Tyler Tardi’s dream came true on Monday.
A curling career that started in Langley and led to a spot as alternate on the Canadian team at the Olympics hit a new peak when he took the ice to play.
During the Canadian team’s game against Czechia, with Canada ahead 7-1, team lead Brad Jacobs called on a surprised and delighted Tardi to fill in for lead Ben Hebert in the seventh end.
“I’m proud, I’m grateful, I had chills just being out there,” Tardi told the thousands who follow him on Tik Tok, after the game ended with an 8-2 win for Canada.
“But the part I’m most proud of isn’t just stepping out on the ice, it’s wearing the Maple Leaf with pride, and knowing I was ready when my name got called. Because your role doesn’t define your ceiling, how you show up does.”
The two-time World junior champion made all four of his draw shots.
“Three months ago, I was asked to be Team Canada’s alternate, which means your job is simple, support the team, stay sharp, and understand you might not actually ever step out on the ice,” Tardi explained.
“And I made peace with that, because representing Canada is already a huge honour, and today, I played in the Olympics.
@tardipartycurl Three months ago I accepted the role. Today I accepted the moment. Wearing
is the honor — whether you’re starting, supporting, or stepping in. Proud to represent Canada. Proud of this group. Grateful for the trust.
It was the first Olympics for Tardi, 27, who led a team that played out of the Langley Curling Centre before he departed to play for four-time Brier champion Kevin Koe out of the Glencoe Curling Club in Calgary.
He called it “super cool and wild being here” in a previous post about being name an alternate on the four-person team.
Previously, Tardi served as alternate for the Jacobs team at the 2025 World Men’s Curling Championship, where they won bronze, and the 2025 Pan Continental Curling Championships, where they won gold.
Tardi has described being alternate as “mainly a behind-the-scenes role doing scouting reports, rock matching, changing their broom heads, and just trying to make their lives easier.”
At the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Tardi and the Canadian team won gold.
He has competed at three World Junior Curling Championships in 2017, 2018, and 2019, winning gold in 2018 and 2019.
Tardi skipped Team B.C. to a bronze medal at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George.
With four draws remaining at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Games, Switzerland was leading at 5-0 followed by Canada 5-1, Norway and the United States at 4-2, Great Britain 4-3, Italy and Germany 3-3, Sweden and China 1-5 and Czechia 0-6.
The top four teams from the round robin advance to the Thursday’s semifinals.