Team Byrd Curling

10/15/2026

Tight one against 'The Iceman' last night but he got the better of us. Another lesson from Coach Al Hackner 🥶🧊

10/14/2026

💪🐦🥌

Feature Game: Hackner Faces Team Byrd in Wednesday Major League Matchup

Thunder Bay Major League Curling returns Wednesday night with a feature matchup that carries plenty of history and a little extra meaning.

Curling legend Al Hackner will face Team Byrd at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Arthur Curling Centre.
Hackner will be coaching Team Byrd as they work toward a run at the Northern Ontario provincials. That relationship adds another layer to a matchup Byrd has not forgotten since last season.

“We played him early last season too,” Byrd said. “We thought we had him on the ropes in the eighth and he made a beautiful quiet-weight hit through a small port to win the game. He wasn’t our coach then, but we haven’t forgotten that first lesson: don’t leave him anything.”

For Hackner, the game will be an opportunity to see how Team Byrd responds when the pressure rises.

“I want to have a good game against Team Byrd to see how they handle key situations,” Hackner said, comparing it to past games against Team Bonot, another team he coached.

Hackner said his primary goal this season is, as always, to finish in the top eight and give his team a chance to compete for the title. Personally, he is focused on staying healthy after dealing with knee and hip issues at different points over the past two seasons.

Team Byrd may be looking to put their coaching lessons into practice, while Hackner will be determined to show why experience still matters in the biggest moments.

It promises to be a feature game worth watching Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Centre.

10/14/2026

Oof

10/13/2026

Season Opener! 🥌
Byrd 🐦‍⬛vs🫈 Bonot
7PM FWCC
Tonight we are feeding on Bonobo
Taking on our old friend Trever Bonot and his new team of All-Stars

10/09/2026

Time for another Byrd Fact Friday 🐦‍⬛🐦‍⬛
Mike's favourite bird is the Raven, named after a football team in Baltimore. 🏈

Ravens are one of the smartest birds and display tactical intelligence🧠. Ravens will sometimes pretend to hide food in one place while secretly keeping it somewhere else if they suspect another raven is watching. They can adjust their behaviour based on the risk of being robbed.

In other words, they don't just react to what's happening right now — they can anticipate what another animal might do and change their own strategy accordingly.
Expect to see some raven strategy on the ice as our season starts next week!!!🧐🥌🐦‍⬛

10/02/2026

Byrd Fact Friday! 🕊️🕊️♥️

Our Skipper Kurtis just recently got married to his partner Erin while they were on their trip to Switzerland 🇨🇭 and Italy 🇮🇹. During the trip Kurtis recorded over 20 new lifers on his birding app including swans🦢, ducks🦆 and even Parakeets🦜. But we spotted two in the photos.

The term lovebirds literally refers to small, colorful African parrots known for forming strong, lifelong pair bonds, and informally describes a romantic couple who show deep affection.

09/25/2026

With Curling season knocking on our doors and Hairy Woodpeckers knocking on our trees, we couldn't be more excited to share some exciting news about our season.
We've been flooded with DMs lately and we've read them all. We are sorry for the lack of posts lately. Our Digital Communications Director has been on vacation. They are back and excited to bring you the classic and and Smoothie Recipes you've been craving, as well as more curling content as we begin our season. 🥌🦅
Stay Tuned! 🎶🐦

08/21/2026

Officially introducing Al Hackner as Team Byrd's Coach for the 2026-2027 Season.
🦅 In the Falconry world, Hacking is a training method that helps young birds of prey reach their hunting potential by giving them exercise and experience. This technique is used to prepare the falcon to become an independent hunter.
Looking forward to having Hackner help us reach our full hunting potential out on the ice! 🥌

08/15/2026

🐦⛳Lining up some birdies with Kristofer Leupen, Michael McCarville

08/14/2026

🦅 Byrd Fact Friday! 🦅
Naturally, Team Byrd's favourite bird is the Long-Billed Curlew. It possesses the longest bill of any shorebird in North America. The tip of the bill is flexible and packed with sensory nerve clusters, letting the bird feel around for deep-burrowing shrimp, crabs, and worms in the dark mud.


Bonus Fact! 🎉
Despite the name 🥌 Stone Curlews , which are found in more tropical areas, aren't Curlews at all! 👎