A look back at the MCA Bonspiel

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/02/2026 (181 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For many years, the annual Manitoba Curling Association bonspiel, known as the MCA, was labelled as the oldest, the largest, the greatest in the curling world. It ran every January, often into February, and it roots can be traced back to 1889, to what was called the annual bonspiel of the Manitoba Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. That bonspiel continued until 1907.

The first MCA bonspiel was held in 1908 and continued until 2013. What is now known as the Manitoba Open began in 2014. The current format is much different with a main bonspiel, a half-spiel, and a one-day fun event for new curlers. Jay Kinnaird’s rink from Virden was the 2026 winner of the Open.

In a history of the bonspiel researched by several curling historians for Curl Manitoba, it was determined that in 1906 the winner of the most games in the open events would be proclaimed bonspiel champion and the Grand Aggregate winner. This tradition continued until 2009 when there was a format change for the bonspiel, from two open events to one.

The Strathcona club, which was once located on Furby Place, but no longer exists, produced the most Grand Aggregate champions. The Granite was second and the Thistle third. Topping the list from Strathcona is Ken Watson, who would belong on any Mount Rushmore of Manitoba curlers. He skipped his first aggregate championship team in 1939 and won six in a row from 1942 to 1947. His brother Grant curled third. Gordon Hudson skipped four aggregate champions from the Strathcona and one earlier in his career while curling in Kenora. In 1941, the aggregate was a three-way tie between Hudson and clubmates Bob Gourley and Leo Johnson. Gordon’s son Bruce skipped a Strathcona winner in 1961.

Mac Scales of Strathcona twice tied for the bonspiel championship. In 1953, Bobby Dunbar of St. Paul, Minn., came north and tied Scales, and in 1957 Omer Van Walleghem and his team from Heather shared the title. Scales also won the 1960 aggregate.

Howard Wood won four between 1911 to 1915 while playing third for Mac Braden from the Thistle. After moving to the Granite, the curler later called Pappy skipped aggregate winners in 1925, 1930, 1933 and 1940. His son, Howie Jr., skipped a bonspiel champion from the Granite in 1954. In 1955, Norm Houck of the Granite shared the championship with Bill (Garbage Mitts) Sharpe from Manitou. With the Granite as his home club, Sharpe won again in 1959. Don Duguid skipped three aggregate champions in 1963, 1969 and 1970, when his Granite team later won the world championship. Duguid’s son Dale, from Valour Road, captured the aggregate in 1994.

Playing out of Assiniboine Memorial, Kerry Burtnyk, with Jeff Ryan at third, won five aggregates in 1985, 1986, 1997, 1998 and 2001. Ryan won his first in 1981 while skipping a team from Deer Lodge.

Twelve Manitoba clubs from outside the city produced bonspiel champions. Ab (Spats) Gowanlock won three while representing Glenboro in the 1930s and a fourth for Dauphin in 1956. Brandon curlers never won the aggregate, but it went as far north as Swan River when Brian White, future MP for Dauphin-Swan River, skipped his team to victory in 1980.

In looking at the bonspiel history, five Winnipeg clubs added to their laurels with a single grand aggregate. Dr. Bill McTavish and his Elmwood team of Norm Hume, Gord Lillyman and Ken Conn went through the MCA undefeated in 1950, winning both the Birks and Eaton events. Hersh Lerner of the Maple Leaf in 1964, Roy Wiebe of Victoria in 1968, Bill Walsh Jr. of Fort Rouge in 1974, and Mike Riley from Pembina in 1988 were the others.

To be the bonspiel champion in 1988, the 100th anniversary, had to be a very special accomplishment for Riley and his team of Doug Harrison, Russ Wookey and Terry Henry. That year the bonspiel had a record number of teams – 1,280. Riley won the Free Press main event over 1966 and 1972 aggregate winner Clare DeBlonde of Heather, while Burtnyk took the Eaton final over 1979 and 1984 champion John Bubbs of Wildwood.

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Heather Helston, who died on Jan. 5, spent more than 35 years as a dedicated volunteer for the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum. In her role as curator, she spent countless hours documenting Manitoba’s rich curling history. To honour her, the board of directors has established a Heather Helston Memorial Fund to continue preserving our province’s curling heritage. Contact mbcurlmuseum@gmail.com for more information.

On the ice, Heather curled lead on the team from the Heather skipped by Dorothy McKenzie that won the provincial ladies championship in 1977. If I may add a personal comment, Heather was very helpful when June Graham and I went to her for advice and direction when we were developing the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame and Museum.