Getting the call to the Manitoba curling hall

Derek Samagalski expected the worst when he answered his phone on the morning of Jan. 2.

The caller ID read Peter Nicholls — a name that didn’t register immediately — and when Nicholls said he was with Curl Manitoba, Samagalski went from curious to uneasy.

“I thought our team did something wrong in provincials, like I’m getting a smack on the wrist, because I’m like, ‘Why is Curl Manitoba calling me mid-event?’” Samagalski recalled.

Samagalski was in Rivers coaching Team Kate Cameron at the Manitoba women’s curling championship. A call from the host organization at that time would normally mean something was wrong.

Samagalski was pleased to find out he was contacted for celebratory reasons, not disciplinary.

It was his call to the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame.

“As a kid, we all grow up maybe playing in a provincial or one day maybe playing in a Brier, and I’ve obviously had a very fortunate, very successful career where I’ve played with a lot of great skips and I’ve had the chance to compete in numerous Briers,” he said.

“To be inducted into the Hall of Fame with some of Manitoba’s greatest curlers of all time, it’s a pretty cool feeling.”

The 41-year-old will be enshrined in the province where he’s made waves for the last 15 years on the front end of some dominant teams.

The Winnipeg product — who now resides in Carberry — has found his way to the top of the provincial podium more times than many can dream of, winning six Manitoba men’s championships, a mixed championship and a mixed doubles championship.

While Samagalski can recite a few moments that made each victory special, one of the first events that comes to mind is the 2019 provincial championship in Virden, where the winning team earned the right to wear the Buffalo jacket at the Brier, held in Brandon that year.

Samagalski was the second on a dangerous foursome out of the West St. Paul Curling Club — including skip Mike McEwen, third Reid Carruthers and lead Colin Hodgson — that went on to defeat Willie Lyburn.

“That was pretty special for me because I lived in Brandon for three years at the time and my house was literally four blocks from the arena,” he said. “Having a hometown Brier, that one was a little extra special. I remember being a little more fired up because you are the hometown and you have a lot of people behind you.”

Samagalski will be honoured and officially inducted on May 2 at the Victoria Inn, alongside a legendary cast of five teams and one other athlete — the 2008 and 2009 iterations of Team Kaitlyn Lawes, the 2013 and 2016 squads of Team Matt Dunstone, the 2009 version of Team Sean Grassie, and Carruthers, who is a particularly meaningful fellow inductee to Samagalski.

Samagalski and Carruthers first linked up as 21-year-olds fresh out of the junior ranks and went on to play more than 13 years together on the men’s circuit, winning five provincial championships.

They became one of the most recognizable pairs in the country — certainly in the province — much like Vic Peters and Chris Neufeld, Jennifer Jones and Jill Officer, or Darcy (Robertson) and Barb (Spencer) Kirkness.

Neither player’s career could be written without the other, and just like the duos that preceded them, they will be inducted together.

“I wouldn’t have been inducted (individually) without Derek,” said Carruthers, who was inducted as a member of Jeff Stoughton’s 2011 world championship team.

“He’s been a part of basically any of my curling accomplishments. He helped me be better, and I would like to think vice versa. We grew in the sport together, so it’s pretty awesome to be able to be inducted with him in the same year. It’s gonna be fun at the banquet, I’ll say that, for sure.”

Added Samagalski: “Reid and I have been good buds forever, and I’ve been fortunate that him and I have stuck together. We’ve had a good, successful career together. It’s going to be a pretty cool feeling when him and I are getting in there together (after) everything we’ve been through.”

Carruthers boasts a long list of accomplishments regionally, winning the junior men’s, mixed, mixed doubles and nine men’s championships during his illustrious career.

While his enshrinement as a team member isn’t lost on the 41-year-old, Carruthers had hoped he would be inducted as an individual. He confessed he didn’t think it would come so soon.

“Manitoba is a very historic curling province, with very strong curling roots, and there have been hundreds and hundreds of amazing curlers over the years,” he said. “To come out of Manitoba and to just be named as one of them, to be a Hall of Famer, I’m speechless.”

While winning the Brier and the worlds with Stoughton will always be near the top of his list, Carruthers said he believes his time as a coach has also helped earn him this honour.

Carruthers has most notably helped Team Kerri Einarson — which he still coaches — to two gold medals at the Canadian women’s championships and a pair of bronze medals at the world championships.

His mind also goes to the numerous young curlers he’s influenced throughout his career, privately or through junior camps.

“To see and compete against them, that’s a highlight for me, too, because maybe I helped make that happen,” he said. “We want to see this sport grow.”

Samagalski will play in his 10th Brier next month as the skip for Nunavut, which he joined after last season ended.

Carruthers will attempt to reach his 14th when he takes the pebble at next month’s provincial championship.

Samagalski will quietly be rooting for his friend to triumph once again. It could produce a storybook ending at this year’s Brier between two longtime pals who will later be immortalized for their storied careers.

“It would be pretty cool too if his team has a good provincials and can win, and, who knows, maybe him and I square off for the Brier one last time,” Samagalski said. “It would just be kind of a cool thing, how we’ve always been on the same team and now, all of a sudden, we’re at the Brier and we’re skipping against each other.”

Top seeds revealed

Carruthers, Jordon McDonald, Braden Calvert, Brett Walter and Tanner Lott are the top five seeds at next month’s men’s provincial championship in Selkirk.

Carruthers, the defending champion, with third BJ Neufeld, second Catlin Schneider, lead Connor Njegovan and alternate Kyle Doering is the top seed.

McDonald, third Jacques Gauthier, second Elias Huminicki and lead Cam Olafson are the second seed. The foursome is ranked 12th in the CTRS.

Calvert — the runner-up last year — with third Corey Chambers, second Kyle Kurz, lead Brendan Bilawka and alternate Rob Gordon, is the third seed.

The fourth seed is Walter, with third Julien Leduc, second Graham McFarlane and lead Hugh McFarlane.

Lott, third Riley Smith, second Adam Flatt, lead Sean Flatt and alternate Justin Twiss are the fifth seed.

This year’s provincial will mark a significant change, as the field has been reduced from 32 to 24 teams — the fewest in 60 years — and the format switches from a double knockout to a triple knockout, with eight teams advancing to the championship round.

Manitoba will have two teams at the Brier in St. John’s, N.L., as Dunstone has received an automatic berth.

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