Kevin Koe

Kevin Koe (born January 11, 1975) is a Canadian curler.

Koe is a two-time World champion and four-time Canadian champion.

Koe's rink became the first team to come out of the 3 vs. 4 page playoff game to win the Brier, and he became the first rookie skip to win the Brier since Vic Peters in 1992.

After several trips to the territorial junior men's curling championships, Koe finally won in 1994.

This earned him the right to skip the Northwest Territories/Yukon team at the 1994 Canadian Junior Curling Championships.

He led the team, which consisted of his brother Jamie at third, second Mark Whitehead and lead Kevin Whitehead to an 8–3 round robin record, in a three-way tie for first.

This gave them a direct spot into the final against Alberta's Colin Davison, to whom they lost 6–5 amidst a controversy involving a burnt rock.

The following year, he moved to Alberta for school, and made it to the finals of the 1995 Alberta Junior championships, where he lost to Cameron Dechant.

It was his team's only loss in the tournament.

After university, Koe stayed in the more competitive province of Alberta, first settling in Edmonton.

His early career on the World Curling Tour included winning the 1999 Dunlop Ford Cash Classic and the 2002 Pointoptical Curling Classic.

Koe's early career included skipping Team Alberta at the 2000 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, with teammates Susan O'Connor, Greg Northcott and Lawnie Goodfellow.

He led the team to an 8–3 round robin record, and won both of their playoff games to claim the Canadian Mixed title.

From 2003 to 2006 he played third for John Morris, with whom Koe would win his first Grand Slam event, the 2004 Players' Championship.

The team played in the 2005 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, going 6–3 in the round robin, and losing in the semifinal.

During this time, the team would also win the 2005 Meyers Norris Penny Charity Classic.

In 2006, Koe left the Morris rink and formed his own team with Blake MacDonald throwing fourth stones, Koe skipping at third, Carter Rycroft at second and Nolan Thiessen at lead.

In their first season together, Koe would win the 2006 Roaming Buffalo Classic.

In 2007, he almost went to the Brier, but lost in the provincial finals to Kevin Martin.

The next season, the team would win the 2007 John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier.

Two months after winning the Twin Anchors Invitational, the team played in the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, finishing the round robin with a 4–3 record, missing the playoffs.

Up until 2010, Koe had little success in his attempts to win a provincial title on the men's stage, as he and his rink were in the shadows of fellow Edmontonian Kevin Martin, widely considered to be one of the best curlers of all time.

In both the 10th and 11th ends, his team's then-fourth player, Blake MacDonald (Koe skipped and threw third stones) had a draw to the eight-foot to win, but missed on both opportunities.

Later that season, Koe finally won a provincial championship, benefiting from an absent Martin who would be preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Koe went on to win the 2010 Brier, beating Ontario's Glenn Howard in the final.

Koe finished with a 9–2 round robin record at the 2010 Capital One World Men's Curling Championship, finishing second behind Norway.

However, in the playoffs, Koe beat Norway twice to claim his first world title.

The season following their World championship, the Koe rink would win three World Curling Tour events, the 2010 Twin Anchors Invitational, the Skookum WCT Cash Spiel and the March 2011 DeKalb Superspiel.

They would not repeat their World title however, as they would lose in the final of the 2011 Boston Pizza Cup to Kevin Martin.

Koe moved to Calgary in 2011.

At the same time, his long-time fourth, Blake MacDonald, retired, and was replaced by Pat Simmons.

Koe returned to the Brier in 2012, for the second time in his career.

In doing so, he broke an 18-year drought for the city of Calgary in winning the Alberta provincial championship, representing the city's Glencoe Club.

He was helped by the fact that the Olympic champion Kevin Martin rink lost in the semifinal, avoiding a final match-up of province's top two ranked teams.

At the 2012 Tim Hortons Brier, Koe led Team Alberta to an 8–3 record.

In the playoffs he had to face off against his brother Jamie's team from the Northwest Territories in the 3 vs. 4 game, which he won.

He then won the semifinal, before losing to Ontario (skipped by Glenn Howard) in the final.

He was the skip of the Canadian men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

Originally from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, he now resides in Calgary, Alberta and curls out of The Glencoe Club.

He learned to curl at the age of six in Inuvik, Northwest Territories.