Last Day Of Regular Round Robin at Brier

Martin Crete of Team Quebec. Most likely choked on a tonsil a couple of days this week as he and his team look to scream their way into the playoffs. They are up 6 - 4 against Alberta's Kevin Koe as I type this. Me, being a die-hard Gushue fan, will require a loss by Team Quebec AND a loss by Saskatchewan for the Gush to make a tie breaker. With Gushue at 5 losses, the loss of Saskatchewan and Quebec would bring them also to 5 losses and force a tie-breaker. It seems to be a tall order. With Gushue's fate in the hands of James Gratten and Kevin Koe, all he can do is sit and wait for it all to unfold.

I had hoped to see Greg Balsdon and his Ontario rink beat Saskatchewan yesterday evening and he had a shot to do it in the 8th with a straight forward double for 4. He set it out and only scored one. That was the epitome of an anticlimax for me but that's curling....the game of missed opportunities.

Meanwhile, the Dominion Club Championships are being held at the BRCC this weekend. Play kicked off today. Two BRCC teams are in this regional playdown...Team Anita Moran for the ladies and Team Dave Mitchell for the mens. Good luck to both these squads.

Check out the BRCC this weekend for some good curling.

Rock On!

The Curling Chronic

Gushue's "Unbrier"

I know what you're thinking. What is a picture of a sinking ship doing on a curling blog? Well, metaphorically, that is the Gushue sinking ship. You will  notice that it is not fully under water yet but it sure is close to the point of no return. And so is Gushue. With 4 losses in the Brier, the NL squad is in tough. If not already too late, it certainly will be too late if this squad sustains any more losses. And to make matters worse, Gushue will be taking on Team Morris in today's first game. Morris is on a roll so the Gush will have to get it together!

I had hoped this was going to be Gushue's Brier. And no doubt, so did he. But, it may not happen this year. In the meantime, Alberta's Team Koe is looking good. And so is Stoughton but I expected them to be at the top of the leader board. And also no surprise, Morris is in a tie for first as well. The only real surprise here is the dismal showing of Team Gushue. I got an email from a Newfie buddy of mine yesterday, following the loss to Steve Laycock of Team Saskatchewan...to quote my longtime friend..."I am so over Gushue!"

Yes, it has been quite the roller coaster ride with the Gush. But, it's not over for him yet but he has alot of winning to do, moving forward.

Eddie MacKenzie (PEI) had some good games and has become a bit of a crowd favorite...the crowd always cheers an underdog. With relegation staring him in the face, Eddie etal will have to find a way to generate some wins and avoid that nasty business.

I am not a fan of the new relegation system. I think it will be discouraging for the weaker teams. Every province should be able to play in  the National Championship. To punish them undermines the whole spirit of the competition. My opinion is,  if it wasn't broken...why on earth would the CCA try to fix it. Sometimes, I think the CCA is comprised of non-curlers when I think about some of the decisions they make. They are supposed to be hellbent on growing the game...the introduction of the relegation system does little to do that and certainly may have a negative impact on the amount of teams wishing to participate in competitive curling.

So as 11 am nears, I am starting to bite my nails and harbor hope that the Gush can pull this one out. I said in the beginning of the Brier, Gushue's success will depend on the performance of Brett Gallant. I was so right...Brett has been struggling and Gushue (to his credit) had made alot of big shots to bail out the team. There comes a time when the big shot cannot be made and then the game can be lost. Brett Gallant is an excellent player and if he is able to pick up his game, then Team Gushue will be able to stop the Johnny Moe Express.

Rock On!

The Curling Chronic