Kerri Einarson: Career, Team Changes & Injury Explained

Few curlers have dominated Canadian women’s curling quite like Kerri Einarson. With five Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles, she’s been a fixture, but her 2025 season brought roster upheaval and a handshake omission.

National Championships: 5 ·
World Championships: 2 Bronze, 1 Silver ·
Birth Year: 1987 ·
Team: Team Einarson (skip) ·
Home Province: Manitoba

Kerri Einarson’s core details at a glance:

What Does Kerri Einarson Do for a Living?

How many national titles has Kerri Einarson won?

• Five Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2026 (Curling Canada)
• Also earned World Championship bronze in 2022 and 2023, and silver in 2026 (World Curling Federation)

What is Kerri Einarson’s role on her team?

• She is the skip (team captain) of Team Einarson, calling strategy and throwing last rocks
• Her team is based out of Manitoba and competes on the World Curling Tour (Sportsnet)

The implication: Einarson’s national dominance contrasts with her lack of world gold, defining her next chapter.

What Happened to Kerri Einarson’s Team?

Why did Val Sweeting leave Team Einarson?

• Team Einarson parted ways with Val Sweeting and alternate Krysten Karwacki in 2025; no official reason was publicly provided (Sportsnet)
• Later, Emily Karwacki and Carter Carruthers also left (Same Sportsnet report)

Who replaced Val Sweeting?

• Karlee Burgess joined as new third for the 2025 Scotties (Sportsnet)
• Shannon Birchard, long-time second, missed part of the season due to injury and was temporarily replaced (Sportsnet)

When did the team changes occur?

• The restructuring happened before the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ontario, which Sportsnet described as a “new-look Team Einarson” (Sportsnet)

The catch: Without a public explanation, the roster change remains a source of speculation.

Why Is Kerri Einarson Not Shaking Hands?

Did Kerri Einarson refuse to shake hands?

• At the 2025 Scotties final against Team Homan, both teams shook hands after Einarson’s miss in the ninth end (Sportsnet)
• However, later in 2025–26, fans noticed Einarson appeared to avoid post-game handshakes, sparking online curiosity (The Grand Slam of Curling via Facebook)

What sparked the handshake controversy?

• A sprained knuckle suffered during the Scotties celebration on February 1, 2026 in Mississauga, Ontario, made shaking hands painful (CBC Sports)
• Einarson told CBC Sports: “When someone shakes my hand, it hurts. That’s the reason I’m avoiding handshakes” (CBC Sports)

“When someone shakes my hand, it hurts. That’s the reason I’m avoiding handshakes.”

— Kerri Einarson, speaking to CBC Sports, March 2026

What this means: The handshake controversy was resolved by a simple medical explanation, highlighting the need for timely communication.

Does Kerri Einarson Have a Husband?

How old is Kerri Einarson?

• Born in 1987, she is 37–38 years old as of 2025 (Wikipedia)

How tall is Kerri Einarson?

• Height is not officially listed, but she appears of average stature relative to her teammates

Does Kerri Einarson have children?

• She has twin daughters (confirmed via team social media and biographical profiles) (The Grand Slam of Curling via Facebook)

What is Kerri Einarson’s family background?

• She is of Métis heritage, a fact she has publicly acknowledged; her husband’s name has not been widely publicized (Wikipedia)

The pattern: Einarson keeps her personal life largely private, with only her heritage and children publicly confirmed.

What Does Shannon Birchard Do for a Living?

What does Emma Miskew do for a living?

• Both Shannon Birchard and Emma Miskew are professional curlers. Birchard formerly worked as a teacher; Miskew also taught before turning full-time to curling (Wikipedia – Shannon Birchard) (Wikipedia – Emma Miskew)

Who are the other members of Team Einarson?

• In recent seasons, the core has included Val Sweeting (third), Shannon Birchard (second), and Krysten Karwacki (lead), though the 2025 lineup featured Karlee Burgess and rookie replacements (Sportsnet)

The implication: Both Birchard and Miskew transitioned from teaching to full-time curling, reflecting the sport’s professional growth.

Timeline: Kerri Einarson’s Career Milestones

• 2020: First Scotties Tournament of Hearts title (Curling Canada)
• 2021: Second consecutive Scotties title (Curling Canada)
• 2022: Third Scotties title; World Championship bronze (Curling Canada, World Curling Federation)
• 2023: Fourth Scotties title; World Championship bronze (Curling Canada, World Curling Federation)
• 2025: Team roster overhaul – Sweeting, Karwacki, Carruthers depart; new-look team finishes runner-up at Scotties to Rachel Homan 6-1 in front of 3,442 fans at Fort William Gardens (Sportsnet)
• Feb 2026: Fifth Scotties title; sprained knuckle during celebration (CBC Sports)
• March 2026: World Championship silver; handshake avoidance publicly attributed to injury (CBC Sports)

The pattern: Einarson’s career shows a steady climb with a brief dip in 2025 followed by resurgence.

Clarity: Confirmed vs. Unclear

The catch: Several personal details remain unknown, contributing to public curiosity.

Quotes

“When someone shakes my hand, it hurts. That’s the reason I’m avoiding handshakes.”

— Kerri Einarson, via CBC Sports

Team Einarson and Val Sweeting have parted ways. We thank Val for her contributions and wish her the best.

— Team Einarson statement, as reported by Sportsnet

For Canadian curling fans, the handshake episode underscores how quickly a medical issue can become a controversy in the absence of timely communication. The lesson for Einarson and her team: a brief public statement can preempt weeks of speculation. For her rivals, the takeaway is that one of Canada’s most successful skips is still battling through physical setbacks while retooling her roster—and she remains a threat.

Frequently asked questions