Al Hackner

{{short description|Canadian curler}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox curler | name = Al Hackner | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|07|18}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sport-Curling-Trading-Card-Special-Edition-Al-Hackner-/131062082929|title=9 Ty Beanie Babies Birthday Edition Official Trading Cards Fuzz Bubbles Peanut}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Nipigon, Ontario]]<ref name="2018 Continental Cup Media Guide">2018 Continental Cup Media Guide</ref> | Curling club = [[Fort William Curling Club|Fort William CC]]<br> [[Thunder Bay|Thunder Bay, ON]] | Skip = '''Al Hackner''' | Third = [[Joe Scharf]] | Second = [[Jamie Childs]] | Lead = [[Gary Champagne]] | Alternate = | Member Association = {{AB}} (1976–1977) <br> {{NO}} (1979–present) | Brier appearances = 9 ({{Brier|1980}}, {{Brier|1981}}, {{Brier|1982}}, {{Brier|1985}}, {{Brier|1988}}, {{Brier|1989}}, {{Brier|1992}}, {{Brier|1995}}, {{Brier|2001}}) | World Championship appearances = 2 ({{WMCC|1982}}, {{WMCC|1985}}) | medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{CAN}} }} {{MedalSport | Men's [[curling]] }} {{MedalCompetition|[[World Curling Championships|World Championships]]}} {{MedalGold| [[1982 Air Canada Silver Broom|1982 Garmisch-Partenkirchen]] | [[List of World Curling Men's Champions|Team]]}} {{MedalGold| [[1985 Air Canada Silver Broom|1985 Glasgow]] | [[List of World Curling Men's Champions|Team]]}} {{MedalCompetition| [[World Senior Curling Championships|World Senior Championships]]}} {{MedalSilver| [[2007 World Senior Curling Championships|2007 Edmonton]] | [[World Senior Curling Championships|Team]] }} {{MedalCountry | {{NO}} }} {{MedalCompetition | [[Labatt Brier]] }} {{MedalGold | [[1982 Labatt Brier|1982 Brandon]] | [[Labatt Brier|Team]] }} {{MedalGold | [[1985 Labatt Brier|1985 Moncton]] | [[Labatt Brier|Team]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[1980 Labatt Brier|1980 Calgary]] | [[Labatt Brier|Team]] }} {{MedalSilver | [[1981 Labatt Brier|1981 Halifax]] | [[Labatt Brier|Team]] }} }}

'''Allan A. Hackner''' (born July 18, 1954), nicknamed "'''the Iceman'''",<ref name="theshot"/> is a retired [[Canadians|Canadian]] Hall of Fame<ref>{{cite web|title=Inductees to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame |url=http://www.curling.ca/about-the-organization/awards-and-certificates/canadian-curling-hall-of-fame/inductees-to-the-canadian-curling-hall-of-fame/ |publisher=Canadian Curling Association |access-date=8 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209031549/http://www.curling.ca/about-the-organization/awards-and-certificates/canadian-curling-hall-of-fame/inductees-to-the-canadian-curling-hall-of-fame/ |archive-date=9 December 2012 }}</ref> [[curling|curler]] from [[Thunder Bay]], [[Ontario]]. He was born in [[Nipigon, Ontario]]. He is a two-time [[the Brier|Brier]] and [[World Curling Championships|World Champion]] skip. He is of Ojibwa descent and is a member of the [[Red Rock Indian Band]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ontariosportlegendshof.com/index.php/component/k2/item/40-al-hackner |title=Al Hackner |website=ontariosportlegendshof.com |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116081140/http://ontariosportlegendshof.com/index.php/component/k2/item/40-al-hackner |archive-date=January 16, 2018}}</ref> He is currently a member of [[USA Curling]]'s High Performance Program Coaching staff.

==Career== Hackner has skipped the [[Northern Ontario]] team at nine Briers. He won the Brier in 1982 and again in 1985.

In 1982, he defeated [[Brent Giles]] of British Columbia to win his first Brier.

[[File:Hacknerdouble.PNG|thumb|The "Hackner Double", one of the most difficult shots in curling. Hackner made this shot at the [[1985 Labatt Brier]] final in order to tie the game, putting it into an extra end, in which his team stole, winning the game.]]

In 1985, he defeated [[Pat Ryan (curler)|Pat Ryan]] of Alberta to win his second Brier. To tie the game with last rock in the 10th end Hackner had to make a near impossible double-take out,<ref>{{cite web|title=Double Take-out |url=http://www.curlingnet.com/articles/encyclopedia/37 |publisher=CurlingNet |access-date=8 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708213850/http://www.curlingnet.com/articles/encyclopedia/37 |archive-date=8 July 2011 }}</ref> coming around a guard to hit two stones some 6 feet apart, which would later go down in curling history as the "Al Hackner double". Hackner's team then stole a single point in the extra end for the win. The shot was named the greatest moment in Northern Ontario curling history by the Northern Ontario Curling Association.<ref name="theshot">{{cite web|url=http://www.tbnewswatch.com/sports/83977/Shot-named-greatest-moment-|title=Shot named greatest moment|date=March 9, 2010|publisher=tbnewswatch.com|access-date=December 27, 2012}}</ref>

In addition to playing for Northern Ontario, Hackner also represented Alberta at the 1977 [[Canadian Mixed Curling Championship]], playing second for Don Sutton.

In 2004, Al Hackner was inducted into the [[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Al Hackner |url=http://oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/40-al-hackner |website=oshof.ca |publisher=[[Ontario Sports Hall of Fame]] |access-date=September 25, 2014 |archive-date=December 28, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141228125843/http://www.oshof.ca/index.php/honoured-members/item/40-al-hackner |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Hackner won the [[2006 Canadian Senior Curling Championships]] which he followed up with a silver medal at the [[World Senior Curling Championships]] [[2007 World Senior Curling Championships|in 2007]].

In 2013, Hackner announced he would be playing in his final [[The Dominion Northern Ontario Men's Curling Championship|provincial championship]], literally saying he was "too old for this [[wikt:shite|shite]]". However that was a short lived retirement. He lost the men's provincial final to [[Brad Jacobs (curler)|Brad Jacobs]] in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2013/02/06/mens-curling-provincials-climax-this-weekend|title=Men's curling provincials climax this weekend}}</ref>

Hackner skipped Northern Ontario to the 2017 [[Canadian Masters Curling Championships]]. He won the event again in 2022.

Hackner was part of the staff for the Team USA women's team from 2012 to 2014, and rejoined to become the coach in 2017. He led the team to the [[2018 Winter Olympics]], where they finished eighth.<ref>Davis, Terry (August 4, 2017) [https://web.archive.org/web/20181202015838/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Curling/Features/2017/August/04/World-champion-Al-Hackner-rejoins-coaching-staff World champion Al Hackner rejoins coaching staff] Official Site of USA Curling. Retrieved April 19, 2020.</ref><ref>Litman, Laken (February 21, 2018) [https://www.jsonline.com/story/sports/2018/02/21/we-say-goodbye-u-s-womens-curling-pyeongchang-games/361956002/ We say goodbye to U.S. women's curling at Pyeongchang Games] ''Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel''. Retrieved April 19, 2020.</ref>

Following the [[2022 Canadian Senior Curling Championships]], Hackner announced he was retiring from competitive curling.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.curling.ca/blog/2022/12/08/farewell-to-the-iceman|title=Farewell to the Iceman!|publisher=Curling Canada|access-date=December 9, 2022}}</ref>

==Personal life== Hackner is a retired transportation conductor with [[CN Rail]]. He is married and has one son.<ref name="2018 Continental Cup Media Guide">2018 Continental Cup Media Guide</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Sports links}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hackner, Al}} [[Category:Canadian people of German descent]] [[Category:Curlers from Alberta]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Curlers from Thunder Bay]] [[Category:World curling champions]] [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:Ojibwe sportsmen]] [[Category:Brier champions]] [[Category:First Nations sportspeople]] [[Category:Canadian curling coaches]] [[Category:Canadian male curlers]] [[Category:20th-century Canadian sportsmen]]