Curran retires with 214 international caps to his name
Taylor Curran remembers his first senior national team camp in 2009, like it was yesterday. He was just 16 years old, playing provincially for Team BC and hadn’t yet been identified for the junior national program. He said he had the best camp of his life. A month later, he was in Russia, getting his first senior international caps.
This year, Curran retires as a 15-year veteran of the Men’s National Team, with 214 caps to his name. He has played in two Olympic Games, three Pan American Games and countless other international tournaments around the world. He retires as a long-standing stalwart of the Red Caribou. As Curran retires from his international career in national team hockey, he reflects on the journey he’s undertaken, spanning over a decade of dedication to Canadian hockey. From his teenaged beginnings to becoming a steady force on the Men’s National Team, Curran’s demonstrated his ability across all facets of the game. Throughout his career, Curran witnessed significant changes in the game, growing and adapting to the evolution of rules and strategies. From the introduction of self-pass starts to the transition from halves to quarters, and rolling subs, he said that everyone had to embrace the shifts to improve as a team and as individuals.
Curran attributes much of his success to the support of his family and mentors, notably his mother, who played varsity field hockey at UBC, whose guidance and coaching laid the foundation for his journey. Additionally, he acknowledges the pivotal role played by coaches and mentors such as Indy Sehmbi and Sean Campbell, who believed in his abilities and took a chance on him as a youngster.
“My mom was my first coach, and she got me into the sport, and she’s a long-time Vancouver field hockey player.” he said. “Sean [Campbell] played on the 2000s Canadian National Teams. He’s been my physio forever and before that, he was my first real high-performance coach. Sean, at the time, had just retired, was a big role model for me.”
He also recognizes his brother, Spencer Curran, who had a 30-cap National Team career as well. Taylor remembers days where he and his brother would grab a bag of old balls and take the bus from Deep Cove, where he grew up, into downtown Vancouver and hit balls all afternoon at the Andy Livingston turf field. The two played junior hockey together, club hockey and played on the UBC Thunderbirds.
Reflecting on the pinnacle moments of his career, Curran fondly recalls the team’s era between 2014 and 2018, marked by qualifications at the FIH World League tournaments and subsequent performances at the Olympic Games and the World Cup. He said he remembers the national pride he felt at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics and the exhilarating victories in qualification events. Each memory has its own special place for a different reason.
“Obviously Rio was an incredible experience. It was my first Olympic Games,” he said. “Qualifying for Rio though, in Buenos Aires in 2015, that was incredible. Everything was going right. Everyone was working so well together. Then there was the 2017 World League Semifinal in London. We beat India to qualify for the World Cup. That might have been the best our team has ever played in a tournament during my career.”
As he sets off on a new chapter, Curran said he will remain committed to field hockey, continuing his involvement in club hockey and grassroots initiatives. He hopes to nurture the next generation of athletes through his work with the high performance program and his role on the board of the West Vancouver Field Hockey Club.
For Curran, the memories of traveling to and from competitions — spending time with his teammates off the field, in hotels, seeing places around the world — are cherished just as much as the victories themselves. He said he’ll remember the games of catchables that he and his teammates played, passing a ball to and fro in different countries. From road trips, to post-training coffee outings, his journey is defined not by on-field success but by the lifelong friendships and bonds established with teammates.
“There’s lots of it I’m going to miss. I know I’ll still see my teammates and friends. A lot of my best friends are, or were, on the team. There’s a big difference when you see them every day, going through shared adversity and the same struggles,” he said. “I’m going to miss that part, spending time and chatting in the locker room.”
Today, we celebrate Taylor Curran’s remarkable career. Thank you for the contribution to the sport and we look forward to seeing what you can accomplish next!
Taylor Curran Notable Appearances:
- First Cap – June 22, 2009 in Russia
- 2010 World Cup – New Delhi, India
- Three Pan American Cups (2013, 2017, 2022)
- Three Pan American Games (2015. 2019, 2023)
- Two Olympic Games (2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo)
- Three Commonwealth Games (2014, 2018, 2022)
- Final Cap – January 16, 2024 in Oman
