Kevin Martin back at Brier in coaching role
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. (CP) — You can excuse curling fans for doing a double-take at the Tim Hortons Brier.
Legendary skip Kevin Martin is sporting familiar Alberta colours at the national men’s curling championship this week at Mile One Centre. The 2010 Olympic champion is back at the Brier to coach his son Karrick and the provincial team skipped by Brendan Bottcher.
Instead of standing at the end of the sheet and throwing last stones, the former skip — who retired in 2014 — watches the action from his seat on the back bench.
“I hadn’t been back to a Brier in any way since I retired,” Martin said Monday. “To have the opportunity, you know coaching my son is a big deal . . . it’s neat. It’s good to get back into it.”
The event is a reunion of sorts for Martin, who has played with and against many of the curlers in the field.
The four-time Brier champion won gold at the Vancouver Games with John Morris (now with B.C.), Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy (now with Canada skip Kevin Koe).
Longtime opponents like Glenn Howard and Richard Hart of Ontario are also on hand, along with veteran skip Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Martin, who has stayed involved in the game with his curling broadcasting work, started coaching Bottcher’s rink before provincial playdowns and helped them earn their first Brier berth.
“He’s been working with us quite a bit technically and tactically trying to get a few small tweaks here and there,” Bottcher said. “I think the biggest thing he brings though is just the experience factor.
“He’s the solid ground to come back to.”
Bottcher’s team of Karrick at lead, third Darren Moulding and second Brad Thiessen had the unenviable task of playing local favourite Gushue in the round-robin opener Saturday before a rabid capacity crowd.
The Alberta rink played well in a losing effort before dropping two more games Sunday.
Bottcher finally got into the win column Monday afternoon with a 7-2 victory over Mike Kennedy of New Brunswick.
In other early games, Northern Ontario’s Brad Jacobs defeated Jamie Koe of the Northwest Territories 9-5, Quebec’s Jean-Michel Menard beat Saskatchewan’s Adam Casey 8-3 and Morris edged Nova Scotia’s Jamie Murphy 4-3.
Mike McEwen of Manitoba remained unbeaten at 4-0 after a 10-6 victory over Bottcher in the evening draw. Jacobs (4-1) moved into second place with a 7-2 win over Howard. Gushue beat Casey 10-5 to move into a third-place tie with Kevin Koe, who dropped a 5-4 decision to Morris (3-2). Menard and Murphy were next at 2-2 after seven draws.
Casey was 2-3, Kennedy and Howard were 1-3 and Bottcher was 1-4.
Jamie Koe was the lone winless rink at 0-4.
Round-robin play continues through Friday morning. The medal games are scheduled for Sunday.