MONCTON – Some thoughts on the 50th anniversary Ford Worlds in Moncton, before we hand the last word(s) over to ace blogstress Katja Kiiskinen:

• We (The Curling News) printed a loud warning to Canadian curling fans on the front cover of the January 2009 issue, when we described David Murdoch as the “Neo” of curling and explained that his full-time curling duties are now focussed specifically on beating Canada for Olympic gold next year in Vancouver.

Three wins in a row over the hosts in Moncton, for his second trophy in four years, is a good start to his ultimate goal.

• Having said that, we note that the young Scots’ two major wins this season came on steals in the championship final: a heavy draw from Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud at the Europeans and Kevin Martin’s shanked raise takeout last night.

What does this mean? Like all the curling greats, these Scots can find a number of ways to win.

• Speaking of Martin, the questions will continue to come all this week as the Grey Power Players’ Championship gets underway tomorrow – yes, tomorrow – in Grande Prairie. Martin is in the hunt for big bucks, but will his head be in the hunt?

You can find many of these questions online, such as the 62 comments posted (at this time of writing) listed below this CBC Sports Online story.

Other queries come from Terry Jones, who is a big fan of John Morris’ “Gong Show” quote, and who gathered quotes from rival Randy Ferbey and even The Old Bear Cubs from the on-ice microphones for this interesting story.

Here’s another from Dan Barnes, another Edmonton writer who is joining in on the pile-on atop one of his town’s favourite sons.

There’s also this one here from Al Cameron, although we beg to differ that “not a soul” in the Coliseum could see Martin’s non-throw coming.

We did. And we told our media bench neighbours about it, and we were vindicated when it happened.

KMart is known for this kind of thing. Skins Games, in which he throws tens of thousands of dollars away just to keep the hammer coming home. Extreme corner guards, just off the carpet, when trying to steal… just to make the other skip pause and think a little.

We saw it coming. And we called it.

• This Cameron finale points a finger at Scottish second Peter Smith, who also had some struggles in earlier matches in Moncton …

• Yet another Al Cam piece – this one from his blog – also points out the cringe-worthy anthem that was played at ice level during the closing ceremony. Ye Gods.

Scottish people do NOT like hearing Ingerlund’s national anthem in place of their own.

Ye Gods!

• As for the Scots, what do they think? Mike Haggerty’s words – which include the classic “mayhem” – are located here, while Bob Cowan wondered if it was all a dream …

• Yes, the opening ceremony dragged on far too long but it was quite a thrill to see something so “big” and glitzy to start the week. The legends who were there – all four Richardsons, The Owl, Eigil Ramsfjell, The Ferb and more – were a fantastic addition. The ancient trophies – from the Scotch Cup to both Silver Brooms – were amazing to see.

• Funny stuff you TV viewers never get to see: veteran curling arena announcer Stuart Brown screaming KMart’s pre-game (semifinal) intro before a crazed crowd: “Kevin HOWARD!”

This on live television, beamed around the world.

Martin’s teammates collapse in gales of laughter.

Martin himself looks befuddled, then smiles, shaking his head.

Stu drops to his knees in disbelief.

Russ Howard is, of course, loving it.

“That was hilarious,” said Martin afterwards.

“You know what? The problem is I don’t hear very well. I actually didn’t hear it. Had to ask the boys what happened and they were killing themselves.

“That’s a good blooper. But I don’t think he (Brown) mixed me up with Russ (Howard). I’ll bet he mixed me up with Glenn (Howard).

“Glenn and I have the similar hairline.”

• What does Moncton think? Here’s not one but two pieces in today’s local blat. And we agree: great show, folks.

• A reminder that you can watch highlights and full-game rebroadcasts through TSN’s Video On Demand player, via this page.

CCA photo by Michael Burns

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MONCTON – Today the bikinis and the beach towel were no longer needed, but in hope of some Caribbean atmosphere later in the evening I did bring a bottle of piña colada.

The drop in the air temperature is definitely good news for the players, and the ice. When asked about the condistions after Saturday’s final draw, Finland’s second player Jani Sullanmaa seemed slightly miffed when he stated: “Well, gimme a f***ing shovel and I’ll sweep.” I took it to mean there was a bit of frost.

Now to the really important things – hot players! After careful consideration, the jury has chosen the candidates for the “Hottest Player of Worlds 2009”. If you disagree with our choices, then I can’t really help you. No, but seriously, if you are adamant that there is an impossibly gorgeous and charismatic player who didn’t make it to our list, you can vote for him and we may consider your point – if it is well argued.

It is necessary to note that I personally was struggling with the choice because there is such an abundance of charismatic men on the ice. So, players, if you are not on our list, it’s all gk’s fault.

In my opinion, we ladies, as the smarter sex (just admit it, boys) look beyond the first impression. Whereas men would choose their candidates based on the tightest pants and the best sports bra, we ladies consider various different factors, such as charisma, eyes, smile, tightest pants and the best sports bra.

To be fair, we have chosen one player from each country. Today we will introduce the first six candidates and the rest will follow in tomorrow’s blog post.

Click on the photo montage above (featuring CCA images from Michael Burns) to view the pics a little larger.

And, the first six nominees are:

1. CZECH REPUBLIC

In case you were wondering, the looker with the poetic beard is Jiri Snitil, the chief of the Czech team.

Besides his curling abilities – and his unfailing devotion to the sport – this charismatic skip is also an excellent icemaker.

2. CHINA

Our chinese piece of hot stuff is second man Xiaoming Xu. He’s got some spiky fuzz atop his head and some sass in his smile. Some of you might also remember this talented player from the Continental Cup 2008 world team.

3. CANADA

Perhaps a little unsurprisingly, our option for the Canadian hunk is John Morris.

Mentioning his occupation would be unfair towards the rest of the guys, since it is one of those jobs that seem to give women all sorts of ideas.

In fact, Johnny Mo may have such an advantage over the field, we should find and use an unflattering photo. We’ll leave it to gk to try and post something that paints the normal JMo portrait in a different light.

How did he do, folks?

4. FINLAND

My personal choice for the Finnish representative would naturally be Kalle Kiiskinen, because he is just the bestest person in the whole wide world.

However, the idea of complimenting his fanny seemed somehow disturbing, so we decided to go with another spud of a man: Teemu Salo.

This Olympic medallist is known for being “cool” enough to wear a toque in any playing conditions.

5. FRANCE

Le Stud of the tournament is definitely Thomas Dufour, the long-time skip of the French team. He has been wooing the European crowds already for years, so it’s about time to introduce him to a wider audience.

He is also a ski instructor, in the beautiful snow-capped mountains of Chamonix. Ooh la la.

6. DENMARK

Our choice for the Danish lion man is the legendary Ulrik Schmidt. The veteran, who was off the ice and merely coaching this team two years ago, will definitely be the number one choice for the more mature female crowd.

Be sure to cast your ballot and check out the remaining six tomorrow! You can also have more than one favourite…

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CALGARY – I say Johnny, you say Mo!

Johnny!

Mo!

Johnny!

Mo!

What a crowd!

Given the complete blowout that was the final game, I’m happy to say that I stuck it out and watched Alberta’s Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy and Ben Hebert get to enjoy their historic Brier victory with such amazing hometown support.

And let’s give a big Hells Yeah to Jeff Stoughton and his Manitoba foursome for the class act that they were in that final game. Jeff’s token spin-o-rama gave the fans one more chance to stand on their feet and salute their tremendous efforts at the end of this week.

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CALGARY – Game time, and time for my final pre-game blogpost of the 2009 Tim Hortons Brier.

Jim Brown of the Calgary Eyeopener asked me on Friday morning if I thought it was possible for any team to knock Alberta off of their record setting performance. At the time, even when there were still four other exceptional teams in the mix, I confidently answered in the negative. Kevin + John + Marc + Benny = Unbelievably Unbeatable.

My tune has not changed. Martin has won his last six matchups against Stoughton, and that winning streak isn’t going to end here either.

Since my interview on Friday, Alberta squeaked out another one from Ontario, placing them directly in the final. While they only won the 1 vs 2 game by an inch on Kevin’s final draw, I truly believe that in today’s final, they will find a way to again be on the right side of that inch. They will continue doing what they have done for the past 25 games – they will always find a way to win.

This is unfortunate for Manitoba’s Jeff Stoughton, who has hit his stride in the last three games. After running the house on Quebec in the tiebreaker, Stoughton continued his own winning streak with wins over Newfoundland and then Ontario to place the Bisons in today’s final.

While these games were largely won on the strength of Stoughton’s red hot shooting (three missed semifinal draws aside!) he was also afforded many an opportunity by his opponents. Brad Gushue’s Newfoundland foursome took too long to get their heads in the game and Glenn Howard curled his worst game of the tournament.

These sorts of opportunities will not be loosely offered up by team Alberta, if at all. Where Stoughton and third Kevin Park have been streaky in their game performances, Alberta has been extremely consistent with nary a blemish to their record. If the Martin foursome let the Brier Tankard slip out of their hands due to a less than stellar performance, it will be nothing short of a catastrophic upset.

Jeff, thanks for making the playoffs exciting after a relatively dull week of curling. Sorry that you won’t be able to see it through.

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CALGARY – Here are my thoughts – ’cause I do have thoughts – about where we are after Draw 11:

• Alberta (7-0) – These guys are good. In fact, second Marc Kennedy is so good that John Morris and Ben Hebert don’t even bother cleaning his standard peels. They feign interest until about halfway down the sheet, then save their energy. They still have a couple of tough games left, but we may see them go undefeated in the round robin once again.

• Ontario (7-0) – Still excited about The Shot… although I totally called it. I’m such a good curler from my couch! Glenn Howard and Richard Hart have the highest stat percentage and that will make them pretty tough to beat. Brent Laing and Craig Savill made our All-Star Hottie team, so their week is already made. (Big picture here: they are World Junior Champs, World Men’s Champs, Dalene and Margo’s hot list. All that is left is the Olympics.)

• Newfoundland/Labrador (5-2) – Looking good to make playoffs. Found myself cheering “Let’s Go Grey Slacks!” in the stands today.

• Manitoba (4-3) – Flying under the radar. Bad Howard Tuesday. Can definitely afford another loss if they need it, but will have to pick up the pace come playoff time. And hey. Is it just me, or does KPark in a ’Toba jacket (CCA photo by Michael Burns, above) still look weird?

• New Brunswick (4-3) – Loved the broom-bashing on Tuesday. Loved how Dalene scooped the entire media bench on it, and loved seeing Al Cameron, full of bitterness and clouded by vengeance, rush to produce a lengthy story. Not sure why we all think it’s hilarious when Russ Howard snaps a broom, but when Johnny Mo does it in Hamilton, it’s a crime. Either way – awesome. Will we see more emotion when Russ plays against his old Olympic teammies on Wednesday?

• British Columbia (3-4) – Need to win every game. Skipper Sean Geall has had to make some tough shots. Not bad for a first Brier.

• Quebec (3-4) – I’ve been taking some serious jabs from my girlfriends about my all star hottie skip Jean-Michel Ménard. He needs to kick it up a notch – and fast.

• NWT/Yukon (2-5) – Play like they did Tuesday night we might see a few more wins out of these guys. Either way they will enjoy the festivities in the Big Four (or the locker room before they hit the Big Four). Think it’s cold here? It’s -30° Celsius back in Yellowknife.

• Nova Scotia (2-5) – No fire has been lit under Mark Dacey. Seems kinda ho-hum. Perhaps he should have kept the grey slacks he wore at his provincial. Whatever, it’s just the Brier. Have a nice flight home.

• PEI (2-5) – Hope you enjoyed your two wins – and the two ends where you were the TSN telecast game on Tuesday morning.

• Saskatchewan (2-5) – Wow, was I ever wrong about you guys. You can drive home.

• Northern Ontario (1-6) – Enjoy the Patch.

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CALGARY – So if Russ Howard is going to lose to his baby bro in a complete blowout, he might as well give something to the fans, right? After all, this is one of the most hyped games in the Brier, but seems to be falling victim to my earlier posting regarding complete Brier one-sidedness.

After giving up a steal of three going into the fifth-end break of this much-awaited Howard hullaballoo, Russ took it out on his broom (a la John Morris from a couple of years ago).

That broom, shown in a healthier state above (photo by MOI) is now in two pieces, after Russ bashed it on the ice, and then continued to throw the broom head around at the end of the sheet.

Brotherly love INDEED. Here, brother Glenn, take an easy win. In return, I’ll just take your spot on the highlight reel with my theatrics.

Fan just yelled from the crowd: “Drop the gloves Russ!”

Wonder if she reads this blog?

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CALGARY – Fellow blogger Margo and I have been debating for the last few days over whether we are trashy enough to write a post about who our all star “HOT” team is.

We have decided that yes, we are that trashy. Hey, if Joan McCusker can blog about it for CBC last year, then why can’t we?

Here are our picks… which are surprisingly different. Note that our definition of “hot” goes beyond good looks and includes perceived personality, attitude, and in my case, resemblance to a Raging Bull.

Dalene’s All-Stars

Skip – Nova Scotia’s Mark Dacey it is. There’s something to be said for the intense, bad boy vibe he’s got going on.

Third – sorry J Mo. I know other bloggers have previously commented on your “movie star” good looks, but I’ve got a huge star crush on Robert De Niro, which makes my choice for New Brunswick’s James Grattan the only logical one available. See composite image of Bob the Babe and Jimmy The Kid above, and discuss my logic at your whim.

Second – Tough choice between Alberta’s Marc Kennedy and Saskatchewan’s Aryn Schmidt. I think I’m going to have to give the edge to Schmidt because I’ve never been a fan of blondes.

Lead – Gotta go with Ontario’s Craig Savill. I know, I know… first a car, now this. Can you believe it’s only been a couple of years since he wiped out and fell on the Hamilton Brier ice, to much derisive laughter?

Margo’s All-Stars

Skip – Jean Michel Menard, Quebec. He seems like such a nice guy and I tend to like guys with no hair.

Third – John Morris, Alberta. This was a tough one. Honourable mentions go to Jon Solberg of the NWT (er, should that be Yukon?) and Mark Nichols from Newfoundland.

Second – Brent Laing, Ontario. Again, I like the short/no hair. I’m not totally sold on this one. I’d like to demote a few thirds down to second for a week.

Lead – Mark Olson, British Columbia. He’s curling up a storm, which is always kinda hot. And he’s a baby-faced cutie too.

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Brier newbie and YT/NWT lead Marty Gavin’s slingshot successfully brought down giants Kevin Martin and John Morris of Alberta, but stopped short of beating Ontario lead Craig Savill (fuzzy photo) in the final round for the Ford Hot Shots competition.

Gavin was up two points on Savill going into the final and most difficult shot, the double takeout. Savill made it perfectly, and when Gavin failed to remove the second stone, he handed Savill the win.

Savill drives away with a two-year lease on a 2009 Ford F150 XLT 4X4, valued at over $20,000. For second place Gavin receives $2,000 and Martin secured a third-place cheque worth $1,000. That should help cover their respective Patch bar tabs this week!

Opening Draw Notes

• Gavin went from slaying giants to posting a 69 per cent shooting percentage in YT/NWT’s opening game against PEI, placing him at the bottom of all leads. Although Marty and the rest of the team made many more shots in the evening draw, it was not enough to sneak a win from two-time Brier champion Jeff Stoughton.

• Kevin Park, coming into the event, worried about being villainized for defecting from Alberta to Manitoba. He may not help his case if he continues to stand above the crowd with his shotmaking. K-Park ruled all thirds on the first day, posting a cumulative shooting percentage of 91 per cent, helping propel his team to the top of the standings with two solid wins.

• Concerns about attendance during these difficult economic times may be forgotten. Over 14,000 people were in the Saddledome to watch Saturday afternoon’s games, setting the Brier record for opening draw attendance. Is this Brier the “recession buster”?

• NL fans may not be the loudest in the Saddledome (that title is saved for the hometown crowd), but they definitely are the most enthusiastic thus far. Not sure if it made the telecast, but the crowd was treated to three mooseheads who observed some of the game with only their pants on. A loud “boo” arose from the crowd, however, when the fans were told by security to put their clothes back on! How lame is that?

• Did you see the story on Richard Hart? The Ontario third has a few things to say about popular opinion favouring Martin over his own Howard squad… and he even reveals that last year’s Brier ice crew has fessed up to “choking” on the ice conditions prior to that poor championship final. Wow! Here’s the story…

• Pros Pick ‘Em – well, our pros took a hit on the first day with none of them expecting a PEI win over YT/NWT. Let’s see how they fare on Sunday!

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CALGARY – While curling fans across the country are resting up and getting ready for tomorrow’s opening draw, our Brier contestants were hard at work vying to bring home the bacon via the Ford Hot Shots competition. In this case, bacon = two year lease on a 2009 Ford F150!

All 12 teams were out in full force, none of them apparently subscribing to the Marla Mallet philosophy of skipping the Hot Shots in order to focus.

Several interesting things were seen and heard when hanging out at ice level for the preliminaries…

• When asked his strategy for the Hit and Roll shot, Yukon/NWT skip Jamie Koe responded with: “Well, I’m going to HIT that rock, and then ROLL to the four-foot.” Sheer genius! No wonder this is his third appearance at the Brier!

• It’s clear that Steve Howard inherited his dad’s lung capacity. Neither Steve nor dad Russ Howard seemed very concerned with saving their voices, as we were all treated to some vibrant bellowing. Steve showed some considerable on-ice skill, too, tying his Uncle Glenn (another Howard) with 23 points and was just shy of eligibility for tomorrow’s final.

• Referring to previously unsuccessful attempts at the Hot Shots competition, Alberta’s Kevin Martin turned to his teammates and said: “That might be my highest total ever already,” after he had made his third perfect Hot Shot in a row (scoring 15 points). Kevin did even better then that, finishing with a final tally of 25 points, qualifying him for tomorrow’s final.

• Ontario’s Craig Savill found himself on the right side of the inch. After it was determined there was a five-way tie for the last spot in the finals, the officials went to measurements taken during the Draw to the Button. Craig emerged victorious, beating out teammate Richard Hart and three others.

The eight finalists and their preliminary scores are:

Andrew Gibson (NS second) – 28
John Morris (AB third) – 26
Marty Gavin (Y/NWT lead) – 25
Joel Jordison (SK skip) – 25
Bruce Lohnes (NS third) – 25
Kevin Martin (AB skip) – 25
Jason Vaughan (NB second) – 25
Craig Savill (ON lead) – 24

Until tomorrow then. And hey… don’t forget that you can play the Hot Shots online, on your computer… and win a vehicle yourself!

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The Brier.

It’s a curling tradition. And we at The Curling News have a Brier tradition: the careful, loving production of this essential issue, with all the reportage, speculation, photos, TV info and well, stuff that one could ever ask for.

Feast your eyes on this one, folks. In this issue…

• Here We Go Again: will anyone else crash Calgary’s Kevin Martin versus Glenn Howard Brier party?

• Innsbruck 2012: yes, there’s more curling in another Olympic Games, folks… and Rodger Schmidt says the new Youth Winter Olympic Games just might save the sport of curling

• Big Brotherly Love: Howard versus Howard at the Brier – why is it historic, and who has beaten whom, and where and when, leading up to the battle?

• The Wrench Speaks Yet Again: our final chapter, third of three, with Ed “The Wrench” Werenich… and you’d better believe he names the names

• The Curling News TV Guide: our monthly look at curling on television, with a bonus feature on new TSN talkie Brian Mudryk

• Brier Changes Afoot? Larry Wood has spies on the ground and all kinds of wild rumours on big changes coming to the sport of curling

• Sponsor Watch: Recession? What recession? New curling sponsors for CCA and for the WCF, too

• U.S. Curling Flaws: Matt Hames came, he played and then wrote about the U.S. Olympic Trials system

• Capital One Grand Slam Report: the BDO Canadian Open, “Average Guy” Ron, Capital One Cup points update, and Grey Power on tap for Grande Priaire

• 51 Years Ago: We revisit the March 18, 1958 issue of Canadian Curling News – Matt Baldwin wins his second Brier in a row over high-school aged Terry Braunstein, and you won’t believe the photo of a teenaged Ray “Tay” Turnbull

• A Tale of Many Howards: Glenn, Russ, and now Ashley, Scott and Carly (and Judy)… when is the Howard invasion going to stop?

• Q & A with Greg Stremlaw: the CCA CEO on his first 18 months on the job, and what still needs to be done

• They Said It: Martin, Dacey, Ferbey, Morris, Mead, Brown, Corner, Howard, Kennedy and 1953 Brier champ Russ Jackman in our monthly quotable quotes

AND MORE!

So… why not subscribe today?

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