Montana's Brier

The Brier (French: Le Brier), known as the Montana's Brier for sponsorship reasons, is the annual Canadian men's curling championship, sanctioned by Curling Canada. The current event name refers to its main sponsor, Montana's, a Canadian restaurant chain. "Brier" originally referred to a brand of tobacco sold by the event's first sponsor, the Macdonald Tobacco Company.[1]

Montana's Brier
Established1927 (1927)
2024 host cityRegina, Saskatchewan
2024 arenaBrandt Centre
2023 champion Canada (Brad Gushue)
Current edition

The Brier has been held since 1927, traditionally during the month of March. The winner of the Brier goes on to represent Canada at the World Curling Championships of the same year. The Brier is by far the best supported curling competition in terms of paid attendance, attracting crowds far larger than even those for World Championships held in Canada.

History

In 1924, George J. Cameron, the president of the W. L. Mackenzie and Company subsidiary of the Macdonald Tobacco Company, pitched the idea of a national curling championship to Macdonald Tobacco and was accepted. At the time Canadian curling was divided between the use of granite and iron curling stones, with the latter being used in Quebec and Eastern Ontario and the former being used everywhere else. The granite camp held the advantage, as Macdonald Tobacco's T. Howard Stewart, brother of company president Walter Stewart, supported the use of granites, and was able to influence the decision to use granite stones for the new national championship.[2]

Macdonald Tobacco further developed the concept, in 1925 and 1926, by sponsoring the winners of the "Macdonald Brier Trophy" at the MCA Bonspiel to travel to Eastern Canada. In 1925, the Manitoba team played a number of exhibition games against local teams, while the 1926 team played in the Quebec Bonspiel. The visits were deemed popular enough for Macdonald Tobacco to move forward with sponsorship of a full national championship in 1927.

The first Brier was held at the Granite Club in Toronto in 1927. Eight teams from across the country participated, representing Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Northern Ontario, Toronto and Montreal. Games lasted 14 ends, and each team played each other in a 7-game round robin with no playoffs unless there was a tie for first. The first Brier champion was Nova Scotia, a rink skipped by Murray Macneill, with teammates Al MacInnes, Cliff Torey and Jim Donahue – who were normally skips in their own right, but were added to the Macneill rink because the rest of his normal team could not make the trip.[3]

By 1928, games were shortened to 12 ends in length and the single Western Canada team was replaced by individual teams from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, increasing the total number of teams to 10 – seven provinces, two cities and the region of Northern Ontario. In the 1932 Brier, the cities of Montreal and Toronto were dropped from competition, but Northern Ontario kept its entry, and still remains the only non provincial or territorial entry to this day. In 1936, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia were given entries. The Dominion of Newfoundland did not become part of Canada until after the 1949 Brier, so the team representing the new province of Newfoundland (later Newfoundland and Labrador) did not join the Brier until 1951. In 1975, a single combined team representing the federal territories of Yukon and Northwest Territories joined the Brier competition. In 1977, games were shortened to 10 ends, which is the current length for matches. Games had to be played in their entirety until the 1974 Brier, when the rules were changed to the present standard of allowing a team to concede defeat before the end of the match if they wished.[3]

The Brier would continue to be played at the Granite Club in Toronto through to the 1940 competition. After then, the event would travel around the country, and would be played in all 10 provinces. Also at this point, rocks were coloured differently for each team and were matched to be of equal size. Play was discontinued between 1943 and 1945 due to World War II. After World War II, the event became more of a popular sporting spectacle across the country thanks to Macdonald Tobacco enlisting media outlets to cover the event. In 1946, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) began covering the event live across the country on the radio. By the 1960s, the CBC began showing curling on television, at first giving daily half-hour reports. In 1962, the CBC showed the tie-breaking playoff match up. In 1973, CBC began regularly showing live coverage of the final draw of the event.[4] Today, TSN covers the entire tournament. CBC had covered the semi-finals and the finals up until the 2007–08 season. In 2013, Sportsnet and City began to offer coverage of the finals of the provincial playdowns in Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia as well.

In 1977, Macdonald Tobacco announced it would no longer be sponsoring the Brier, and the 1979 event would be the last one titled the Macdonald Brier. A committee headed by the Canadian Curling Association (today's Curling Canada) was put in charge to find a new sponsor, which would end up being the Labatt Brewing Company. The event retained the "Brier" name, despite the word being the property of Macdonald Tobacco. However, with the Labatt sponsorship came some changes to the event, such as adding a new championship trophy and adding a TV-friendly playoff round after the round robin games. Labatt remained the title sponsor until 2001 when Nokia took over. That sponsorship only lasted four years before Tim Hortons took over, until 2024. When the Labatt sponsorship ended, the original Brier trophy was brought back and the names of the winners during the Labatt era were engraved on it.[5]

Beginning in the 1990s, curling became more profitable, and the event would mostly be held in larger curling friendly markets (such as Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Saskatoon). At the same time, the World Curling Tour made the sport more lucrative, and curlers demanded cash prizes at the Brier, and the ability to display their sponsors on their jerseys. The Canadian Curling Association ignored their demands, and when the Grand Slam curling series was instituted in 2001, many of the top teams in the country boycotted the Brier in favour of playing in the Slams.[5] Curlers' demands were eventually met and the boycott ended in 2003. The dominant Brier team of the era, the "Ferbey four" did not boycott the Brier, and won four of five Briers during the era, while other top teams such as Kevin Martin's boycotted the event.

Sponsors

For the first fifty years, the Brier was sponsored by Macdonald Tobacco (later RJR Tobacco Company and now part of JTI-Macdonald Corporation). The name "Brier", in fact, came from a brand of tobacco being manufactured by Macdonald at the time (a brier being a small shrub whose roots are commonly used to make tobacco pipes).[6] Macdonald was also responsible for introducing both the Brier Tankard trophy (originally named the British Consols Trophy after a brand of cigarettes), and the now famous heart-shaped patches awarded to the tournament winners. The patches were modeled after a small tin heart pressed into the centre of Macdonald tobacco plugs, along with the slogan “The Heart of the Tobacco.” The same heart appeared on tins of Macdonald pipe tobacco. Later, when other national championships were developed, many took the heart as their identifying symbol as well.[7]

The former logo of the Brier, featuring the Tim Hortons logo.
Brier sponsors by year
Years Sponsor
1927–1979Macdonald Tobacco
1980–2000Labatt
2001–2004Nokia
2005–2023[8]Tim Hortons
2023–presentMontana's BBQ & Bar

Qualification and eligibility

2006 Brier, in Regina

The Brier is currently contested by 18 teams. Most provinces and territories are represented by one team, with the exception of Ontario, which sends two teams (named Ontario and Northern Ontario). Through 2014 the territories sent one team, but starting in 2015 all three territories were permitted to compete individually. Teams qualify for the Brier through their respective provincial championships, which are held every year and are open to any Canadian men's curling team consisting of Canadian citizens. The formats for these championships vary from province to province, but most entail a series of club, municipal, district and/or regional playdowns prior to the provincial championship. Playdown formats vary, with each member association choosing a format suited to its geography and demographics. Originally, nearly all teams regardless of ability or past performance had to qualify for each Brier, starting at the club level when more than one team from a club seeks to enter the playdowns. Today, member associations typically grant past champions and other strong teams automatic entry to the latter stage(s) of the playdowns.

Until 2013, the champions of the Brier did not automatically qualify for the following year's Brier, and had to qualify again. However, beginning in 2014, following the precedent set by its women's counterpart, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, champions now earn a bye representing Canada during the following year's Brier.[9]

For the three tournaments from 2015 to 2017, fifteen teams (ten provinces, three territories, Northern Ontario, and Team Canada) competed for twelve places in the Brier proper. The four lowest-ranked regions played a pre-qualifying tournament to open the Brier, with the winner advancing to the full round-robin. In this format's first year Nunavut declined to send a team, and the round was between the winners of Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the Yukon.

Beginning with the 2018 Brier, the event expanded to a sixteen team field, with the ten provinces, three territories, Northern Ontario, and Team Canada being joined by the highest-ranked non-qualified team on the Canadian Team Ranking System standings.[10] The teams are separated into two pools of eight, each playing a round-robin, with the top four teams in each pool advancing to a second pool to determine the final four teams. The pools were tentatively slated to be determined by the CTRS standings as of December 31, 2017. [11]

Winners

Macdonald Brier

Year Winning province Winning team Host
1927  Nova Scotia Murray Macneill, Al MacInnes, Cliff Torey, Jim Donahoe Toronto, Ontario
1928  Manitoba Gordon Hudson, Sam Penwarden, Ron Singbush, Bill Grant Toronto, Ontario (2)
1929  Manitoba Gordon Hudson, Don Rollo, Ron Singbush, Bill Grant Toronto, Ontario (3)
1930  Manitoba Howard Wood, Sr., Jimmy Congalton, Victor Wood, Lionel Wood Toronto, Ontario (4)
1931  Manitoba Bob Gourley, Ernie Pollard, Arnold Lockerbie, Ray Stewart Toronto, Ontario (5)
1932  Manitoba Jimmy Congalton, Howard Wood, Sr., Bill Noble, Harry Mawhinney Toronto, Ontario (6)
1933 Alberta Cliff Manahan, Harold Deeton, Harold Wolfe, Bert Ross Toronto, Ontario (7)
1934  Manitoba Leo Johnson, Lorne Stewart, Linc Johnson, Marno Frederickson Toronto, Ontario (8)
1935 Ontario Gordon Campbell, Donnie Campbell, Gord Coates, Duncan Campbell Toronto, Ontario (9)
1936  Manitoba Ken Watson, Grant Watson, Marvin MacIntyre, Charles Kerr Toronto, Ontario (10)
1937 Alberta Cliff Manahan, Wes Robinson, Ross Manahan, Lloyd McIntyre Toronto, Ontario (11)
1938  Manitoba Ab Gowanlock, Bung Cartmell, Bill McKnight, Tom McKnight Toronto, Ontario (12)
1939 Ontario Bert Hall, Perry Hall, Ernie Parkes, Cam Seagram Toronto, Ontario (13)
1940  Manitoba Howard Wood, Sr., Ernie Pollard, Howie Wood, Jr., Roy Enman Winnipeg, Manitoba
1941 Alberta Howard Palmer, Jack Lebeau, Art Gooder, Clair Webb Toronto, Ontario (14)
1942  Manitoba Ken Watson, Grant Watson, Charlie Scrymgeour, Jim Grant Quebec City, Quebec
1943 Cancelled due to World War II[12]
1944
1945
1946 Alberta Billy Rose, Bart Swelin, Austin Smith, George Crooks Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1947  Manitoba Jimmy Welsh, Alex Welsh, Jock Reid, Harry Monk Saint John, New Brunswick
1948 British Columbia Frenchy D'Amour, Bob McGhie, Fred Wendell, Jim Mark Calgary, Alberta
1949  Manitoba Ken Watson, Grant Watson, Lyle Dyker, Charles Read Hamilton, Ontario
1950 Northern Ontario Tom Ramsay, Len Williamson, Bill Weston, Billy Kenny Vancouver, British Columbia
1951  Nova Scotia Don Oyler, George Hanson, Fred Dyke, Wally Knock Halifax, Nova Scotia
1952  Manitoba Billy Walsh, Al Langlois, Andy McWilliams, John Watson Winnipeg, Manitoba (2)
1953  Manitoba Ab Gowanlock, Jim Williams, Art Pollon, Russ Jackman Sudbury, Ontario
1954 Alberta Matt Baldwin, Glenn Gray, Pete Ferry, Jim Collins Edmonton, Alberta
1955 Saskatchewan Garnet Campbell, Don Campbell, Glen Campbell, Lloyd Campbell Regina, Saskatchewan
1956  Manitoba Billy Walsh, Al Langlois, Cy White, Andy McWilliams Moncton, New Brunswick
1957 Alberta Matt Baldwin, Gordon Haynes, Art Kleinmeyer, Bill Price Kingston, Ontario
1958 Alberta Matt Baldwin, Jack Geddes, Gordon Haynes, Bill Price Victoria, British Columbia
1959 Saskatchewan Ernie Richardson, Arnold Richardson, Garnet Richardson, Wes Richardson Quebec City, Quebec (2)
1960 Saskatchewan Ernie Richardson, Arnold Richardson, Garnet Richardson, Wes Richardson Fort William, Ontario
1961 Alberta Hec Gervais, Ron Anton, Ray Werner, Wally Ursuliak Calgary, Alberta (2)
1962 Saskatchewan Ernie Richardson, Arnold Richardson, Garnet Richardson, Wes Richardson Kitchener, Ontario
1963 Saskatchewan Ernie Richardson, Arnold Richardson, Garnet Richardson, Mel Perry Brandon, Manitoba
1964  British Columbia Lyall Dagg, Leo Hebert, Fred Britton, Barry Naimark Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
1965  Manitoba Terry Braunstein, Don Duguid, Ron Braunstein, Ray Turnbull Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (2)
1966 Alberta Ron Northcott, George Fink, Bernie Sparkes, Fred Storey Halifax, Nova Scotia (2)
1967  Ontario Alf Phillips, Jr., John Ross, Ron Manning, Keith Reilly Hull, Quebec
1968 Alberta Ron Northcott, Jim Shields, Bernie Sparkes, Fred Storey Kelowna, British Columbia
1969  Alberta Ron Northcott, Dave Gerlach, Bernie Sparkes, Fred Storey Oshawa, Ontario
1970  Manitoba Don Duguid, Rod Hunter, Jim Pettapiece, Bryan Wood Winnipeg, Manitoba (3)
1971  Manitoba Don Duguid, Rod Hunter, Jim Pettapiece, Bryan Wood Quebec City, Quebec (3)
1972  Manitoba Orest Meleschuk, Dave Romano, John Hanesiak, Pat Hailley St. John's, Newfoundland
1973  Saskatchewan Harvey Mazinke, Billy Martin, George Achtymichuk, Dan Klippenstein Edmonton, Alberta (2)
1974  Alberta Hec Gervais, Ron Anton, Warren Hansen, Darrel Sutton London, Ontario
1975  Northern Ontario Bill Tetley, Rick Lang, Bill Hodgson, Peter Hnatiw Fredericton, New Brunswick
1976  Newfoundland Jack MacDuff, Toby McDonald, Doug Hudson, Ken Templeton Regina, Saskatchewan (2)
1977  Quebec Jim Ursel, Art Lobel, Don Aitken, Brian Ross Montreal, Quebec
1978  Alberta Mike Chernoff, Ed Lukowich, Dale Johnston, Ron Schindle Vancouver, British Columbia (2)
1979  Manitoba Barry Fry, Bill Carey, Gordon Sparkes, Bryan Wood Ottawa, Ontario

Labatt Brier

Year Winning province Winning team Finalist province Finalist team Host
1980  Saskatchewan Rick Folk, Ron Mills, Tom Wilson, Jim Wilson  Northern Ontario Al Hackner, Rick Lang, Bob Nicol, Bruce Kennedy Calgary, Alberta (3)
1981  Manitoba Kerry Burtnyk, Mark Olson, Jim Spencer, Ron Kammerlock  Northern Ontario Al Hackner, Rick Lang, Bob Nicol, Bruce Kennedy Halifax, Nova Scotia (3)
1982  Northern Ontario Al Hackner, Rick Lang, Bob Nicol, Bruce Kennedy  British Columbia Brent Giles, Greg Monkman, Al Roemer, Brad Giles Brandon, Manitoba (2)
1983  Ontario Ed Werenich, Paul Savage, John Kawaja, Neil Harrison  Alberta Mike Chernoff, Ed Lukowich, Neil Houston, Brent Syme Sudbury, Ontario (2)
1984  Manitoba Michael Riley, Brian Toews, John Helston, Russ Wookey  Ontario Ed Werenich, Paul Savage, John Kawaja, Neil Harrison Victoria, British Columbia (2)
1985  Northern Ontario Al Hackner, Rick Lang, Ian Tetley, Pat Perroud  Alberta Pat Ryan, Gord Trenchie, Don Mckenzie, Don Walchuk Moncton, New Brunswick (2)
1986  Alberta Ed Lukowich, John Ferguson, Neil Houston, Brent Syme  Ontario Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Tim Belcourt, Kent Carstairs Kitchener, Ontario (2)
1987  Ontario Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Tim Belcourt, Kent Carstairs  British Columbia Bernie Sparkes, Jim Armstrong, Monte Ziola, Jamie Sexton Edmonton, Alberta (3)
1988  Alberta Pat Ryan, Randy Ferbey, Don Walchuk, Don McKenzie  Saskatchewan Eugene Hritzuk, Del Shaughnessy, Murray Soparlo, Don Dabrowski Chicoutimi, Quebec
1989  Alberta Pat Ryan, Randy Ferbey, Don Walchuk, Don McKenzie  British Columbia Rick Folk, Bert Gretzinger, Rob Koffski, Doug Smith Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (3)
1990  Ontario Ed Werenich, John Kawaja, Ian Tetley, Pat Perroud  New Brunswick Jim Sullivan, Charlie Sullivan, Jr., Craig Burgess, Paul Power Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
1991  Alberta Kevin Martin, Kevin Park, Dan Petryk, Don Bartlett  Saskatchewan Randy Woytowich, Brian McCusker, Wyatt Buck, John Grundy Hamilton, Ontario (2)
1992  Manitoba Vic Peters, Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld, Don Rudd  Ontario Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, Peter Corner Regina, Saskatchewan (3)
1993  Ontario Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, Peter Corner  British Columbia Rick Folk, Pat Ryan, Bert Gretzinger, Gerry Richard Ottawa, Ontario (2)
1994  British Columbia Rick Folk, Pat Ryan, Bert Gretzinger, Gerry Richard  Ontario Russ Howard, Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, Peter Corner Red Deer, Alberta
1995  Manitoba Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin, Keith Fenton  Saskatchewan Brad Heidt, Mark Dacey, Wayne Charteris, Dan Ormsby Halifax, Nova Scotia (4)
1996  Manitoba Jeff Stoughton, Ken Tresoor, Garry VanDenBerghe, Steve Gould  Alberta Kevin Martin, Don Walchuk, Shawn Broda, Don Bartlett Kamloops, British Columbia
1997  Alberta Kevin Martin, Don Walchuk, Rudy Ramcharan, Don Bartlett  Manitoba Vic Peters, Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld, Scott Grant Calgary, Alberta (4)
1998  Ontario Wayne Middaugh, Graeme McCarrel, Ian Tetley, Scott Bailey  Quebec Guy Hemmings, Pierre Charette, Guy Thibaudeau, Dale Ness Winnipeg, Manitoba (4)
1999  Manitoba Jeff Stoughton, Jon Mead, Garry VanDenBerghe, Doug Armstrong  Quebec Guy Hemmings, Pierre Charette, Guy Thibaudeau, Dale Ness Edmonton, Alberta (4)
2000  British Columbia Greg McAulay, Brent Pierce, Bryan Miki, Jody Sveistrup  New Brunswick Russ Howard, Wayne Tallon, Rick Perron, Grant Odishaw Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (4)

Nokia Brier

Year Winning province Winning team Finalist province Finalist team Host
2001  Alberta Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque  Manitoba Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin, Keith Fenton Ottawa, Ontario (3)
2002  Alberta Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque  Ontario John Morris, Joe Frans, Craig Savill, Brent Laing Calgary, Alberta (5)
2003  Alberta Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque  Nova Scotia Mark Dacey, Bruce Lohnes, Rob Harris, Andrew Gibson Halifax, Nova Scotia (5)
2004  Nova Scotia Mark Dacey, Bruce Lohnes, Rob Harris, Andrew Gibson  Alberta Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (5)

Tim Hortons Brier

Year Winning province Winning team Finalist province Finalist team Host
2005  Alberta Randy Ferbey, David Nedohin, Scott Pfeifer, Marcel Rocque  Nova Scotia Shawn Adams, Paul Flemming, Craig Burgess, Kelly Mittelstadt Edmonton, Alberta (5)
2006  Quebec Jean-Michel Ménard, François Roberge, Éric Sylvain, Maxime Elmaleh  Ontario Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill Regina, Saskatchewan (4)
2007  Ontario Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill  Newfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Chris Schille, Jamie Korab Hamilton, Ontario (3)
2008  Alberta Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert  Ontario Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill Winnipeg, Manitoba (5)
2009  Alberta Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert  Manitoba Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Park, Rob Fowler, Steve Gould Calgary, Alberta (6)
2010  Alberta Kevin Koe, Blake MacDonald, Carter Rycroft, Nolan Thiessen  Ontario Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill Halifax, Nova Scotia (6)
Tournament Gold Silver Bronze Host
Locale Team Locale Team Locale Team
2011  Manitoba Jeff Stoughton
Jon Mead
Reid Carruthers
Steve Gould
 Ontario Glenn Howard
Richard Hart
Brent Laing
Craig Savill
 Newfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Ryan Fry
Jamie Danbrook
London, Ontario (2)
2012  Ontario Glenn Howard
Wayne Middaugh
Brent Laing
Craig Savill
 Alberta Kevin Koe
Pat Simmons
Carter Rycroft
Nolan Thiessen
 Manitoba Rob Fowler
Allan Lyburn
Richard Daneault
Derek Samagalski
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (6)
2013  Northern Ontario Brad Jacobs
Ryan Fry
E.J. Harnden
Ryan Harnden
 Manitoba Jeff Stoughton
Jon Mead
Reid Carruthers
Mark Nichols
 Ontario Glenn Howard
Wayne Middaugh
Brent Laing
Craig Savill
Edmonton, Alberta (6)
2014  Alberta Kevin Koe
Pat Simmons
Carter Rycroft
Nolan Thiessen
 British Columbia John Morris
Jim Cotter
Tyrel Griffith
Rick Sawatsky
 Manitoba Jeff Stoughton
Jon Mead
Mark Nichols
Reid Carruthers
Kamloops, British Columbia (2)
2015  Canada Pat Simmons
John Morris
Carter Rycroft
Nolan Thiessen
 Northern Ontario Brad Jacobs
Ryan Fry
E.J. Harnden
Ryan Harnden
 Saskatchewan Steve Laycock
Kirk Muyres
Colton Flasch
Dallan Muyres
Calgary, Alberta (7)
2016  Alberta Kevin Koe
Marc Kennedy
Brent Laing
Ben Hebert
 Newfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Brett Gallant
Geoff Walker
 Northern Ontario Brad Jacobs
Ryan Fry
E.J. Harnden
Ryan Harnden
Ottawa, Ontario (4)
2017  Newfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Brett Gallant
Geoff Walker
 Canada Kevin Koe
Marc Kennedy
Brent Laing
Ben Hebert
 Manitoba Mike McEwen
B.J. Neufeld
Matt Wozniak
Denni Neufeld
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador (2)
2018  Canada Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Brett Gallant
Geoff Walker
 Alberta Brendan Bottcher
Darren Moulding
Brad Thiessen
Karrick Martin
 Ontario John Epping
Mat Camm
Pat Janssen
Tim March
Regina, Saskatchewan (5)
2019  Alberta Kevin Koe
B.J. Neufeld
Colton Flasch
Ben Hebert
Alberta Wild Card Brendan Bottcher
Darren Moulding
Brad Thiessen
Karrick Martin
 Northern Ontario Brad Jacobs
Ryan Fry
E.J. Harnden
Ryan Harnden
Brandon, Manitoba (3)
2020  Newfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Brett Gallant
Geoff Walker
 Alberta Brendan Bottcher
Darren Moulding
Brad Thiessen
Karrick Martin
 Saskatchewan Matt Dunstone
Braeden Moskowy
Catlin Schneider
Dustin Kidby
Kingston, Ontario (2)[13]
2021  Alberta Brendan Bottcher
Darren Moulding
Brad Thiessen
Karrick Martin
Alberta Wild Card 2 Kevin Koe
B.J. Neufeld
John Morris
Ben Hebert
 Saskatchewan Matt Dunstone
Braeden Moskowy
Kirk Muyres
Dustin Kidby
Calgary, Alberta (8)[14]
2022 Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1 Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
Brett Gallant
Geoff Walker
 Alberta Kevin Koe
B.J. Neufeld
John Morris
Ben Hebert
 Canada Brendan Bottcher
Pat Janssen
Brad Thiessen
Karrick Martin
Lethbridge, Alberta[15]
2023  Canada Brad Gushue
Mark Nichols
E.J. Harnden
Geoff Walker
 Manitoba Matt Dunstone
B.J. Neufeld
Colton Lott
Ryan Harnden
Alberta Wild Card 1 Brendan Bottcher
Marc Kennedy
Brett Gallant
Ben Hebert
London, Ontario (3)[16]

Montana's Brier

Tournament Gold Silver Bronze Host
Locale Team Locale Team Locale Team
2024 Regina, Saskatchewan (6)[17]

Top 3 finishes table

As of the 2023 Brier

Prior to the 2011 Brier, there were no bronze medal games, so the third-place finishes listed in the table are for the teams that finished third in the tournament. Following the introduction of bronze medal games, which were played between the loser of the 3 versus 4 page playoff game and the loser of the semifinal game, the third-place finishes listed are for the teams that won the bronze medal games in each Brier. The bronze medal games were discontinued with the 2018 Brier.

Province / Locale 1st 2nd 3rd Top 3 finishes
 Alberta2921858
 Manitoba27151557
 Ontario10181341
 Saskatchewan7151840
 Northern Ontario561324
 British Columbia4131431
 Nova Scotia33612
 Newfoundland and Labrador3227
 Canada3115
 Quebec24410
 Wild Card1214
 New Brunswick03710
 Yukon/Northwest Territories0101
Toronto0055
 Prince Edward Island0022
 Northwest Territories
 Nunavut
 Yukon

Awards

Hec Gervais Playoff MVP Award

Year Player Locale
1997Kevin Martin Alberta
1998Graeme McCarrel Ontario
1999Jeff Stoughton Manitoba
2000Bryan Miki British Columbia
2001David Nedohin Alberta
2002David Nedohin (2) Alberta
2003David Nedohin (3) Alberta
2004Mark Dacey Nova Scotia
2005David Nedohin (4) Alberta
2006Jean-Michel Ménard Quebec
2007Glenn Howard Ontario
2008John Morris Alberta
2009Kevin Martin (2) Alberta
2010Kevin Koe Alberta
2011Jon Mead Manitoba
2012Wayne Middaugh Ontario
2013Brad Jacobs Northern Ontario
2014Carter Rycroft Alberta
2015Pat Simmons Canada
2016Kevin Koe (2) Alberta
2017Brad Gushue Newfoundland and Labrador
2018Brad Gushue (2) Canada
2019Kevin Koe (3) Alberta
2020Brad Gushue (3) Newfoundland and Labrador
2021Brendan Bottcher Alberta
2022Brad Gushue (4)Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1
2023Brad Gushue (5) Canada

Ross Harstone Sportsmanship Award

Year Player Locale
1966George F. McCharles Newfoundland
1967Douglas S. McGibney British Columbia
1968Charles Piper, Jr. Nova Scotia
1969Bill Piercey Newfoundland
1970Ed Steeves New Brunswick
1971Bob Pickering Saskatchewan
1972David Sullivan New Brunswick
1973Mel Watchorn Alberta
1974Larry McGrath Saskatchewan
1975Harvey Mazinke Saskatchewan
1976Jim Ursel Quebec
1977Joe Power, Jr. Newfoundland
1978Peter Murray New Brunswick
1979Dave Durrant Nova Scotia
1979Wayne Matheson Prince Edward Island
1980Wayne Hamilton Newfoundland
1981Mel Watchorn (2) Alberta
1982Mark Noseworthy Newfoundland
1983Jim Armstrong British Columbia
1984John Helston Manitoba
1985Daniel Hildebrand Manitoba
1986Bill Campbell, Jr. Nova Scotia
1987Jim Armstrong (2) British Columbia
1988Thomas Hakansson Nova Scotia
1989Bert Gretzinger British Columbia
1990Craig Lepine British Columbia
1991Rick Lang Northern Ontario
1992Jim Armstrong (3) British Columbia
1993Trevor Alexander Northwest Territories/Yukon
1994Mark Noseworthy (2) Newfoundland
1995Rick Folk British Columbia
1996Brian Rafuse Nova Scotia
1997Vic Peters Manitoba
1998Toby McDonald Newfoundland
1999Gerald Shymko Saskatchewan
2000Bryan Miki British Columbia
2001Paul Flemming Nova Scotia
2002Mark Lang Saskatchewan
2003Bob Jenion Manitoba
2004Daniel Lafleur Quebec
2005Randy Dutiaume Manitoba
2006Jean-Michel Ménard Quebec
2007Mark Whitehead Northwest Territories/Yukon
2008Gerry Adam Saskatchewan
2009Dean Hicke Saskatchewan
2010Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc Nova Scotia
2011Jim Cotter British Columbia
2012Scott Manners Saskatchewan
2013Paul Flemming (2) Nova Scotia
2014Greg Balsdon Ontario
2015Jim Cotter (2) British Columbia
2016Tyrel Griffith British Columbia
2017Jean-Michel Ménard (2) Quebec
2018Greg Smith Newfoundland and Labrador
2019Darren MouldingAlberta Wild Card
2020Colin HodgsonManitoba Wild Card
2021Brendan Bottcher Alberta
2022Scott Saccary Nova Scotia
2023Kelly Knapp Saskatchewan

Shot of the Week Award

Year Player Province
1997Kevin Martin Alberta
1998Guy Hemmings Quebec
1999Guy Hemmings (2) Quebec
2000Peter Corner Ontario
2001Kerry Burtnyk Manitoba
2002David Nedohin Alberta
2003Bruce Lohnes Nova Scotia
2004Jay Peachey British Columbia
2005David Nedohin (2) Alberta
2006Mark Dacey Nova Scotia
2007Dean Joanisse British Columbia
2008Glenn Howard Ontario
2009Glenn Howard (2) Ontario
2010Richard Hart Ontario
2011Jeff Stoughton Manitoba
2012Glenn Howard (3) Ontario
2013Brad Gushue Newfoundland and Labrador

Ford Hot Shots

Records

Most Brier wins as skip

Only one skip, Brad Gushue, has won the Brier five times (2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023).

Four people have won the Brier four times as skip:

  • Ernie Richardson (1959, 1960, 1962, 1963)
  • Kevin Martin (1991, 1997, 2008, 2009)
  • Randy Ferbey (2001, 2002, 2003, 2005)
  • Kevin Koe (2010, 2014, 2016, 2019)

Top Attendance Records

# Brier Venue Total attendance
12005Rexall Place, Edmonton281,985
22000Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon248,793
32009Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary246,126
42002Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary245,296
51999Skyreach Centre, Edmonton242,887
62004Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon238,129
71997Canadian Airlines Saddledome, Calgary223,322
82013Rexall Place, Edmonton190,113
92012Credit Union Centre, Saskatoon177,226
102008MTS Centre, Winnipeg165,075
112003Metro Centre, Halifax158,414
122001Civic Centre, Ottawa154,136
132015Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary151,835
141989Saskatchewan Place, Saskatoon151,538
151998Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg147,017
161994Centrium, Red Deer130,625
171993Civic Centre, Ottawa130,076
181996Riverside Coliseum, Kamloops127,746
192006Brandt Centre, Regina125,971
202017Mile One Centre, St. John's122,592
211995Metro Centre, Halifax121,896
221992Agridome, Regina121,555
232016TD Place Arena, Ottawa115,047
242011John Labatt Centre, London113,626
252018Brandt Centre, Regina110,555
262010Metro Centre, Halifax107,242
272007Copps Coliseum, Hamilton107,199
281982Keystone Centre, Brandon106,394

Perfect games

A perfect game in curling is one in which a player scores 100% on all their shots in a game. Statistics on shots have been kept since 1980 (except for 1982).

Curler Team Position Shots Year Opponent
Pat Perroud Northern OntarioLead221985 Alberta
Ron Kapicki Northwest Territories/YukonLead181987 Quebec
Neil Harrison OntarioLead181988 Saskatchewan
Don Harvey ManitobaLead201988 Northern Ontario
Louis Biron QuebecLead101992 Alberta
Glenn Howard OntarioThird181992 Saskatchewan
Kevin Martin AlbertaSkip101992 Quebec
Scott Alexander Northwest Territories/YukonLead201993 Ontario
Louis Biron QuebecLead201993 British Columbia
Peter Corner OntarioLead201993 Northern Ontario
John Gundy SaskatchewanLead201993 Newfoundland
Glenn Howard OntarioThird201993 British Columbia
Gerry Richard British ColumbiaLead161994 Saskatchewan
Kerry Burtnyk ManitobaSkip141995 Northern Ontario
Ken Ellis NewfoundlandSecond201997 New Brunswick
Pierre Charette QuebecThird121998 Newfoundland
Don Walchuk AlbertaSecond181998 Northern Ontario
Pierre Charette QuebecThird181999 New Brunswick
Grant Odishaw New BrunswickThird101999 Northern Ontario
Grant Odishaw New BrunswickLead142000 Nova Scotia
Grant Odishaw New BrunswickLead202000 Ontario
Don Walchuk AlbertaThird162000 British Columbia
Wayne Middaugh OntarioSkip102001 Quebec
Wayne Middaugh OntarioSkip162001 Manitoba
Ian Tetley OntarioSecond162001 Manitoba
Brad Fenton British ColumbiaLead202004 Nova Scotia
Phil Loevenmark OntarioSecond122004 Quebec
Scott Pfeifer AlbertaSecond122004 Northern Ontario
Trevor Wall OntarioLead202004 Prince Edward Island
Jean Gagnon QuebecLead102006 Prince Edward Island
Glenn Howard OntarioSkip142006 Manitoba
Craig Savill OntarioLead182006 Northern Ontario
Pierre Fraser New BrunswickLead122007 Alberta
Craig Savill OntarioLead102007 New Brunswick
Glenn Howard OntarioSkip122008 Prince Edward Island
Ryan Fry Newfoundland and LabradorSecond142009 Quebec
Steve Gould ManitobaLead182009 Alberta
Kevin Martin AlbertaSkip122009 Northern Ontario
John Morris AlbertaThird122009 British Columbia
Nolan Thiessen AlbertaLead182010 Nova Scotia
Jeff Stoughton ManitobaSkip152011 Alberta
Brent Laing OntarioSecond162012 Prince Edward Island
Ryan Harnden Northern OntarioLead142013 Alberta
Ryan Harnden Northern OntarioLead172013 Manitoba
Ben Hebert AlbertaLead102013 Nova Scotia
Brad Jacobs Northern OntarioSkip142013 Alberta
Marc Kennedy AlbertaSecond142013 Prince Edward Island
Brent Laing OntarioSecond142013 Newfoundland and Labrador
Mark Nichols ManitobaLead182013 Northern Ontario
Mark Nichols ManitobaLead162013 Nova Scotia
Philippe Ménard QuebecLead162013 British Columbia
Craig Savill OntarioLead142013 Newfoundland and Labrador
Jamie Childs Northern OntarioLead202014 Prince Edward Island
Nolan Thiessen AlbertaLead152014 Newfoundland and Labrador
Nolan Thiessen AlbertaLead162014 Northwest Territories/Yukon
Rick Sawatsky British ColumbiaLead182014 Prince Edward Island
Rick Sawatsky British ColumbiaLead162014 New Brunswick
Rick Sawatsky British ColumbiaLead162014 Ontario
Ryan Fry Northern OntarioThird182015 Ontario
Ryan Harnden Northern OntarioLead182015 British Columbia
Colin Hodgson ManitobaLead162015 Northern Ontario
Brent Laing AlbertaSecond182015 Northern Ontario
Marc Kennedy AlbertaThird162016 Prince Edward Island
Marc LeCocq New BrunswickSecond202016 Manitoba
Philippe Ménard QuebecLead182016 Saskatchewan
Scott Howard OntarioLead182016 Northwest Territories
Glenn Howard OntarioSkip162016 Prince Edward Island
Nolan Thiessen CanadaLead202016 New Brunswick
E.J. Harnden Northern OntarioSecond162016 Northwest Territories
Denni Neufeld ManitobaLead172016 British Columbia
Kevin Koe AlbertaSkip182016 Canada
Brett Gallant Newfoundland and LabradorSecond182016 Prince Edward Island
Brad Gushue Newfoundland and LabradorSkip192017 Alberta
E.J. Harnden Northern OntarioSecond162017 Nova Scotia
Brad Gushue CanadaSkip162018 Yukon
B.J. NeufeldManitoba Wild CardThird162018 Northwest Territories
Denni NeufeldManitoba Wild CardLead122018 Northern Ontario
Denni NeufeldManitoba Wild CardLead142018 Manitoba
E.J. Harnden Northern OntarioSecond162019 Prince Edward Island
Wes Forget OntarioSecond162019 Northwest Territories
Brett Gallant Newfoundland and LabradorSecond162020 Manitoba
Kevin Koe CanadaSkip162020 New Brunswick
Brendan Bottcher AlbertaSkip192020 Newfoundland and Labrador
Brendan Bottcher AlbertaSkip152020 Nova Scotia
Matt Dunstone SaskatchewanSkip182020 Ontario
Matt Dunstone SaskatchewanSkip202020 Canada
Marc Kennedy Northern OntarioThird122020 Nunavut
Colin HodgsonManitoba Wild CardLead202020 Northern Ontario
Darren Moulding AlbertaThird162020 Ontario
Brad Gushue Newfoundland and LabradorSkip202020Manitoba Wild Card
Brad Gushue CanadaSkip182021 Ontario
John Epping OntarioSkip162021 Nunavut
Karrick Martin AlbertaLead162021 Yukon
Brad Gushue CanadaSkip162021 Nunavut
Braeden Moskowy SaskatchewanThird162021 Manitoba
Karrick Martin CanadaLead202022 Ontario
Mark NicholsNewfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1Third162022 Nunavut
Dan Marsh SaskatchewanLead162022 Yukon
Ben HebertAlberta Wild Card 1Lead142023 Prince Edward Island
Colin Hodgson Northern OntarioLead202023Alberta Wild Card 1

Number of games played

As of the 2023 Brier

Rank Player Team(s) / Province(s) Games played
1Brad Gushue Newfoundland and Labrador
 Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1
246
2Mark Nichols Newfoundland and Labrador
 Manitoba
 Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1
233
3Glenn Howard Ontario
Ontario Wild Card 3
227
4Brent Laing Ontario
 Alberta
 Canada
197
5Ben Hebert Saskatchewan
 Alberta
 Canada
Alberta Wild Card 2
Alberta Wild Card 1
184
6Ryan Fry Manitoba
 Newfoundland and Labrador
 Northern Ontario
 Ontario
178
7Russ Howard Ontario
 New Brunswick
174
8Ryan Harnden Northern Ontario
 Manitoba
173
9E.J. Harnden Northern Ontario
 Canada
172
10Brad Jacobs Northern Ontario166
11Jamie Koe Northwest Territories/Yukon
 Northwest Territories
160
12James Grattan New Brunswick158
13Brad Chorostkowski Northwest Territories/Yukon
 Northwest Territories
150
13Kevin Martin Alberta150
13John Morris Ontario
 Alberta
 British Columbia
 Canada
Alberta Wild Card 2
150
16Geoff Walker Newfoundland and Labrador
 Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1
149
17Marc Kennedy Alberta
 Canada
 Northern Ontario
Alberta Wild Card 1
147
18Jeff Stoughton Manitoba139
18Kevin Koe Alberta
 Canada
Alberta Wild Card 2
139
18Brett Gallant Newfoundland and Labrador
 Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador Wild Card 1
Alberta Wild Card 1
139
21Éric Sylvain Quebec137
22Bernie Sparkes Alberta
 British Columbia
129
23Wayne Middaugh Ontario
Ontario Wild Card 3
127
24Rick Lang Northern Ontario121
25Craig Savill Ontario121
26Pat Ryan Alberta
 British Columbia
120
27Ed Werenich Ontario120
28Jean-Michel Ménard Quebec119
29Mark O'Rourke Prince Edward Island118
30Pat Simmons Saskatchewan
 Alberta
 Canada
112
30Martin Crête Quebec112
32Reid Carruthers Manitoba
Manitoba Wild Card
Manitoba Wild Card 1
Manitoba Wild Card 2
109
33Jim Cotter British Columbia107
33Steve Laycock Saskatchewan
 British Columbia
107
33Rick Sawatsky British Columbia107
36Al Hackner Northern Ontario106
37Paul Flemming Nova Scotia104
38Richard Hart Ontario103
39Garnet Campbell Saskatchewan101
39Adam Casey Newfoundland and Labrador
 Prince Edward Island
 Saskatchewan
 Manitoba
Manitoba Wild Card 3
101
41Randy Ferbey Alberta100
41Peter Gallant Prince Edward Island100

Most Brier game wins as skip

On March 5, 2018 Brad Gushue skipped the 114th win of his Brier career, breaking a three-way tie with previous record-holders Russ Howard and Kevin Martin. His first victory took place on March 1, 2003, 15 years earlier.[18]

See also

Notes

    References

    1. The Brier, by Bob Weeks, pg 20
    2. "Canada Curls", by Doug Maxwell, pg 106
    3. "Canada Curls", by Doug Maxwell, pg 109
    4. "Canada Curls", by Doug Maxwell, pg 114
    5. "Canada Curls", by Doug Maxwell, pg 121
    6. "CBC Digital Archives: Curling at the 1947 Macdonald Brier". CBC.
    7. "The History of Curling". Canadian Curling Association.
    8. "Curling's iconic Brier seeks corporate home". Sports Illustrated. The Curling News. November 29, 2022. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
    9. "Brier to follow Scotties in awarding a Team Canada bye to champion". Canadian Press. Retrieved 10 March 2014.
    10. "New Formats, New Event Introduced at 2016 National Curling Congress". Curling Canada. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
    11. "Breaking News". Facebook.com. Curling Canada. June 19, 2016. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
    12. "Cancel Brier!". Newspapers.com. Regina Leader-Post. December 8, 1942. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
    13. MacAlpine, Ian (November 1, 2018). "It's official: Brier coming to Kingston in 2020". Kingston Whig-Standard. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
    14. "Curling Canada aims to hold series of events in hub city". December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
    15. "Lethbridge to host the Brier in 2022". January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
    16. "The 2023 Tim Hortons Brier is coming to London, Ont". CBC News. January 24, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    17. Dort, Brit; Postey, Drew (December 6, 2022). "2024 Brier coming to Regina". CTV Regina. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    18. "Gushue breaks Tim Hortons Brier career victories record". Curling Canada. March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 6, 2018.

    Further reading

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