IS THIS THE YEAR SASKATCHEWAN ENDS 38 YEARS OF FRUSTRATION?
A Folk hero was created in 1980, when Saskatchewan last rejoiced over a Brier championship.
Rick Folk, Ron Mills and the Wilson brothers (Tom and Jim) of Saskatoon’s Nutana Curling Club defeated Northern Ontario’s Al Hackner 10-6 in the final, held at Calgary’s Stampede Corral.
Saskatchewanians haven’t exactly been stampeding toward the podium since then.
How long has it been since our fine province last captured a Canadian men’s curling championship?
When Folk and friends prevailed on March 9, 1980 …
American hostages were still being held in Iran.
Jimmy Carter was the president of the United States.
Pierre Trudeau had just begun his final term as prime minister.
Ron Lancaster was the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach. His quarterbacking depth chart included John Hufnagel and Danny Sanders.
The Doug Wickenheiser-led Regina Pats, coached by Bryan Murray and generally managed by Bob Strumm, were en route to winning the WHL championship.
Wickenheiser and associates played at the then-Agridome, which was perceived at the time to be state-of-the-art. (Cushioned seats? No pillars? No pigeon poop? Who knew?)
I was in Grade 10. Now I would be in Grade 48. Or remedial Grade 37.
The NBA, featuring stars such as Julius Erving, Larry Bird and Earvin (Magic) Johnson, had just adopted the three-point shot. I owned a typewriter.
Our home phone had a rotary dial.
Roughriders radio broadcasts aired on CKCK, which was then a broadcasting giant.
CKRM’s Bob Hutton provided live curling coverage.
Some of those curlers smoked … on the ice.
Nobody smoked marijuana ... legally.
Corn brooms were popular. Wayne Gretzky was a first-year NHLer.
Gordie Howe was a final-year NHLer.
Kevin Glenn was not yet one year old.
The Cleveland Browns were, you know, not bad.
Broadcasting legend Wayne Mantyka worked at CTV Regina.
OK, so some things never change, but you still get the picture. It has been a while.
Since Folk won the 1980 Canadian and world titles — the latter event was then known as the Silver Broom — Saskatchewan has appeared in only three Brier finals, the silver medallists being Eugene Hritzuk (1988), Randy Woytowich (1991) and Brad
Heidt (1995).
End of highlight reel.
Over the same protracted period, the representative of the neighbouring province to the east — Manitoba — has appeared in 11 Brier finals, winning seven.
Manitoba’s population (1.28 million, as of 2014) does not dwarf that of Saskatchewan
(1.13 million), but there isn’t any comparison in terms of success in men’s curling.
Overall, Manitoba has won 27 Briers — 20 more than Saskatchewan.
When a Saskatchewan curler has fared well at the Brier in recent years, it is typically while carrying the colours of another province (see: Pat Simmons, Ben Hebert, Braeden Moskowy).
Moskowy, for example, is to compete in the 2018 Brier — which runs from Saturday until March 11 at the erstwhile Agridome — as the third with Team Manitoba, which is skipped by Reid Carruthers.
However, this arrangement also works both ways.
Team Saskatchewan, skipped by Steve Laycock, also includes Matt Dunstone, Kirk Muyres and Dallan Muyres.
Dunstone, who throws fourth stones for Team Laycock, hails from that world-renowned incubator of high-level Saskatchewan curlers, Winnipeg.
A two-time Canadian junior champion, Dunstone is curling at his first Brier — without representing his home province.
Laycock effectively plucked a quality curler from another region.
It’s quite the steal of one.
Will that be the difference? Will this be the year for Saskatchewan?