Veteran still has fuel in the tank

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This article was published 06/03/2018 (3010 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — James Grattan regrets nothing, although the “what ifs” creep into his thoughts from time to time.

Grattan, 43, is one of those familiar faces at the Brier. He hasn’t been around for a few years, but he’s back — after a three-year absence — competing this week in his 12th Canadian men’s curling championship, shepherding a first-year team out of the Gage Golf & Curling Club in Oromocto, N.B.

Grattan’s never won one. Never been in a Brier final. He won’t win this one, either.

But it’s difficult for purists of the the game and everyday fans not to pull for Grattan, affectionally tagged with the nickname “Jimmy the Kid” when he was a young shot caller and later when he tossed third stones for curling legend Russ Howard early in the new millennium.

Grattan, who went into Tuesday night’s game against Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers with an all-time Brier record of 64-67 (36-48 as as skip), isn’t that free space on the Brier bingo card.

Never has been, said Mark Nichols, third for Brad Gushue of Team Canada.

“James is a great player, great shot maker, knows the game, “ Nichols said. “He manages his team really well and can get the most out of them. He’s gone on a few fantastic runs. It’s a credit to him. And he’s still chugging away, too, still playing really well. It’s great to see him back.”

Grattan nearly bagged a national junior title in 1995, burst onto the men’s scene two years later and lost in the Brier semifinals to Vic Peters of Winnipeg and has banged on the door of the playoffs a couple of times since, and even curled in an Olympic trials event with the legendary Howard brothers, Russ and Glenn.

He did it all while curling out of a Canadian cubby hole like New Brunswick, a province that has yet to produce a Brier winner.

He’s a military brat, born and raised in Ottawa, who moved to the Fredericton area with his family when he was about 15. Grattan said he kicked and screamed all the way to the Maritimes, but has yet to leave.

That was more than 25 years ago. He stayed put, curling locally, playing in bonspiels sporadically and wearing the Purple Heart with pride.

There are times when he wonders what might have been, had he bolted back to Ontario or to a curling mecca such as Manitoba.

“No regrets. But I think of ‘what ifs’ a lot,” Grattan said, a staffer with Air Canada and a married father of two busy pre-teens. “There was a point in my life, especially after the ’97 Brier, where I had enough stature and clout to get on a team that wanted to tour and do what I wanted to do.

“I’ve always been one of those guys that was a curling geek, I’ve always lived and breathed it. It’s just that with a little province like ours, it’s hard to find four guys that are going to commit to the same level as me.”

After losing the ’95 Canadian junior championship to Manitoba’s Chris Galbraith, Grattan put together a Saint John lineup two years later that ignited the Calgary Brier. He had Charles Sullivan Jr. playing third stones, Daryell Nowlan and Jeff Lacey on the front end, and the relative youngsters surged to an 8-3 round-robin record to finish third.

They even swept Ed (the Wrench) Werenich to the sidelines before getting nipped by Peters 6-5 in an extra end.

There were some lean years after that, until he formed an alliance with Howard when the two-time world champion relocated to Moncton. They played together for five seasons (2002-06), with Grattan playing third, capturing five provincial titles. They hooked up again in 2009 for another run at a national crown, but fell short in Calgary.

Grattan said he would have hit the road if Howard hadn’t shown up.

“I think so. I was ready to move on,” Grattan said. “But Russ moved to the province and I took advantage of playing with a guy with so much knowledge. I spent six seasons with that guy and sucked all the knowledge I could out of him.

“We were always in the mix, tie-breakers, 3 vs. 4 games — we had some bad luck in those — but always right in there, which gives you some solace.”

As recently as four years ago, prior to the start of the Olympic cycle, he considered being an import on a competitive team in Ontario.

“(His thinking was) I’m getting up in age and I’m going to have a last kick at the can here, at a Brier… and I did talk to some people in Ontario and that was going to be my move and try to put something together,” Grattan said. “I don’t know. Family and work and stuff like that tugged at me a little bit harder.”

Grattan has skipped a New Brunswick team at five of the last eight Briers, and is in Regina this year with third Chris Jeffrey, second Andy McCann and lead Peter Case.

Right now, he’s excited about this new collection of curlers. They played seven events this year and have committed to a more hectic schedule for the 2018-19 season.

“I’m really happy with what I’ve found in these guys. We’re all kind of at the same stage in life and ready to do a little more,” he said, noting that losing out at the provincials the past three years was tough on the psyche.

“I missed it. I hated watching the Brier (on TV) when I wasn’t in it. I’ve been here so many times and have a lot of respect for this event.”

“I still feel like Jimmy the Kid when I’m out there.”

jason.bell@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @WFPJasonBell