1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
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Stoughton keeping both feet firmly planted on the ice
Stoughton and his Winnipeg foursome have been picked by most as an early favourite at the 1999 Labatt Brier.
But Stoughton, the 1996 Brier winner in an extra-end thriller over Alberta's Kevin Martin, is not taking anything for granted.
"It's a little flattering, I guess," Stoughton, 35. "But like every other rink coming to Edmonton, we start with a one in 12 chance of winning it."
Stoughton and his rink of third Jonathan Mead, second Garry Van Den Berghe and lead Doug Armstrong begin their quest for a second title on Saturday (3 p.m. EST, TSN) against Northern Ontario's Scott Patterson and then Alberta's Ed Hunka and his Edmonton rink.
"We've got two tough games to open with," said Stoughton. "We all know there can be a lot of ups and downs during a game and the week, so it's just a matter of keeping an even keel.
"And we want to make sure we're having some fun. It's a stressful enough week as it is so there's no sense not enjoying the entire event."
His rink is coming off a strong season on the cashspiel circuit, having made it to four finals and winning one of them.
Besides Stoughton there are several other rinks in the Brier field which should help it live up to its billing as the Last Shootout of the Century.
Wild-haired Quebec skip Guy Hemmings, who lost in last year's final to Wayne Middaugh of Ontario, is back.
So is Russ Howard -- for the first time since losing in the final in Red Deer in 1994 -- who's now representing New Brunswick after moving there to become director of golf and sales at a new golf course near Moncton.
Bert Gretzinger, who has been to five Briers -- winning as a second for Rick Folk in 1994 -- is carrying British Columbia's colours for the first time as a skip.
"Now I'll have a little better appreciation of what I put Rick through all of those times," he said. "It's neat to finally do it as a skip. I lost three provincial finals as a skip in the last 1970s and early 1980s before I joined up with Rick.
"It was always a void in my career. I was always very close to taking my own team to a Brier and never quite doing it."
Howard, 43, a two-time Brier winner for Ontario who dominated Canadian curling in the late 1980s and first half of the 1990s is thrilled to be heading back to Edmonton -- the site of his first title in 1987.
He is attempting to win New Brunswick's first title and become just the fourth skip to win three national titles.
"This whole thing has been a whirlwind," said Howard, who announced his rink in late November. "We didn't throw a rock together until the second week of December, it's really quite phenomenal.
"I can't remember just putting together a team and landing a berth at the Brier. It could be a detriment because we'd certainly liked to have had more games together."
But Howard, who was beginning to wonder if he'd ever make it back to a Brier, said the team has quickly gelled and gets along well both on and off the ice.
"In 1987 we had a similar team to this year," he said. "We've got guys who rise to the occasion."