4 + one fifth = ton of fun

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/03/2010 (5990 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HALIFAX — It’s one of the unique positions in sport, like the backup goalie or clipboard quarterback in football, and Randy Dutiaume has made an art of being the fifth man.

Dutiaume is listed as Team Manitoba alternate at this week’s Brier and to watch him work the room one would think they were watching Kevin Martin walk around with his gold medal around his neck.

Everyone knows him, everyone has something to whisper into his ear and lots of folks want an autograph. He’s the fifth Beatle.

“He’s just a great guy to hang around with. He’s got great energy and he does anything and everything for you. He never questions any of your requests, he just gets it done. He stays in the background and he’s a fun guy. We enjoy his company and hopefully he enjoys ours,” says Manitoba skip Jeff Stoughton, who has brought Dutiaume along to four Briers and two Olympic Trial events.

“Both him and Norm (coach Norm Gould) can lighten up the atmosphere. The best is when they are trying to be serious and that makes us laugh because they hardly ever do that for real.”

Dutiaume is still a fine curler in his own right and won the province in 2005 before making big noise at the Brier, finishing the week with an 8-3 record and bowing out in the playoffs.

“That was when the hockey strike was on and the people of Edmonton were starved to get into something and the crowds were awesome. Unbelievable,” said Dutiaume, 47, a father of two and owner-operator of Van-Gar Rink Supplies.

For Dutiaume, if he can’t get to the Brier as a skip with his own team, making the journey as a fifth is still a worthwhile experience.

“This is without question the next best thing to playing here. I have no stress. The biggest stress I have is wondering what size of diaper I have to get for the boys when I tuck them in at night,” said Dutiaume, with a snicker. “It’s great. I have the best seats in the house and I get to hear everything.”

Dutiaume’s duties as an alternate are myriad. He needs to be ready to go in and play any position should one of the regulars get hurt and he acts as part caddy, part motivator and part analyst. His opinion gets asked now and again and he needs to have been watching to throw an informed opinion.

“I’m an early riser. I start texting these guys and we meet for breakfast and then talk about the day ahead. We’ll talk about the previous day and discuss a plan for that day,” tells Dutiaume. “Norm and I have designed duties for what we’re going to do. I’ll carry out the broom bag. He’ll take the brooms out. I’ll go for drinks for the guys. One guy will want a banana and another will want coffee. Lots of running back and forth. My busy times are before games, the fifth-end break and after the games when I have to clean up after the guys.”

It’s not all work, however, and Dutiaume is more than a bit famous for having some fun.

“After a game, the coach (Norm Gould) and I will go for a debrief (read beer) at one of the local establishments and discuss what we will do for the next game,” said Dutiaume. “We’ll talk a bit about the next game but it’s also a chance to get out and see the town and have some fun. This is an absolutely fantastic town. I take time off work for this and you want to enjoy it.”

Stoughton has continued to ask Dutiaume to come along but should someone else win the province and need a fifth, for Dutiaume, it’s have broom will travel.

“I probably would. As much as I’m the fifth here and part of Team Manitoba here, once I got back to Winnipeg, I’m part of Team Randy Dutiaume. If somebody else came and asked me to be a fifth, I think it would be a smart thing because of how much there is to learn here,” said Dutiaume.

“I can help with the ice, the atmosphere, when is a good night to go to the Patch and when is a bad time to go. It’s a grind. Nobody wins the Brier on the first Sunday, they win it on the second. There are peaks and valleys.”

So far Dutiaume has a perfect record as a fifth when it comes to participation and that’s an 0-fer.

“I’ve never gone in. And I don’t want to either,” said Dutiaume. “I have my tasks. About a week ago Steve (Gould) was saying his knee was sore and that I might have to go in. I said, ‘you’ve just ruined my entire Brier experience.’ I want to stay behind the bench, I don’t want to go out and throw stones.”

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Brier in a box

HALIFAX — A recap of Team Manitoba’s Day 2 at the Brier:

Straighten up and fly right: After splitting games on Saturday and not playing particularly well, Manitoba grabbed a pair of victories on Sunday to leave the weekend sitting 3-1.

Draw 3: Jeff Stoughton and his crew opened fast against P.E.I., scoring four in the second and then stretching out to a 9-4 win.

Draw 5: After jumping out to a 4-1 on New Brunswick, Stoughton got a little hot after giving up two in the fifth. The skip picked up a drink on the bench and slammed it down. The move caught the attention of his team and they steamed to an 8-4 win.

The quote: “The skipper got a little upset with himself after missing three of his last shots in a row,” said Stoughton, when quizzed about his snit. “I got rid of the rock. It was probably psychological but I did it anyway. I gave it to (lead Steve Gould) Steve. Now both his rocks are perfect.”

Where are the Bisons?: Crowds have been so-so at Halifax’s Metro Centre with few draws getting close to the listed capacity of 9,500 for curling. But they have featured lots of Moose calls for Northern Ontario, huge roars for the Maritime rinks and lots of hooting for Quebec. Manitoba’s fans have been awfully quiet.

Up next: This is a quiet day for Manitoba. They play Quebec in the afternoon draw at 1 p.m.

Standings

Province (skip) W L

Alberta (K.Koe) 3 0

Ontario (G.Howard) 3 0

Manitoba (Stoughton) 3 1

N.L. (Gushue) 2 1

Saskatchewan (McKee) 2 1

Quebec (Reid) 2 1

New Brunswick (Grattan) 2 2

Northern Ont. (Jacobs) 2 2

B.C. (Richard) 1 2

N.S. (Fitzner-Leblanc) 0 3

P.E.I. (MacDonald) 0 3

NWT/Yukon (J.Koe) 0 4

Sunday Results

Third Draw

Manitoba 9 Prince Edward Island 4

Ontario 9 Northern Ontario 4

Quebec 7 Yukon/Northwest Terr. 3

Saskatchewan 7 New Brunswick 4

Fourth Draw

Alberta 9 Prince Edward Island 4

Newfoundland & Labrador 11 Saskatchewan 5

Ontario 7 British Columbia 6

Quebec 8 Nova Scotia 7

Fifth Draw

Alberta 7 Newfoundland & Labrador 6

Manitoba 8 New Brunswick 4

Northern Ontario 9 NWT/ Yukon 5

British Columbia 9 Nova Scotia 5

Saturday Results

First Draw

Alberta 9 Northern Ontario 6

Manitoba 8 British Columbia 7 (extra end)

New Brunswick 8 Nova Scotia 6

Newfoundland & Labrador 8 Yukon/Northwest Territories 5

Second Draw

New Brunswick 10 Yukon/Northwest Terr. 3

Northern Ontario 8 Manitoba 5

Ontario 8 Quebec 3

Saskatchewan 7 Prince Edward Island 6