Today’s announcement brought memories
Today’s announcement that the 2024 Brier (Canadian men’s curling championship) will be hosted at the Brandt Centre in Regina gave me a belated surprise.
I hadn’t realized that Regina has only hosted three Briers in the past 30 years.
Regina Briers are, in my opinion, simply amazing.
The Saskatchewan city previously hosted in 2018, won by Team Canada’s Brad Gushue, in 2006 (won by Quebec’s Jean-Michel Ménard) and in 1992, where that famed Labatt Tankard trophy was hoisted by Manitoba’s Vic Peters.
In that era, the Brier rotated between a select few host cities: Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Halifax and the occasional Ontario city—usually Ottawa and occasionally London but never, of course, Toronto.
In recent years I’d remembered Regina as being one of those select few … but alas, the Queen City was also an occasional host.
The 2018 Brier was hit by some bad weather, but those hardy Saskatchewanese didn’t bat an eyelash, and made it to the arena. Gushue won his second straight title at an event which featured a pre-event “seeding draw” which was, if I recall correctly (and I might not), a play-in involving those provinces and territories that had been relegated at the previous year’s championship in St. John’s.
I’m one of the few who didn’t hate the concept of relegation at Canada’s Brier and Tournament of Hearts, by the way.
The 2006 Brier was a beauty as well. It was to be Glenn Howard’s coronation as a Brier-winning skip but he was upended by Quebec’s Ménard crew in a great final, which kicked off the greatest-ever curling title celebration. I managed to recently track down the video proof.
I also attended the 1992 Brier. I was there to cover Al Hackner’s Northern Ontario crew for their hometown paper, the Thunder Bay Chronicle-Herald, and I crashed at Regina skip Randy Woytowich’s house.
Woytowich, a gentle draw specialist who curled amongst a sea of Sasky takeout throwers, was on the local organizing committee, serving as the official driver of Mike Kennedy’s youthful New Brunswick foursome.
One year earlier Randy had lost the Brier final to a young Kevin Martin. Only in this sport would you see a Brier finalist volunteer on the next year’s Brier organizing committee. In the old days, that is. Can’t see that happening today.
I guess it’s okay to tell this story, so many decades later. I ended up driving the New Brunswick lads home, from the Patch to their hotel, numerous times during the week.
Randy and I would have a quick meeting at the Patch, where little to no words would be actually spoken. I’d be fresh off filing to deadline and he’d be watching over the NB lads at their Patch table, and I’d get that look from him … maybe yes? Maybe no?
The van keys were often tossed over and I was happy to drive Team Mike Kennedy—and a happy Randy—safely home. The herring chokers certainly didn’t mind, they got to hear better Woytowich curling stories.
And let it be confirmed, here and forever, that Randy never missed the next day’s morning shift behind the wheel.
The 2024 Brier will be the first one to have a new title sponsor in numerous years, and will take place March 1-10.
“Curling and Saskatchewan go hand in hand,” said Katherine Henderson, Curling Canada CEO.“With Regina’s rich curling history and its passionate and dedicated curling community, we’re thrilled to be bringing our marquis men’s championship back to Regina.”
Previous Regina-hosted Briers took place in 1976—the memorable victory by Newfoundland/Labrador’s Jack MacDuff—and in 1955, where the Campbell brothers from Avonlea, skipped by Garnet, won Saskatchewan’s first Brier title.
Other curling majors hosted at the Brandt include the 2011 World Men’s Curling Championship (won by Canada’s Jeff Stoughton), the 2008 and 1998 Scotties Tournament of Hearts (won by Manitoba’s Team Jennifer Jones and Alberta’s Team Cathy King respectively), the 2002 Continental Cup, the 2001 Canadian Olympic Trials (won by Edmonton’s Kevin Martin and Vancouver’s Kelley Law), the 1983 World Men’s Championship (won by Canada’s Ed Werenich) and, a decade earlier, the 1973 World Men’s won by Sweden’s Team Kjell Oscarius).
Saskatchewan teams have won seven Brier titles, starting with Campbell’s 1955 triumph. The legendary Ernie Richardson foursome won four titles in five years (1959, 1960, 1962, 1963), while Harvey Mazinke won in 1973. Rick Folk’s 1980 victory is the most recent for a Saskatchewan entry.
The winner of the 2024 Brier will represent Canada a month later at the world men’s championship in Schaffhausen, Switzerland and will also become Team Canada at the 2025 Brier.
The first entry into the 2024 Brier will be decided on March 12 in London, Ont., as the 2023 Brier winner will be decided, and will play as Team Canada in Regina.
“We are thrilled to have another opportunity like this, and we’re truly thankful that we have a chance to welcome the Brier back to Regina,” said Bernadette McIntyre, the veteran curling organizer who steered the Curl Regina Bid Committee. “We have an exciting and intense 15 months in front of us, however our crew is eager to get to work and make this Brier memorable and fun for everyone.”
