Getting to know each other… from hotel balconies

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This article was published 06/03/2021 (1876 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matt Wozniak didn’t know Casey from Adam.

Wozniak, the sensational second for Team Manitoba, still considers himself a relative newcomer to the group after his recruitment last March.

The two-time provincial men’s champion joined skip Jason Gunnlaugson’s Morris-based team for what was projected to be a hectic 2020-21 season. But in COVID-19’s year of abandoned sport, the foursome — Gunnlaugson, third Adam Casey (an import from Charlottetown, P.E.I.), Wozniak and lead Connor Njegovan — had no opportunity to unite.

Not until the current edition of the Canadian men’s curling championship.

And the early returns Saturday afternoon were ultra-positive, following Manitoba’s impressive 5-4 victory over Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher in the Brier opener for both Pool A teams.

“It felt great. Actually, it felt pretty normal for the first game as a team. I don’t know Adam that well, so we’ve been trying to get to know each other. But on the ice it was pretty seamless,” said Wozniak, 38. “I’ve played against Casey for the better part of 12 years, I’m sure. But we were never super tight on tour. I didn’t know much about him, so it was kind of like a first meeting and our first time curling together.

“(He is) just a great guy to curl with, so easy going, super positive. He wants to win and that’s what we all want to do. Whether we’ve curled together for one game or 1,000 games, we’re just four guys trying to make our shots and help the other guy be his best, too.”

Casey moved up a position after Alex Forrest left the team shortly after the 2020 Brier in Kingston, Ont., to focus on family and work commitments, creating an opening for Wozniak, who spent a decade curling with Mike McEwen.

The Manitoba playdowns were wiped out, so Gunnlaugson was selected as the province’s representative.

Casey said he and Wozniak have made good use of their self-isolation time in neighbouring hotel rooms to get acquainted.

“Woz and I have decks beside each other… so, we were doing two-a-day sessions out on the deck asking all the routine questions, trying to get to know each other. Waving from the balcony, ‘Hi, Matt. I’m Adam.’ We wore name tags the first couple of days…” joked Casey, 31, a long way from home and family — his wife, Tessa, and the couple’s 14-month-old daughter, Rooney.

“It’s been really good. (Wozniak’s) a perfect fit and I’m excited with the group of guys we’ve got.”

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While curlers in central Canada and out west had minimal time to train because clubs were closed, the Maritimer was far more fortunate, owing to his province’s low COVID-19 numbers. Casey maintained he likely practised as much or more than any other Brier competitor, but always on his own.

“The only thing I haven’t done is throw at a broom or have anybody sweep any of my rocks other than myself. But I’ve gotten to practise more than in years past, just from not being on the road (competing). I’ve been able to get out six days a week and get onto some pretty good ice,” he said.

“From my perspective, it was really fortunate that on the East Coast and, specifically, the island, we’ve been maybe not completely COVID-free but very minimal. A couple of restrictions come up really quick, then cases go down and everything opens again.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell