Michael "Mike"[1] Fournier (born November 24, 1971) is a Canadian curler originally from Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.[2] He currently skips his own team out of Toronto, Ontario.
| Michael Fournier | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1971 |
| Team | |
| Curling club | Leaside CC, East York, Toronto[1] |
| Skip | Michael Fournier |
| Third | Charlie Richard |
| Second | Émile Asselin |
| Lead | Punit Sthankiya |
Curling career  | |
| Member Association |  Quebec (1996–2022)  Ontario (2022–present) |
| Brier appearances | 3 (2018, 2021, 2022) |
| Top CTRS ranking | 16th (2021–22) |
Career
editFournier played in his first Quebec Tankard in 2014 at the 2014 Quebec Men's Provincial Curling Championship. His team reached the semifinal where they lost to eventual champions Jean-Michel Ménard. They made it one game further the following year at the 2015 Quebec Men's Provincial Curling Championship, losing in the final to the Ménard rink. Fournier won his first provincial championship at the 2018 WFG Tankard.[3] His team qualified for the playoffs as the fourth seed and won three straight games to claim the provincial title. At the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, Fournier led his team to a 3–5 record, finishing in tenth place. They could not defend their provincial title the following year, losing to Martin Crête in the final of the 2019 WFG Tankard.
Fournier and his team of Félix Asselin, William Dion and Jean-François Trépanier qualified for their first Grand Slam of Curling event during the 2019–20 season at the 2019 Tour Challenge Tier 2. The team qualified for the playoffs with a perfect 4–0 record. They then defeated Jamie Murphy in the quarterfinals before losing to eventual winners Korey Dropkin in the semifinal.[4] Also during the 2019–20 season, they finished third at the 2020 Quebec Tankard.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, the 2021 provincial championship was cancelled.[5] Curling Québec then decided to appoint Team Fournier to represent Quebec at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary, Alberta.[6] The event was played in a bio-secure bubble to prevent the spread of the virus. At the 2021 Brier, Fournier led Quebec to a 4–4 record, failing to qualify for the championship round.[7]
In their first event of the 2021–22 season, Team Fournier reached the final of the Capital Curling Fall Open. Because of their previous successes on tour, the team had enough points to qualify for the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Pre-Trials.[8] At the Pre-Trials, the team finished the round robin with a 3–3 record, missing the playoff round.[9] Later in the season, they won the Challenge Casino de Charlevoix and reached the final of both the Stu Sells 1824 Halifax Classic and the Finale du Circuit.[10] The Quebec Tankard was once again cancelled due to the pandemic and Team Fournier were named as the provinces representatives for the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier.[11] At the Brier, the team finished once again with a 4–4, placing sixth in their pool. Following the season, Fournier moved to Ontario and formed a new team consisting of Kevin Flewwelling, Sean Harrison and Zander Elmes.[12]
Aside from men's curling, Fournier has represented Quebec at three Canadian Mixed Curling Championships in 1997, 2013 and 2014. His best result was in 2013, where he skipped the Quebec team to a bronze medal finish.
Personal life
editFournier is employed as a pricing strategy manager at McDonald's Canada.[2] He is married to Anne Morinville and has three kids.
Teams
edit| Season | Skip | Third | Second | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97[14] | Guy Hemmings | Mike Fournier | Guy Thibaudeau | Dale Ness |
| 1998–99 | Mike Fournier | Chris Le Couffe | Duncan Robertson | Greg Barlow |
| 2003–04 | Mike Fournier | Mark McClory | Andrew MacKay | Christian Bouchard |
| 2004–05 | Mike Fournier | Mark McClory | Steven Munroe | Mike Kennedy |
| 2005–06 | Scott Hill | Mike Fournier | Daryl Ness | Luc Chevalier |
| 2007–08 | Dwayne Fowler | Mike Fournier | Brad Fitzherbert | Mike Kennedy |
| 2008–09 | Mike Fournier | Sébastien Robillard | Brad Fitzherbert | Mike Kennedy |
| 2009–10 | Mike Fournier | Martin Roy | Derek Lockwood | Mike Kennedy |
| 2010–11 | Mike Fournier | Tom Wharry | Derek Lockwood | Mike Kennedy |
| 2011–12 | Mike Fournier | Dwayne Fowler | Simon Lejour | Yannick Lejour |
| 2012–13 | Mike Fournier | François Gionset | Yannick Martel | Jean-François Charset |
| 2013–14 | Mike Fournier | François Gionset | Yannick Martel | Jean-François Charset |
| 2014–15 | Mike Fournier | François Gionset | Yannick Martel | Jean-François Charset |
| 2015–16 | Mike Fournier | François Gionset | Yannick Martel | Jean-François Charset |
| 2016–17 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Miguel Bernard |
| 2017–18 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2018–19 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2019–20 | Mike Fournier | Félix Asselin | William Dion | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2020–21 | Mike Fournier | Martin Crête | Félix Asselin | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2021–22 | Félix Asselin (Fourth) | Martin Crête | Mike Fournier (Skip) | Jean-François Trépanier |
| 2022–23 | Mike Fournier | Kevin Flewwelling | Sean Harrison | Zander Elmes |
| 2023–24 | Mike Fournier | Kevin Flewwelling | Sean Harrison | Zander Elmes |
| 2024–25 | Mike Fournier | Charlie Richard | Émile Asselin | Punit Sthankiya |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Michael Fournier Profile". CurlON. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ a b "2021 Tim Hortons Brier Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Past Provincial Champions". Curling Quebec. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "2019 Tour Challenge Tier 2". CurlingZone. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Alanna Routledge (January 14, 2020). "Dévoilement des équipes Québécoises masculine et féminine". Curling Québec (in French). Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Meet the teams: Ontario, Quebec & Prince Edward Island". Curling Canada. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Tim Hortons Brier: Scores, schedule, standings". Sportsnet. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Trials proceess revised". Curling Canada. February 4, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Women's playoffs determined!". Curling Canada. October 29, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Team Michael Fournier". CurlingZone. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Tankard Hardline" (in French). Curling Quebec. February 10, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "📢 NEW TEAMS ALLERT!!! 📢". Facebook. Team Fournier. May 6, 2022. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
- ^ "Retired? Who Said I Was Retired?". Sports Illustrated. The Curling News. May 4, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Michael Fournier Past Teams". CurlingZone. Retrieved March 7, 2021.