Manitoba starts uh-0 and 2

Weird week ahead for Canada’s Morris

CALGARY — He’s skipping the defending champion, even though he lost last year’s Brier final.

And while he’s lived in Calgary for years, he’s not considered the home team this week.

It’s going to be, in other words, a very weird Brier for John Morris.

“It’s a little different this week, for sure,” Morris, who is skipping the first Team Canada entry at the Brier, said at the Scotiabank Saddledome Saturday after an opening draw 6-4 victory over Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers.

Morris skipped runner-up B.C. at last year’s Brier, losing the final to Alberta’s Kevin Koe. But when Calgary’s Koe and his team — third Pat Simmons, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen — broke up after last season, Morris was brought in to skip the defending champion.

Then, in another twist, Koe formed a new team and promptly won Alberta all over again this winter, creating the strange situation where Koe’s here this week playing against his own defending champion team.

So, who’s the home team at a Calgary Brier when there are two skips from Calgary in it? Morris says it’s undeniably Koe, but he feels like his team’s a close second. “We’re at home, but I don’t think we’re at home as much as Alberta is,” says Morris. “But we’re all from Alberta. I have a lot of family and friends here and we’re playing in the Saddledome in Calgary.

“So I don’t know how much more at home we could get.”

Wearing Canada colours at a curling event is nothing new for Morris, who’s a two-time Canadian junior champion, two-time Brier champion and Olympic gold medallist. But he concedes putting the Maple Leaf on this week didn’t feel the same as the other times.

“It was different for sure,” said Morris. “You’d obviously prefer to win and earn it yourself. But under the circumstances, I’m really happy the guys chose me. It’s different than when I put it on with Kevin (Martin) and in juniors.

“But what can you do but wear it with pride and do your darndest to win a championship for your country.”

Memorable debut

Colin Hodgson made his Brier debut a memorable one.

The 24-year-old Manitoba lead — the only member of Reid Carruthers’ squad without previous Brier experience — won the pre-event skills competition Saturday morning, defeating Saskatchewan lead Dallan Muyres 26-16 in the final to win a two-year lease on a truck.

“I can fit my car in the back of it — so I’m pretty excited about that,” Hodgson said of his new vehicle.

Hodgson was asked how he intends to split the proceeds of a two-year truck lease with his Manitoba teammates. “I have absolutely no idea. I didn’t expect to go win that.”

Hodgson said he was thankful for the opportunity to work through some Brier jitters and build some confidence before his team opened its round-robin Saturday with games against Canada’s Morris and Saskatchewan’s Steven Laycock.

“It feels good. It totally calmed my nerves and I’m really grateful for the opportunity to get the nerves out of the way early.”

Casey gets P.E.I. in

Prince Edward Island’s Adam Casey was the winner of the first-ever Brier pre-qualifying round, advancing to play in this year’s round robin with a 7-6 extra-end victory over Yukon’s Robert Smallwood in Saturday afternoon’s pre-qualifier final.

With the loss, Yukon joined Nova Scotia as the two teams eliminated before this year’s Brier even began.

Smallwood said he felt like his team did all they could to secure a berth. “It was (disappointing). What team that represents their territory or province doesn’t want to play for a Canadian championship,” said Smallwood.

On the flip side, Casey said he felt the weight of an entire province lifted from his shoulders when his team advanced. “It’s a big relief.”

— Wiecek