Jean-Michel Ménard

Jean-Michel Ménard (born January 19, 1976 in Amos) is a curler from Quebec, Canada. Ménard is notable for being the first Francophone skip from Quebec to win the Brier - Canada's national curling championship- which he did in 2006.

Profile

While living in Gatineau and playing in leagues at the Ottawa Curling Club and the Rideau Curling Club, Ménard also represents the Club de Curling Victoria in Sainte-Foy, Quebec along with his team of François Roberge, Éric Sylvain and Maxime Elmaleh.

Ménard had a 5-7 record at the 1996 Canadian Junior Championships, and would return to a national championships in 2000 at the Mixed. He would return to the mixed in 2001, winning the tournament. Ménard found himself on the team of Guy Hemmings as his second in 2003, which they won the Quebec championships sending them to the 2003 Nokia Brier. At the Brier, they finished 6-5, just out of the playoffs.

Ménard would return to the Brier at the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier, this time as a skip where he finished the round-robin with a 7-4 record sending him to the playoffs. However, he lost in the 3-4 game to Nova Scotia's Shawn Adams.

Ménard returned once again to the Brier in 2006. His team finished the round robin in second place and an 8-3 record. In the playoffs they lost the 1-2 game, but went on to win the semi-final against Team Nova Scotia skipped by Mark Dacey in a lacklustre game. In the final, against Ontario's Glenn Howard team, Ménard and his Quebec foursome played a much better game, claiming victory- the first ever for a Francophone team and the second ever for a Quebec team.

Ménard's victory at the Brier qualified him for the 2006 World Men's Curling Championship in Lowell, Massachusetts. At the Worlds, Ménard's team went all the way to the finals, but lost to Team Scotland (skipped by David Murdoch) in the final.

In 2007, Ménard lost the provincial championship to Pierre Charette, ending his bid to repeat as defending Brier champions. In 2008, Ménard returned to the Brier, where he finished with a disappointing 4-7 record.

Ménard is married to 5-time provincial champion Annie Lemay.

ee also

*List of curlers
*Curling

External links

* [http://www.teammenard.ca/ Official website of Team Menard]