Kevin Martin (curler)

Kevin Ray Martin is a retired Canadian curler from Lougheed, Alberta. Many experts consider him the greatest curler to ever play the game. He is known by nicknames like "the Old Bear" and "K-Mart." Martin played professionally for thirty years. During this time, he won many major titles. These include four Brier championships and a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He is also a member of the World Curling Hall of Fame.

In curling, the team leader is called the skip. Martin was a highly successful skip. He was the first skip to achieve a "career Grand Slam." This means he won every major event in the Grand Slam series. He reached this milestone in April 2005 by winning the Players' Championship. Martin also holds a record eight titles in that specific event. His teams earned approximately $2 million in prize money throughout his career.

Martin's career was defined by intense rivalries with other top players. He competed against Jeff Stoughton for over two decades from 1991 to 2014. This was a famous rivalry between players from the Canadian prairies. He also had a major rivalry with Glenn Howard from 2007 to 2014. Many people call this the best two-team rivalry in Canadian history. Internationally, he faced Sweden's Peja Lindholm from 1997 to 2006. This was a significant battle between Canadian and European curling.

His journey began when he was only six years old. His father was the vice president of a local curling club. Martin's first major success came in 1985. His junior team won the Canadian Junior Championship. They defeated a team from Quebec with a score of 6–3. This victory allowed them to compete in the World Junior Curling Championships. They reached the final but lost 7–6 to a Scottish team.

Martin reached the professional level by winning his first provincial championship. In 1991, his team won the Labatt Brier. They defeated Saskatchewan with a score of 8–4 in the final. This win sent him to the 1992 Winter Olympics. At that time, curling was only a demonstration sport. He won a bronze medal in that competition. He later won his second Brier in 1997 by beating Manitoba's Vic Peters with a score of 10–8.

After a period of team changes, Martin found massive success with a new lineup. In 2006, he formed a new team with John Morris, Marc Kennedy, and Ben Hebert. This team won the 2007 Alberta provincials. They also won three Grand Slam titles during the 2006–2007 season. In the following season, they won two more Grand Slams. This gave them five consecutive Grand Slam victories.

Martin's influence went beyond just winning games. He helped change curling from a recreational hobby into a spectator sport. He helped establish the competitive tiers in the sport. He also set the groundwork for how curling teams are managed. His work helped create high-level competitive curling events. In 2019, a poll by TSN named him the greatest Canadian male skip in history. In 2024, he was named a member of the Order of Canada.