London Brier Tankard Top 10 (Pt. 2)

LONDON, ON — Let’s complete the 2023 Brier’s opening weekend Tankard Top 10. 

If you missed part one, be sure to catch up.

5. Speaking of David Murdoch, I tracked down a gaggle of Scots attending their first Brier. Robin Copland has done some curling writing himself and is joined by his wife Lois and their friends Trevor and Catherine, Ken and Liz, and Bob and Lesley. A little Googling helped uncover some of their curling histories, which includes a Scottish senior mixed title in 2015 by four of the crew and a silver medal from the 1995 men’s worlds in Brandon, Man.

Trevor and Catherine are also the proud parents of Jennifer Dodds, teammate of the now-retired Eve Muirhead and an Olympic gold medallist in 2022. I posed the question of whether they were pleased (thumbs up) or disappointed (thumbs down) to see David Murdoch leaving British Curling for Canada, and here is their response:

4. Returning to the on-ice proceedings, the 2023 London Brier has provided some unexpected entertainment for fans. On Friday, Quebec took some mid-game risks, attempting a comeback, but instead coughed up more points and found themselves down 13-1 in the eighth end. Rules require a team complete eight ends (regardless of whether the game is being seen outside of the arena) and both teams decided to “toss them through.” I speculated whether this behaviour (which I applaud) receives a fine from Curling Canada, or at the very least disgruntled, side-eyed glance followed by a finger-wagging.

When Mike McEwen of Ontario did his version of the spin-o-rama on his first throw, the crowd (some 4,000-plus it appeared) cheered to their highest decibel of the evening. When Quebec skip Félix Asselin then displayed his effort—a double-spinner—fans roared even louder. 

McEwen threw in the towel on his final shot, sliding out in ho-hum straight-line fashion and was followed by the first boos of the Brier. Felix then drew for a single point, destroying the hopes and dreams of everyone who had bet the total score below 14.5.

3. The next time the crowd reached the same crescendo was Saturday afternoon and the first-ever win by Nunavut at the Brier. Skip Jake Higgs is a math teacher down the road in St. Thomas and is shepherding Team Nunavut for the second time (he went 0-7 in 2020). Many in the stands were friends and family, but even those with little rooting interest were cheering loudly, except perhaps the players from Newfoundland and Labrador.

I felt bad for Nathan Young and his team, which included alternate Jeff Thomas, who is filling in for Sam Follett—a delayed arrival as he was representing NL at the Canada Winter Games in PEI. It’s nice to see the underdog prevail but it served as a reminder it can also mean disappointment for a young team with promise to fall short of expectations.

2. Alberta representatives Team Koe—not to be confused with Wild Card #1 or #3—sat atop their pool at 3-0 after the opening weekend (they’re 4-0 nd on the ice Tuesday morning). It’s a new team with old habits as Kevin routinely brings the game to a screeching halt to kibbitz with his squad while the clock ticks away.

On Sunday morning, Koe spent nearly two minutes deliberating on third Tyler Tardi’s first shot in the third end and held another team gathering in the fifth end before his first shot, lagging nearly four minutes behind the clock of Tanner Horgan and Team Northern Ontario at the break. Some on the bench shook their heads but I, instead, insisted Kevin should be applauded for maximizing his clock. Why finish a game with minutes remaining when you could have used those precious extra seconds to make the right call?

1. London has put on a great show thus far and the arena might be a near-perfect size for major curling events. Yes, it would be great to fill Rogers Place in Edmonton someday but for now, 9,000 seats and a large market across the street provides a great Brier experience. 

Minor nitpicks are the close proximity of two women’s restrooms (I used one by mistake) and the policing of lower level ticket holders trying to enjoy the (perhaps better than below) views from the 300 level (see part one) … but these will be forgotten by week’s end.

The highlight thus far may have been the Loaded Maple Bacon Super Caesar.

Having grown up in Winnipeg, I sometimes have the tightest of wallets when evaluating the value of a purchase and seeing a price tag of $17.50 for a mixed cocktail wrecked my brain for three days. Yesterday I finally pulled the trigger and succumbed to my curiosity. I had to know if these were worth the exorbitant cost.

Mixologist “Ashley” (names were changed to protect the innocent) collected the many ingredients into large plastic cups—for that price a collective glass seemed more appropriate. For nearly $20 with tip you get one AND ONE HALF ounces of vodka (not the single ounce found in their “regular” Caesar), a spicy bean, a spear of pearl onion, gherkin, red pepper (or was it pimento) and green olive; a choice of lime, lemon (or both) and a large piece of maple bacon.

The rim was covered with salt imported on the backs of camels from the Dead Sea (this may have been my own imagination), and the first sip held up. The experience was worth the price, though perhaps just for one. 

The bacon was truly maple; real, pure Canadian syrup and crisped to the perfect level of crunch. Pro tip, eat the bacon at a steady pace as my drinking partner Liz, who also gave the beverage a thumbs up, neglected hers for too long and soggy bacon remains were left at the bottom of her cup. I hesitated to ask if I could finish them and luckily kept my inside voice quiet.

Later that night over a nightcap, travelling partner Matt revealed he had the same thought; to eat those same bacon pieces rather than waste the prized element of such a costly beverage.

Great minds do think alike.