Curling’s Buried Treasure: January 1990

Canadian Curling News • Volume 34, Issue #2 • January, 1990

Welcome to a new column here at The Curling News, “Buried Treasure.”

This is a working title, by the way, and readers are invited to suggest other titles. Message me at the Curling Legends Facebook page or at the Legends Twitter feed.

Where were you 33 years ago? In our first look at Buried Treasure, we’re going back to the beginning of the 1990s. Specifically, the January 1990 issue of Canadian Curling News.

A few notable non-curling events from January of 1990:

• Douglas Wilder becomes the first African American elected governor of a U.S. state

• John Donald Crump is appointed CFL commissioner after serving for 20 years under Leafs and Tiger Cats owner Harold Ballard

• The Washington Capitals fire coach Brian Murray, who had been head coach since 1981, and replace him with his brother Terry

• The Detroit Tigers sign first baseman Cecil Fielder, who spent the previous season in Japan; he proceeds to belt 51 homers this season and becomes a premier power hitter for most of the 90s

• Bob Goodenow succeeds Alan Eagleson as NHL players association chief. By 1994,

Alan will be charged with 34 counts of racketeering, obstruction of justice, embezzlement and fraud and serve six months of an 18-month sentence

• John McEnroe becomes the first player to be expelled from the Australian Open

• The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10 at Super Bowl XXIV

• LA Kings centre Wayne Gretzky sets the NHL record by scoring his 100th point of the season for the 11th straight season

• The first McDonalds in the Soviet Union opens in Moscow

• The Tower of Pisa is closed to the public after leaning too far.

Since I no longer own encyclopedias, these notable events were found on the internet. Not surprisingly, many web sites listed historic moments—but none included any significant happenings in the sport of curling.

This column is an attempt to rectify these omissions and shine a light on the past to discover how it’s shaped the sport today.

In my office sits a box of nearly 50 years of curling history—in past editions of The Curling News, or TCN, previously known as Canadian Curling News aka CCN.

(There are 66 years of history overall, and counting, by the way. I think the editor, gk, is holding out on me.)

As I dig through these issues, several nuggets of articles and photos are being posted on the Curling Legends Facebook page—so check that out—while the most impressive gold pieces will be showcased here, in this column.

Completely by random, the first issue pulled from the TCN treasure chest was from 33 years ago this month. It’s a fitting start as 1990 begins with this article on the upcoming Moncton 100 Bonspiel.

Pat Ryan won the previous two Briers with a hitting style that had many in the sport concerned for its future. The 1989 Brier final was the lowest-scoring in history, with a final tally of 3-2.

Yes, Brendan Bottcher won the 2021 Brier final 4-2 over Kevin Koe, but their game was demonstrably more engaging and interesting to watch than the one 32 years prior.

The Moncton 100 introduced a new style of play in which leads could not remove a stone, which ultimately led to Free Guard Zone Rules being developed for play at the world championships in 1992 and Canada’s Brier and Scotties Tournament of Hearts in 1994.

The Moncton 100, of course, introduced the curling world to the Drag Theory, which baffled the legendary Ed Werenich, of all people, in the championship final.

Another note about this season: it’s the last one before a young Kevin Martin bursts onto the scene. Martin is not mentioned in this issue, but 14 months later he will win his first Brier, in Hamilton, Ont., with a devastating hitting game that matches his Alberta rivals, the Ryan Express.

Werenich went on to win the world championship in 1990 but, from all accounts, did not enjoy embracing the hitting style required to reach the summit. After defeating Scotland’s David Smith 3-1 in the world final, Ed was quoted: “That’s a damn good reason why we have to change the rules.”

Our next golden article shares early news of a curling player’s association. These developments will eventually lead to the men’s Brier playdowns boycott of the early 2000s and the creation of the Grand Slam series.

It’s fascinating that this article was written by TSN’s Vic Rauter, who today will only utter the words “Grand Slam” if he’s ordering food at Denny’s.

Ed Lukowich spoke about these early days of forming a player’s association on Episode 9 of the Curling Legends Podcast. There will be more on the topic from Saskatchewan’s Eugene Hritzuk in an upcoming episode as well.

It’s interesting that Fast Eddie dreams of 40 teams competing across the country, playing in 12 events, instead of the 15 or 16 teams we see at five or so current Grand Slams. Also of note, there is no mention of women’s teams in the article and their thoughts on these developments.

There’s an insightful premonition from Ottawa’s Dave Van Dine at the end of the column, pondering the dangers of creating a two-tiered system.

Looking back at history gives us a chance to learn from past mistakes. It will be interesting to see if recent rumblings at the resurrection of a player’s association will succeed or be doomed to repeat those mistakes.

Speaking of past mistakes—curling clubs and facilities were closing back then, too. A story by Alberta contributor Murray Rauw updated readers about the fate of Calgary’s Big Four Curling Club, the mammoth facility that once housed 48 sheets of curing ice on two floors.

The Big Four closed a year prior, and Rauw’s story paints the picture of a new gambling hall, with a casino on the top floor and the bottom providing an overflow area for trade shows at the Stampede Grounds.

As it turns out, the place was designed for curling, yes, but not for spectating. “There were few good places to sit and watch … comfort was never a priority.”

In this same issue, publisher Doug Maxwell’s column mentions a coming closure in Galt, Ont. and that members were actively working to relocate to a new building. We now know they were successful, and Galt CC remains the fourth-oldest curling facility in the province.

Maxwell also mentions two new international facilities that had just opened; Scotland’s six-sheet Forfar CC located at the multi-sport Forfar Indoor Sports complex, and Switzerland’s Baregg Sports Centre, another multipurpose operation with six curling sheets. Curling in that area has since moved into the dedicated Baden Reggio Curling Club, a popular facility that regularly hosts international tournaments and Swiss championships.

This is topical today as Saskatoon recently lost the Granite, a staple facility in that Saskatchewan city. Toronto lost three country clubs that provided curling in almost as many years. Pundits estimate some 325 sheets have been lost over the last 20 years in western Canada alone.