Curling, Etcetera_ A Whole Bunch of Stuff About the Roaring Game - Bob Weeks [16]
BRIER BROADCASTER
Bob Cole has made a career of calling hockey games. He’s been the main play-by-play man for the CBC since 1980 and has been calling games for the network since 1973. He regularly calls the action for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and perhaps his most famous call came in 1976 during an exhibition game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Russian club team CSKA Moscow. In the first period, the Russians became unhappy with the officiating and left the ice. From the press box, Cole said, “They’re going home. They’re going home.”
While he became famous for that and more hockey broadcasting, Cole is also a curler of some note, having represented Newfoundland & Labrador in the Brier twice. In 1971 he finished up with a 4-6 mark, and in 1975 he went 1-10. Cole also skipped his province in the 1973 Canadian Mixed.
A FAMILY AFFAIR
Curling has always been considered a good family game, but at a 1998 bonspiel in Keene, Ontario, the Davises took that to a new level. The squad comprised Alan, Chris, Gord, and Jamie Davis—great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and son—four generations of the family all on one team.
HIGH SCORE
It is a badge of honour for every curler to play in the Brier and another to set records. While New Brunswick’s Ken Everett might like to remember the former, he might not be too excited about the latter. Everett represented his province in the 1957 Brier in Kingston, which was won by Garnett Campbell’s team from Saskatchewan. Along the way, Everett managed to put his team into the record books. Unfortunately it was for all the wrong reasons. The New Brunswick team came out on the wrong side of the most lopsided contest in Brier history—a 30-3 loss.
As well, in today’s era of conceding games once the score seems insurmountable, it’s unlikely that score will ever be topped.
TRAVELLIN’ MAN
Earle Morris is a talented curler, but as a member of the Canadian military, he moved around the country a great deal. But that never hurt his success on the ice. Morris curled in the Brier three times, but represented three different provinces, the only player with such a distinction. In 1980, he represented Manitoba, in 1982 Quebec, and in ’85 he wore Ontario’s colours.
AGE-OLD INVENTION
Jack Grossart of Toronto proved that curling isn’t necessarily the domain of the young man. He started curling at the age of 65 and fell in love with the sport. A self-confessed problem-solver, at age 89, he decided to try to invent a better curling broom and came up with the Grossart Super Brush. The innovative design was one of the first to feature a hinged head, which allowed it to be moved to any angle, and removable “friction pads” that could be switched depending on the ice conditions.
When asked why he started designing brooms at his age, he replied: “It’s just stupid-ness. I wish I’d never got started in this thing.”
Grossart eventually sold off his broom business but kept curling until the age of 99.
GREAT COMEBACKS
Usually, teams that are ahead by healthy margins or with few ends to play don’t surrender the lead. Most world-ranked rinks can finish off a game in which they lead by a few points. But on occasion, they slip up, allowing for a memorable comeback. Here are a few notable ones:
• In 1970, the ice at the Brier in Winnipeg was horrendous, and it contributed to a tremendous comeback by Hec Gervais. The ice was extremely heavy, and after four ends, Ontario’s Paul Savage was leading 8-1. Starting in the fifth end, Gervais began calling for his team to draw to the outside rings, but they kept coming up light—or so thought Savage. Gervais intentionally placed the rocks in front of the rings, fooling the youthful Savage as the Alberta team rallied to a 12-9 win. “I was thinking, ‘These guys can’t make a draw,’” recalled Savage. “Big mistake. I found out a few years after these were corner guards and did they ever work.”
• Heading into the final three ends of the 2004 Brier,