Who's hot and who's not after opening weekend
Monday, March 10, 2008 | 05:03 AM ET
Great opening weekend at the Tim Hortons Brier! Even though there were few surprising results, there were a lot of great games to watch. As much as everyone agreed that there was a big gap between the top and bottom teams, the games have been close and haven't always leaned toward the favourites.
Much of that has to do with the ice conditions stabilizing over the opening weekend and teams getting used to what they are working with. There appears to be plenty of movement in the ice, but air-flow issues in the building have made draw weight a little patchy at times.
Five draws are in the books, so now is a good time to look at who’s hot and who’s not:
Hot: The hometown skip, Manitoba’s Kerry Burtnyk. What a great solution to boost ticket sales: get the home team going. Keep it in perspective, though - they haven't played any of the contenders yet.
Not: The Olympic gold medalist, Newfoundland & Labrador’s Brad Gushue. Tough schedule to start. But remember, he was 1-3 at last year’s Brier opening weekend and ended up in the final.
Hot: Sharp-shooter Marc Kennedy of Alberta, with percentages of 89, 99 and 99. Wow! These shots were not easy, either. Add the fact that he plays second and is a nice guy, and you have my hero for the day!
Not: New guy David Noftall of Newfoundland & Labrador. I know the pressure to perform must be huge and the spotlight is on him. But you have to have guard weight in your back pocket if you are going to play lead for any competitive team.
Hot: The incredible sweeping power and judgement shown by Alberta’s Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy, and by Ontario’s Brent Laing and Craig Saville. Awesome work!
Not: The extra0early start for the four teams playing on Sunday morning. Combine the earliest draw time of the week with the spring clock change (and opening Saturday of the Brier) to give you little sleep time.
Hot: Steve Laycock’s win in the Ford Hot Shots competition. He’s a former world junior champ and a big part of Team Saskatchewan as the lead. Steve edged Ontario third Richard Hart in the Hot Shots final.
Not: Jim Cotter’s draw weight. I know Jim is a much better player than what he has shown so far. Nerves and the spotlight are really taking a toll on his performance early.
Hot: The new shirt style for the players' uniforms. I love the fitted style, no collar and the contrasting piping/stripes on the sleeves. Very sharp.
Not: The white version of the new shirt. With the white ice surface, white scoreboards and all the other great colours to choose from, why put the players in the standard white?
There are big games on Monday and Tuesday that will really separate who’s hot and who’s not. I will be watching for B.C., Quebec and Newfoundland & Labrador to improve their standings. Rock on!
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About the Author
Olympic curling gold medallist turned broadcaster Joan McCusker returns for her seventh season as an analyst on Championship Curling on CBC.
McCusker was part of a curling foursome that dominated the world of women’s curling in the 1990s. With her teammates Sandra Schmirler, Jan
Betker and Marcia Gudereit, Joan won three Canadian and three world
curling titles in 1993, 1994 and 1997. While balancing young families
and careers, the team rallied in the fall of 1997 to win the Canadian
Olympic curling trials and the right to represent Canada at the Nagano
Winter Games.
Drawing on her experiences as a teacher, mom, world and Olympic champion
curler and broadcaster, McCusker serves as a motivational speaker
focusing on how ordinary people can build extraordinary lives.
She resides in Regina with her husband Brian and three children.
Recent Posts
- No doubt about it: Kevin Martin is #1
- Monday, March 17, 2008
- Lost opportunities mean elimination
- Sunday, March 16, 2008
- Kevin Martin must solve a chemistry problem
- Saturday, March 15, 2008
- Excitement, nerves, laughs - the life of a curling fan
- Friday, March 14, 2008
- Grand Slam veterans have clear advantage at Brier
- Wednesday, March 12, 2008
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Comments
Greg
I am not a westerner and I agree with what Stan Plett is saying. Even if he is biased towards eastern teams, its something a commentator should not be a part of. Keep your favoritism to yourself.
Posted March 13, 2008 04:02 PM
Paul Kavanagh
Toronto
Stan Plett must be a Westerner,..if he thinks Mike Harris is bias.Harris is an Olympic & Briar Skip...what has Plett done. Mike`s a Huge improvement over Duguid .
Great coverage CBC ,,,keep up the good coverage .
Posted March 10, 2008 06:24 PM
Krista
Ottawa
Just checked the curling stats, and I noticed that Ben Hebert's overall average is lower than that of Dave Noftall's. Pretty noticeable when the rest of his team in the 90's.
Posted March 10, 2008 05:31 PM
Stan Plett
Your take on the curling is 'right on'. Looking forward to hearing you on Sat. & Sun. Leave Mike Harris at home. He's too biased AND opinionated. Thinks he knows EXACTLY what the players think or want to do!
Good curling fans don't need that!
Posted March 10, 2008 11:07 AM