1999 Brier
SLAM! Sports
SLAM! Curling
1999 BRIER
ON THE ROCKS
INTERACTIVE
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Moffatt silent, but deadly
Hey, he sure isn't a Dennis Rodman, and neither are his teammates.
There's little chance that the Moff Squad will become fan favourites at the Brier in Edmonton like Guy Hemmings did last year in the 'Peg.
But being reserved, and being an unknown in Alberta, will work to Moffatt's advantage during his quest for a national title in his first Brier.
Sure, there will be pressure to succeed. But there will be no expectation from the fans at the Skyreach Centre for Moffatt to win.
That bodes well for him and teammates Howard Rajala, Chris Fulton, Paul Madden and fifth man Brian Lewis.
It's the same scenario which greeted another unknown named Mike Harris when his team showed up in Brandon for the '97 Olympic Trials.
After Harris won his first game of the tournament, the TV lenses and microphones surrounded not him but the man he beat, former world champ Kerry Burtnyk.
The snub was completely welcomed by Harris, who didn't want anything to do with the limelight.
"Fine by me," was what Harris said. "It's better to be lowkey. I think half the crowd came here to watch him win, and the other half came to watch me lose."
But Harris kept winning, which meant eventually that he couldn't avoid the spotlight, especially when it became obvious that his team was threatening to win the whole thing, which it did.
Moffatt views his situation at this Brier in the identical way Harris approached his game in Brandon.
When he leaves the ice following tomorrow's game against Saskatchewan, there won't be many reporters waiting for his views -- win or lose. The spotlight will be on a few sheets over where home-town hero Ken Hunka will be trying to upset pre-tournament favourite Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba.
But if Moffatt wins three of his first four games, his low-key status is guaranteed to change.
The folks at the Rideau Curling Club prepared Moffatt for the spotlight Tuesday night at the club during a pre-tournament farewell send-off, which turned into a roast.
Moffatt was relentlessly teased about his reputation of being a slowpoke. Weren't time clocks introduced to curling because of him?
He took the ribbing well, and even gave his friends an indication that he's ready to play it up for the cameras in Edmonton.
He was asked to pick a ticket out of a jar during a 50/50 draw. Pulling the ticket out, Moffatt grabbed his right arm, the one he uses to throw rocks, pretending he was hurt. Right on cue, Moffatt's spare, Brian Lewis, pumped his fist in the air and cheered for his chance to play in place of the wounded skip.
The skit was out of character for Moffatt. But his friends loved it.
They'll probably like the way he plays in Edmonton.
The talent is there to win the national title. And it looks like Moffatt is taking the right attitude and personality with him, too.