Family tradition for Moskowy clan
Proud dad Kelly thrilled to watch son Braeden take to the ice — for Manitoba
Resplendent in a 2002 vintage Team Saskatchewan jacket, Kelly Moskowy looked across the ice and cherished the moment.
His 27-year-old son — Manitoba third Braeden Moskowy — was also conspicuous on the Brandt Centre’s pebbled surface Saturday during the Brier’s opening ceremony.
“It’s hard to describe the feeling,” said Kelly Moskowy, one of the former Brier participants from Saskatchewan who was introduced during the ceremony. “I was just very proud to be out there ... a very proud father.”
Braeden Moskowy, who lives in Regina, is a member of skip Reid Carruthers’ Manitoba entry at the Canadian men’s curling championship.
It’s the third Brier appearance for the younger Moskowy, who was actually introduced to the event back in 2002 — when his father was the lead for Scott Bitz’s Saskatchewan team.
“Honestly, I wasn’t a curling fan at all,” Braeden Moskowy recalled. “My dad played. I thought it was boring. I was a hockey guy.
“I went to the Brier in 2002 in Calgary and saw that the atmosphere was electric. I’ll never forget stepping out there and seeing 15,000 people and I was like, ‘Holy smokes, I’ve been missing out.’
“So I went home and tried to quit hockey. My parents said, ‘Hold on a sec, you’ve got to finish out the year,’ so I finished out the year and the next year I started curling. So 2002 was my start, and here we are 16 years later.”
Sixteen years ago, a visit to the Brier was an infinitely tougher sell.
“I suppose ‘despised’ is a strong word, but he didn’t enjoy curling too much,” Kelly said. “We had to talk him into coming to the Brier. My sister, Lisa, brought Braeden and (his sister) Brooklyn to the Brier. The rest is history.”
Braeden Moskowy ’s own curling history includes skipping Team Saskatchewan to the Canadian junior men’s title in 2011.
He made his Brier debut — as a participant, anyway — in 2013 as the third with a Saskatchewan rink skipped by Brock Virtue.
Two years later, Moskowy was part of the Carruthers foursome that won the Manitoba title.
“Anytime you’re lucky enough to play in a Brier, it’s amazing,” Moskowy said. “You don’t care where it is. You’re just happy to be there. But the fact that it’s in Regina just makes it that much more special for me.
“It could happen again — maybe when I’m an old guy, if I’m still around and still curling — but most likely it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m going to do my best to play well and make sure I enjoy it.”
It is, after all, the realization of a dream.
“It was two different things,” Moskowy reflected. “I’ve always been a Regina Pats fan. I love the Pats, so I come to a ton of games and I’m in the rink a lot. It’s pretty cool to be out there where usually we’re standing, having a couple of beers. Now everyone’s having a couple of beers watching us, so that’s fun.
“Originally, the dream started with Saskatchewan, and there was a lot made about the Brier drought. That dream was coming into the Regina airport with the Brier Tankard (to give Saskatchewan its first Brier title since Rick Folk prevailed in 1980).
“That would be awesome, but then it kind of shifted to maybe playing in the Brier at home and winning the Brier at home. That’s definitely the goal for this week.”
That, and ensuring that he has ample time to visit with members of a substantial cheering section that includes friends and loved ones.
“I’d say there are probably 50 of them, and getting tickets for them is just a nightmare,” Moskowy said with a chuckle.
“I need an agent or something to handle this, because the phone is just going off the hook, but it’s good, and we’re going to have fun with it.”