Issue 1 – Saturday, March 3, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. Hail to the Howards Ontario skip Glenn Howard (left) ties his big brother Russ’s record of 14 Brier appearances this week in Saskatoon. See details inside. Sponsors of the Day MARCH 2-10 • REXALL PLACE See Sponsor Profiles on page 9 Page 2 2012 Tim Hortons Brier – Tankard Times Welcome to the 2012 Brier Is it really a two-horse race? By Larry Wood a row,” conceded Koe the Tankard Times Editor other day. “We’re more of a scrappy team and we have to One thing about Saska- battle for some of our wins. toon Briers. Relatively speak- “That week (in 2010) we ing, they come along often. threw in a couple bad losses None other than the old to lower-ranked teams (Nova Toronto Granite Club, in fact, Scotia and B.C., both with has staged more. rookie skips), but I don’t think The sixth edition for Sas- we really let it get to us. We katoon and the 83rd round came back and beat some overall kicks off today at the good teams. It’s a grind, and Credit Union Centre boast- we played pretty decent the ing a field of hardened vets whole week, and even when combined with a sprinkling of we got down to that Three- raw rookies. Four playoff game, which at Defending champion Jeff the time nobody had ever Stoughton isn’t here. Four- come out of, I don’t think time champion Kevin Martin we really looked at is as too isn’t here. daunting.” They are the most notable Howard thinks the injection absentees. of some new blood at the On hand are two former Brier is “a good thing”. champions — 49-year-old “I don’t think it’s that good Glenn Howard (2007) and for the sport to have the 37-year-old Kevin Koe (2010) same players all the time,” he and some always impres- said Friday. “I think it’s good sive returnees — 31-year- for the game that new names old Brad Gushue, the 2006 are starting to come up. We Olympic gold medallist from have a couple of rookies in Newfoundland/Labrador who here and I think it’s good the is always close at this event, event. the capable Brad Jacobs “Of course, I want my from the Soo in Northern On- name to be one of them, but tario, and the often capable the Martins, the Stoughtons, Jim Cotter of the B.C. Interior the Howards, I think people and Jamie Koe’s Polars from probably get tired of it. Yellowknife. “Those two rookies, Man- Brandon’s Rob Fowler is ners and Murphy, I’ve never skipping for the first time but seen at all. That’s really he’s been to three previous cool. It isn’t easy to be overly Briers. Terry Odishaw of confident because you have Moncton and Mike Gaudet of no idea what some of these Charlottetown are no strang- teams can do. ers. Robert Desjardins is “For anybody to win his back for the second straight province, they have to be year as Quebec champ, pretty darn good. I don’t care Alberta’s Kevin Koe and Glenn Howard of Ontario: Co-favourites in Saskatoon. moving up to skip from third. what province you’re coming The greenhorns in the field out of. So I’m expecting we’ll no getting around that fact. this one we’re considered and we’ve beaten them a “Everybody is saying Koe are Scott Manners of the host have our hands full.” But it’s not like we just won more of a favourite, I guess bunch. All four players are re- and Howard in the final so province and Jamie Murphy Koe said there’s some sat- Alberta and that was it. We . so I don’t think this one ally good and if Robbie gets guess we’re rated in the next from CFB Halifax. isfaction in quieting the critics won the whole World, right? feels any different; we’re not hot you’d better not count bunch,” Gushue opined. Howard, of course, is in for of his previous win, based But it was a little sweeter win- putting any extra pressure on them out of this mix at all.” “Obviously we feel we the record-tying 14th time. on escaping confrontation ning this year with him there, ourselves.” Said Fowler: have a chance, otherwise Koe is here for the second with the two-time defending just to not have to hear that Howard views Manitoba as “It’s going to be awesome. we wouldn’t be here. In past time with the knowledge that, champ Martin at the time. any more, to be honest.” a definite threat. The Brier is, by far, the best years we’ve had much more in his only previous appear- “I think it meant more, just Koe feels nothing different “They’re the perfect event. The Grand Slams are experience on the team so ance, he beat Howard in the for the satisfaction, and to about the current assign- darkhorse team,” he said of great but there’s no com- there may be a few variables 2010 final. shut those people up, right?” ment. Fowler’s Brandon bunch. parison, so we’re very much here. We could be really “We might not be as Koe told Allen Cameron of “It’s a long week, and we “They have the ability to looking forward to this.” good or we could be really consistent as a Howard or the Calgary Herald. know that when our backs beat any team out here. Gushue’s Newfies won last bad. I guess we’ll find out.” a (Kevin) Martin where they “For sure, we knew it was were against the wall (in We’ve played them a bunch year’s round robin before fad- hardly miss and they just easier to win provincials with 2010), we came up with the on the Slam series and ing in the playoffs and settling rattle off so many wins in Martin not there. There’s shots we needed. Maybe in they’ve beaten us a bunch for a bronze medal. Continued on 3 Saturday, March 3, 2012 Page 3 Continued from 2 Manitoba native Ryan then, that Saskatchewan Kevin and Jamie, will Manitoba skip Fry, son of a former Brier Briers may be tailor-made tangle during the round Rob Fowler Soo skipo Brad winner, is in for the fi fth for upsets. robin on Wednesday Jacobs, who scored an time and the third as a Saskatoon hosted its morning’s Draw 12. In eight-ender en route Gushue teammate. fi rst Brier in 1946 (winner, one earlier confrontation, to the Brier, makes no Joining Fowler as four- Billy Rose of Sedgewick, two years ago, Kevin’s bones about his team’s timers are Jacobs and AB), followed by 1965 Albertans won 8-3. ambition. the Harnden boys from (Terry Braunstein of Win- Manitoba has won 27 “Our goal is to win the Northern Ontario. Three nipeg), 1989 (when it set Briers to Alberta’s 25. Brier,” he said following B.C. players — Cotter, an attendance record of Saskatchewan teams his provincial win. “That’s Kevin Folk and Rick 151,538 with Pat Ryan have won seven. how Glenn Howard Sawatsky — are third- of Edmonton winning), The winner will repre- thinks, that’s how Kevin time participants. 2000 (when it set another sent Canada at the World Martin thinks. Why can’t Saskatoon matches attendance record of men’s curling champion- we think like that? We are Toronto, Calgary and 248,793, with Greg ship in Basel, Switzer- going there to win.” Halifax as the only cities McAulay of Richmond, land, March 31-April 8. A There’ll be a load of to stage at least six Bri- B.C. winning) and 2004, total of 21 of the last 32 other former Purple Heart ers. Most of Toronto’s, when 238,129 fans at- Brier winners have gone winners in Credit Union of course, were played tended. on to win the world title. Centre. Gushue is in for in the dark ages of the The Brier attendance In addition, the winner his ninth Brier. Territo- Twenties and Thirties. record now is 281,985, will also earn a berth in ries second player Brad Everybody remembers established at Edmonton the 2012 Capital One Chorostkowski is in for the last Saskatoon Brier in 2005, site of the fi rst Canada Cup in Moose his eighth along with New in 2004, when Nova Sco- Tim Hortons Brier. Jaw and the 2013 World Brunswick lead Grant tia’s Mark Dacey shocked Like Howard, Koe Financial Group Conti- Odishw and the Ontario defending champion Al- needed a new third this nental Cup in Penticton, trio of Wayne Middaugh, berta, skipped by Randy season and conscripted B.C. Brent Laing and Craig Ferbey, counting three in Simmons to take over A total of $130,000, Savill. the 10th end for a thrilling from Blake MacDonald representing ‘cresting Jamie Koe and Pat 10-9 victory. who retired. MacDonald television exposure Simmons own six Hearts The last Brier held is back as a fi fth on this value’, will be distributed each. Simmons is making in Saskatchewan was team. to the four Page playoff his fi rst appearance as an in 2006 in Regina, Howard, of course, teams: $40,000 each to Albertan — third for Koe Quebec’s Jean-Michel is the oldest skip on the the winner and runner-up, — after fi ve tries toiling Ménard upended Howard premises while Jacobs, $30,000 to the bronze- for the Green Machine of in the fi nal.