Einarson at the 2026 Women’s World Curling Championships in Calgary, Alberta. Here is my interview with Carruthers.
Q: On Thursday, Team Canada defeated South Korea’s Eun-ji Gim 8-3. Discuss the confidence Team Einarson will get by beating a team ranked fourth in the world.
A: “The team played excellent. Wie were a little bit off against Scotland. I felt this was our best game as a team so far. I was very excited about what I saw, and look forward to carrying that momentum.”
Q: There were three missed shots by Gim in the match. Do you think that was the turning point?
A: “Yeah, we got a couple of breaks. But what I found this game is that we put a lot of pressure on them and made their skip have to make a lot of tough ones. When you capitalize on the breaks and you are a good team that can hit, it is hard to come back from. If the roles were reversed, it would have been the same for us. It is just two really good teams. I thought we had the breaks go our way.”
Q: It was a struggle for Val Sweeting on Wednesday against Scotland. Do you think it was a bounce back game for Val?
A: “I thought the whole team was a little bit off against Scotland. Everyone played well against South Korea.”
Q: After the game against South Korea, Team Canada has now outscored their opponent 31-14 in the second half of the 2026 Women’s World Curling Championships. If you can, comment on that impressive statistic.
A: “Getting used to the ice is something our team focuses on. We try not to go too aggressively early in games. Once we get comfortable, we turn up the aggression meter. If we are playing well, it will work out for us.”
Q: How enjoyable is it for you to be coaching one of the elite Canadian curling teams in the country?
A: “It is an honour. Working with these ladies has been an absolute treat for myself. I have learned a lot and feel like I have helped them as well. I feel we are very close as friends. It is also a business relationship, so it is a nice balance. To sit, and have the best seat in the house, and watch them perform is an honour.”
Q: Congratulations on a terrific curling career yourself. If there is one game that stands out over all the games you played, what was it?
A: “That is a very tough question to answer. Maybe winning my first provincial curling championship as a skip. (In 2015, Carruthers defeated Mike McEwen in the Manitoba final 5-3 in Brandon). We beat a really good team in Team McEwen. After learning from Stoughton for so many years, and taking what I learned and applying it as a skip is something I was really proud of.”
