Back in the Brier with a bang

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This article was published 05/03/2021 (1688 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canadian curling icon Wayne Middaugh is about to put his Hall-of-Fame game back on display, five years after he tossed a rock of any consequence.

The three-time Canadian and world men’s champion is on board with Glenn Howard’s crew from Penetanguishene, Ont., as the alternate for the 2021 Brier.

But Middaugh isn’t just a backup plan. He is the plan.

With Howard still on the mend after a snowmobile crash earlier this winter, Middaugh, a former teammate and one of his best buddies, will skip Team Wild Card 3 in the Calgary bubble at WinSport Arena on the grounds of Canada Olympic Park.

The 53-year-old manager of the Port Carling Golf & Country Club in the Muskokas said he’s stoked about the assignment, despite the less-than-ideal circumstances.

“Never again. Never did it cross my mind that I’d be playing in a Brier, and from that point it’s pretty exciting. I dreamed my whole life of playing in Briers and now here I am again,” Middaugh told the Free Press on Friday, with a hint of astonishment in his voice. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity.

“That was a weird conversation to have with Glenn. One minute you’re worried about your friend and hoping he’s doing OK, and the next minute he wants me to play in the Brier for him. And here we are. I’m honestly, flat-out really excited to go out and play, and see if there’s any magic left in the old guy.”

Middaugh, inducted to the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 2020, is backed by Howard’s son, Scott, at third, second David Mathers and lead Tim March. The squad received a Brier invite based on the Canadian Team Ranking System, after the Ontario playdowns were cancelled, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Howard, who broke “more than one rib and less than 10” and cracked his sternum about five weeks ago, is throwing rocks but is a long way from heaving the hard stuff.

“The way it looks I’m probably not going to play at all. I’m feeling really good from the accident but I’ve had very limited play. So, to say I’m ready is a far cry,” said Howard, 58, who won two world titles with Middaugh and a pair without. “Wayner is ready to go. We’ve put him through the ringer the last month at home and he’s good to go, so it makes total sense.

“We’re here to try and win this thing, and the best chance is with Wayner skipping.”

This is Middaugh’s 10th career national men’s championship but first since 2013 when he played third for Howard in Edmonton.

Five years ago, he faced the grim prospect of never playing again after a serious skiing accident left him with a broken leg in 11 places, requiring the surgical placement of a 15-inch titanium rod in his tibia.

“I’ve come pretty far. It was two years before I could walk normal. I’ve recovered well,” he said. “To think I’m going to out and curl 14 games is something I never thought of. But now I’m doing everything I can to be as ready as I can, and helpful for the team.”

The Howard gang had the luxury of another night of rest at the hotel and was scheduled to open Saturday morning against Greg Skauge of Northwest Territories in preliminary round-robin action in deep and disturbing Pool A.

Mike McEwen of East St. Paul, skipping Wild Card 1, called it “the pool of death” earlier this week.

Only four out of Howard, McEwen, Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher (who has lost the last three Brier finals), world No.1-ranked Brad Jacobs of Northern Ontario, Manitoba’s Jason Gunnlaugson, British Columbia’s Steven Laycock, James Grattan of New Brunswick, Yukon’s Dustin Mikkelsen and Skauge will advance to the championship round.

McEwen and Grattan collide this morning, while Gunnlaugson meets Bottcher.

Middaugh hasn’t competed since 2016 but stuck close to the game, coaching Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg— the world’s No.1-ranked women’s team — the last three seasons.

He’s not at all fazed by his lack of recent experience, nor should he be, said Howard.

“He would have won a ton of curling games had he not broken his leg. To see him back here is something special. There is a spark in his eye, he’s so competitive. He’s going out there to win this Brier,” said Howard. “His talent is incredible and he doesn’t need to throw 1,000 rocks a day to be good and he knows that, because he’s got it between the ears.

“He’s going to go out there and give it 150 per cent to win every game. He said to me, ‘Glenn, I’m not going there to finish second.’ Who knows what happens, but I guarantee he’s going to play well. So, for him to be back at a Brier is really, really cool to see. And don’t count him out, don’t count out Wild Card 3.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPJasonBell