Sunday night's Brier final didn't live up to the hype and anticipation. Two of the best were here in Winnipeg to square off, in what was billed as a clash of the curling titans. It turned out to be a snore fest, a debacle, a string of miscues, missed shots and some strange strategies. Miss after miss, half shot here half shot there.
The top two teams in the world will battle it out today for bragging rights and the chance to represent Canada at the world curling championships April 5-13 in Grand Forks, ND.
I’m still sticking with my earlier prediction that Alberta will win this game. Don’t get me wrong, this one will come down to the final end and last shot. That’s how close these two titans of the game are right now.
It's not very often the last shot of the game causes a reaction like it did Friday night.
To bring you up to speed, Pat Simmons and his team from Saskatchewan had played a workmanlike 1-2 Page playoff game against Kevin Martin and his team from Alberta. Tied up coming home, the western prairie boys had played a perfect 10th end. Steve Laycock, the lead for Saskatchewan, made two perfect tick shots, and the rest of the crew peeled out the end to set up a routine hit and stick in the four foot against two Alberta stones.
But that is where the routine ends. After Simmons released the rock and about half way down the sheet of ice, the rock picked up “something” from the surface of the ice and veered off its desired course, just touching the Alberta stone in the four foot and rolling out of the rings, leaving Alberta the steal of a point and victory. The crowd at the MTS Centre didn’t know what to do. There was no cheering, just stunned disbelief and shock at seeing a team lose in the most unforgiving way - a bad break!
Round-Robin Recap
Class of the field: Team Alberta. Someone better check their blood, because I think they may be Terminators. They finished the round robin with a perfect 11-0 record. I don't see this team losing over the weekend.
Next Best; Saskatchewan and Ontario, with identical records of 9-2. Saskatchewan gets second place by virtue of their round robin win over Ontario. Saskatchewan has had some breaks go their way this week and they will need some more if they hope to get to Sunday's final. Ontario has not been as sharp as they were last year, but their experience should shine through during the playoffs.
Made it to Friday; B.C, and Newfoundland, tied for fourth at 7-4. B.C. got off to a terrible start losing their first three games, since then they are 7-1, so look out for this team on Friday. Newfoundland, on the other hand, has been up and down all week; great game, good game, great, great, ugly, etc . They will need to put together a complete team effort if they hope to see Saturday.
First off, if you are reading this early Thursday morning, you better turn on your TV and phone in sick, as TSN got it right by deciding to broadcast the big matchup this morning between Martin and Howard, game time 9:30 am central.
There's one day to go in the round robin and one thing is for sure: Alberta (9-0), Saskatchewan (8-1) and Ontario (8-1) are in the playoffs, how they will place is yet to be determined. Who will finish first? There are still too many scenarios to break this down but the short version is if Alberta wins its two remaining games they finish first. Ha, that was the easy one, eh? For Ontario or Saskatchewan to finish first they each need some help. I would love to break this down for you, but my allotted blog space is too small to outline all the scenarios.
Alberta looks great, but Ontario is starting to turn it up a notch one day from the playoffs. (Howard shot 100 per cent against P.E.I. last night; how do you beat that?) Thursday's morning game should be a classic; the treat for us fans is that these two teams could play twice more over the next couple of days. Meanwhile, Saskatchewan was winning another game that could have gone either way, but yet again the green brigade pulled it out as usual. Can you say destiny?
Just past the halfway mark here at the Brier and the field has started to separate.
Looking for that Maple Leaf – Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Hoping to spoil the party – Manitoba and Newfoundland & Labrador
Day 3 of competition has just about wrapped up, and my ears are still ringing.
The school kids were out in full force this morning, screaming and yelling their encouragement to the home team, plus their designated teams. This week, school kids from across the city get a chance to attend the Brier, and as part of their homework, each school has a designated province/team to learn about and cheer for.
With Day Two of the Brier in the books, let's look back at the good, the bad, the ugly and the OK.
No real big surprises on Day 1 here in cold and snowy Winterpeg. When does spring start again?
Draw 1, Key game - Howard vs Ursel. After a slow start to the game the defending champs put on a clinic, outscoring B.C. 7-1 over the last five ends. B.C. looked strong out of the gate, but Jim Cotter, throwing last rock (fourth stone?) looked nervous and tentative, never finding his draw weight when the team needed it the most.
The big showdown turned out to be the Saskatchewan vs Nfld game, lots of points on the board with Gushue needing a raise double for two to tie or if he stuck it a chance for three. If you noticed he seemed a little rushed, he was, their time was running out (55 seconds to throw his last rock)! For such a big shot, I’m sure that little extra time would have been nice, and in the end the shot was missed, leaving Saskatchewan the victors.
Well, I’m just getting started with this blog and of course the curlers are getting ready for the biggest week of their year - the Brier!
As billed, the rocks are going to roll and there will be some good old fashioned rock and roll all week long. Check out the schedule for all of the off ice activities here.
The best part of opening day is that every team is tied for first, or if you are a pessimist, tied for last. Each player feels differently before the start of a big event - excited, optimistic, nervous, terrified, confident, with each player using these feelings to hopefully, bring out their best for the week.
Former world and Brier champion Jeff Stoughton joins CBCSports.ca with his take on the 2008 Canadian men’s curling championship.
The Winnipeg native - widely regarded as one of this country's top skips - captured Brier titles in 1996 and 1999, winning the world championship in 1996 and finishing second in 1999.
Stoughton has won a record six provincial titles over his career. He currently curls out of the Charleswood Curling Club with teammates Ryan Fry, Rob Fowler, Steve Gould.
Fans can keep track of Team Stoughton on their website: http://www.teamjeffstoughton.com
