The ice is pebbled, the rings are painted and the Brandt Centre that normally houses the Regina Pats has transformed into a world-class curling stage, where some of the country’s top curlers are preparing to hit centre ice.
The field is just shy of being complete, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, the competition is steep for the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier.
Defending champion Brad Gushue is back for his 15th Brier and the only things that have changed from his past appearances are his colours. This is Gushue’s first Brier with the maple leaf on his back, representing Team Canada. The foursome earned their right to wear the red and white after clinching a 7-6 victory over former Kevin Koe’s former Team Canada in last year’s final. Gushue, along with Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker will look to become the first team since Alberta’s Kevin Martin in 2008-2009 to win back-to-back national titles.
Hot on their tails will be 2014 Olympic gold medalists and 2013 Brier champions Team Brad Jacobs, who are returning to the national stage for their fourth straight year. They’re seeded third in the competition and will compete against the likes of Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock and Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers in the first round of pool play.
Carruthers and his team defeated Mike McEwen’s foursome in Manitoba’s Viterra Championship, punching their ticket back to the national championship. Carruthers won the 2011 Tim Hortons Brier and Ford World Championship while throwing second stones for Jeff Stoughton.
Laycock is once again calling the game for Team Saskatchewan and will undoubtedly be the home-crowd favourite. This past season, his rink saw a shake-up with the addition of Matt Dunstone, who now throws fourth stones, while Laycock tosses third. Former second, Colten Flasch stepped away from the team at the end of the 2017 season to skip his own squad. This will be Laycock’s seventh Brier appearance. He picked up a bronze medal after stealing two in extra-end fashion at the 2016 Brier.
This year marks a change up to the Brier’s style of play. Mimicking the 2018 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, 16 teams make up the field—one team representing each province and territory, along with Northern Ontario, Canada and the inaugural Team Wild Card.
The wild card spot will be filled by one of the top two teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System that didn’t qualify out of their province or territory.
Winnipeg rinks skipped by Mike McEwen and Jason Gunnlaugson face off in the inaugural qualifier game Friday, March 2 at 7 p.m. CT. The winner claims the final berth into the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier.
This game is a big second chance for Mike McEwen, who was hospitalized with the chicken pox during part of Manitoba’s provincial play downs. The foursome-turned-threesome battled throughout the week to earn a spot in the finals. Once McEwen was released from hospital, he joined his team for the championship game—losing a nail-biter, 7-6, to Reid Carruthers.
McEwen sits at second on the 2017-2018 CTRS leadership board, just below Kevin Koe. Gunnlaugson stands at sixth.
The Canadian men’s curling championship officially kicks off Saturday, with opening ceremonies at 12:30 p.m. CT, followed by the first draw at 2 p.m.
Pool A
1. Canada
4. Wild Card
5. Alberta
8. Nova Scotia
9. British Columbia
12. Yukon
13. Newfoundland/Labrador
16. Northwest Territories
Pool B
2. Manitoba
3. Northern Ontario
6. Ontario
7. Saskatchewan
10. Quebec
11. New Brunswick
14. Prince Edward Island
15. Nunavut
Meet the Teams
Pool A
Team Canada
Skip: Brad Gushue
Third: Mark Nichols
Second: Brett Gallant
Lead: Geoff Walker
Alternate: Tom Swallows
Coach: Jules Owchar
Team Wild Card
Mike McEwen or Jason Gunnlaugson
Skip: Mike McEwen
Third: B.J. Neufeld
Second: Matt Wozniak
Lead: Denni Neufeld
Skip: Jason Gunnlaugson
Third: Alex Forrest
Second: Ian McMillan
Lead: Connor Njegovan
Team Alberta
Skip: Brendan Bottcher
Third: Darren Moulding
Second: Brad Thiessen
Lead: Karrick Martin
Team Nova Scotia
Skip: Jamie Murphy
Third: Paul Flemming
Second: Scott Saccary
Lead: Philip Crowell
Coach: Bruce Lohnes
Team British Columbia
Skip: Sean Geall
Third: Jeff Richard
Second: Andrew Nerpin
Lead: David Harper
Alternate: Brad Wood
Coach: Gerry Richard
Team Yukon
Skip: Thomas Scoffin
Third: Tom Appelman
Second: Wade Scoffin
Lead: Steve Fecteau
Alternate: Clint Ireland
Coach: Jeff Hoffart
Team Newfoundland and Labrador
Skip: Greg Smith
Third: Matthew Hunt
Second: Andrew Taylor
Lead: Ian Withycombe
Alternate: Connor Stapleton
Coach: Joe Murphy
Team Northwest Territories
Skip: Jamie Koe
Third: Chris Schille
Second: Brad Chorostowski
Lead: Robert Borden
Pool B
Team Manitoba
Skip: Reid Carruthers
Third: Braeden Moskowy
Second: Derek Samagalski
Lead: Colin Hodgson
Coach: Dan Carey
Team Northern Ontario
Skip Brad Jacobs
Third: Ryan Fry
Second: E.J. Harnden
Lead: Ryan Harnden
Alternate: Tanner Horgan
Coach: Caleb Flaxey
Team Ontario
Skip: John Epping
Third: Matt Camm
Second: Pat Janssen
Lead: Tim March
Coach: Jim Wilson
Team Saskatchewan
Skip: Steve Laycock
Fourth: Matt Dunstone
Second: Kirk Muyres
Lead: Dallan Muyres
Alternate: Lyle Muyres
Coach: Pat Simmons
Team Quebec
Skip: Mike Fournier
Third: Felix Asselin
Second: William Dion
Lead: Jean-Francois Trepanier
Coach: Michel St-Onge
Team New Brunswick
Skip: James Grattan
Third: Chris Jeffrey
Second: Andy McCann
Lead: Peter Case
Team Prince Edward Island
Skip: Eddie MacKenzie
Third: Josh Barry
Second: Christopher Gallant
Lead: Sean Ledgerwood
Alternate: Robbie Younker
Coach: Philip Gorveatt
Team Nunavut
Skip: Dave St. Louis
Third: Wade Kingdon
Second: Peter Mackey
Lead: Jeff Nadeau
Coach: Barry Westman