Gary Ross: the best skip who never won

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This article was published 03/03/2015 (4059 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The list of quality Manitoba skips who have never made it to the Canadian men’s curling championship is lengthy.

After losing in the provincial final five times in the past six years and being knocked out in the semi-final in 2013, Mike McEwen appears to top the list. It’s understandable if McEwen has chosen not to watch the Tim Horton’s Brier being played in Calgary this week ,where Reid Carruthers and his team from West St. Paul is representing Manitoba.

In curling circles Gary Ross has always worn the reluctant crown as best skip to never win the elusive provincial men’s title when the opportunity presented itself. Ross made it to the final six times without a victory, so McEwen needs another loss to share that notoriety.

Playing out of Carman with a team of Chip Hand, Jim Wilkie and Ed Vanstone, Ross lost his first final to Bruce Hudson of Strathcona in 1964. The pair met again in 1967, with Hudson again the victor. Russ Cassidy, whom the hockey community knows as the long-time AAA director for Hockey Winnipeg, had replaced Vanstone at lead. In the 1960s, Ross and Hand were juggling winter sports as they both played for the intermediate Carman Beavers in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League.

In 1972, with his team now registered at the Granite club in Winnipeg, Ross, Hand, Wilkie and new lead Wayne Duncan lost the British Consols final to Orest Meleschuk of Fort Rouge. The Fort Rouge team went on to win the Canadian and world championships. Two years later, Ross with Wilkie at third, new second Gerry Hodson and Duncan lost his fourth final to Danny Hyrich of Belmont. In 1978, Doug Harrison of Heather beat Ross. That final was a battle of former Carman athletes, as Harrison had played for the Carman Goldeyes team that lost in the 1969 Canadian junior baseball final. Curling out of the Miami club at the time, Ross was joined by Hyrich at third, Duncan at second and lead John Allardyce from Winnipeg. Allardyce later co-authored the book, Curling Capital: Winnipeg and the Roarin’ Game 1876-1988, with sports historian Morris Mott, the former NHL player. Ross’s final loss came in 1982 when Mel Logan of Souris beat his Miami team of Dave Romano, Alex Mowat and Duncan. Romano had been Meleschuk’s third in 1972 when they beat Ross.

Ross later lost three provincial senior championships playing for Jim Ursel and a masters final in 2000 with a team he skipped from the Heather. A provincial title finally came in 2001 when he, Winston Warren, Gary Smith and Ken Orr won the senior men’s championship. At the national level, Ross wore the buffalo with distinction as his Granite team won the Canadian title and he was selected as second-team all-star skip. Ross was inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame in 2005.

Memories of Sport appears every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at 204-489-6641 or email: sportsmemories@canstarnews.com