Curling, Etcetera_ A Whole Bunch of Stuff About the Roaring Game - Bob Weeks [38]
“We weren’t really keen on keeping the Purple Heart,” admitted Dick Bradbeer, head of marketing for Labatt at the time. “We wanted something more Labatt-oriented.”
In place of the heart was an oval-shaped crest that had images of the Purple Heart and the Macdonald Brier Tankard, the trophy that was presented to the winning team up until Labatt replaced it with its own tankard. Among the curlers, it became known as the Doily.
But curlers from coast to coast—those who had played in the Brier and those who had merely watched it—were enraged. How could this new sponsor replace the historic crest? There were petitions and plenty of media attention on the issue of a crest. A front-page editorial in the Ontario Curling Report admonishing Labatt for the change. It read:
The Heart is symbolic of the Brier; it represents curling supremacy. After the Brier, all that remains are the fine memories and the Heart.
Every competitive male curler dreams of playing in the Brier. The Brier is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. The Brier is the Stanley Cup, the Super Bowl, the end all, be all.
Now the new sponsors of the Brier have created a new symbol that they are incorporating into a crest. The new crest does not resemble the Heart, although they have tried to keep the coveted Heart by placing its design in the centre of this new symbol. This new creation destroys the image that has been established from 50 years of annual competition. Every curler in Canada identifies with the Purple Heart; it is the symbol of excellence.
Labatt’s sponsorship is a welcome addition to the game. However, curling has established legends built around the Heart. You can do anything with the design of the Heart but don’t mess with the winner, the Heart of the game.
The paper was the final straw. “When we saw that newspaper, we realized just how important the Purple Heart was,” said Bradbeer. “It wasn’t that we were being stubborn, it was another case of not realizing the importance the curlers put on it.”
Labatt reissued the crest in the famous shape and colour to the delight of all. All the players from the1980 Brier—the first sponsored by Labatt—ended up with two crests: the Purple Heart and the Doily, now a rare collector’s item.
Curling Quote
“His sister said the car looked like it had hit a moose. So I guess John is built like a moose.”
—Kevin Martin on his third, John Morris, who was hit by a car just days before the start of the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier
AMERICAN SUCCESS
Bob Nichols and Bill Strum have won more World Curling Championships than any other Americans, with three wins to their credit. That’s quite an achievement considering the U.S.A. has won the world title just four times.
THE MANITOBA BONSPIEL
The Manitoba Bonspiel, also known as the MCA after the Manitoba Curling Association, which runs the event, dates back to 1884 when the first bonspiel in Winnipeg was held. There were 65 teams from all over the province at that first event, which led to the formal start to the Manitoba Bonspiel, which began five years later and continues to this day. Notes about the famed event:
• In the early days, the event became so popular that for several years, the sitting of the Manitoba Legislature was cancelled due to the inability to get a quorum; so many members were on the ice.
• In 1988, to celebrate the bonspiel’s centennial, an all-out effort to attract teams produced the largest field ever for a curling event—1,280 teams.
• The event is open to all teams of male curlers, and there are regular entrants from across Canada, the United States, Europe, and Asia.
• Entries into the provincial championship are awarded to the top finishers in the bonspiel.
• In recent years, the number of teams in the bonspiel has dropped and there was discussion about allowing women to enter but that was never passed by organizers.
• Even with the drop in teams, the Manitoba Bonspiel