Provincial Pride

Provincial Pride
90 Years of the Manitoba Men’s Curling Championship
By Sean Grassie

Did you know?
In its early years, the Manitoba men’s championship was played in the final days of the MCA
bonspiel.
At one time the championship was a single knockout with over 100 teams.
A team once won the Manitoba title with three players.
The championship was first known as the Macdonald Brier event, then the British Consols, then
the Labatt Tankard, then the Safeway Select, and now the Safeway Championship.
A team with an 18-year-old skip, 17-year-old third, 18-year-old second and 16-year-old lead once
won the Manitoba title.
The Safeway Championship marks its 91 st year in 2015 in Brandon. Yes, times have changed: teams no
longer haul their own rocks to the rinks or play 12-end games. But the glory of winning Manitoba and
representing the province at the Brier drives curlers today in the same way it did in the 1920’s, 30’s,
40’s… This booklet looks at the colourful history of the Safeway Championship, highlighting a few
features from each of its first 90 years. Courtesy of Rick Mutton, a list of Safeway Championship records
is provided in the final pages. Special thanks to Rick, and also to Heather Helston for allowing me to use
photos from the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum.

The 1920’s
1925: Teams reaching the semifinals of the four open events and the visitors’ competition at the MCA
bonspiel play off for the Macdonald Brier trophy. Howard Wood and his rink of John Erzinger, Victor
Wood and Lionel Wood win the single knockout event to become Manitoba’s first provincial curling
champions. As a result, the Granite team earns a two-week all-expenses-paid trip (courtesy of
Macdonald Tobacco) for a series of goodwill curling matches out east. A forerunner to the Brier, the
goodwill tour includes stops in Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton and Detroit.
Manitoba’s first provincial curling champions - Howard Wood team
1926: George Sherwood’s team from the St. John’s club in Winnipeg wins the Macdonald Brier event in
the MCA bonspiel, earning the honour of Manitoba champions. Like Wood’s team, Sherwood’s crew
embarks on an eastern goodwill tour where they capture the major Holt Renfrew trophy in the Quebec
bonspiel and win 18 of 19 games overall on the trip.
1927: Jim Congalton’s Granite team wins the provincial title (the Macdonald Brier trophy at the MCA
bonspiel) in the first year of the Canadian men’s curling championship. However, Congalton loses to

Saskatchewan’s Ossie Barkwell in a best-of-three series at the Granite to determine Western Canada’s
representative at the Brier in Toronto.
1928: The Brier includes teams from all three Prairie provinces. Gordon Hudson’s rink earns the
Manitoba entry with a 7-6 win over Deer Lodge’s Hugh MacDonald at the MCA bonspiel. Hudson’s
Strathcona team of Sam Penwarden, Ron Singbush and Bill Grant become Brier champions after winning
a three-team playoff with Alberta and Toronto (each rink went 7-2).
1929: A Saskatchewan team nearly wins the Manitoba men’s curling title. Ossie Barkwell of Yellow
Grass, Saskatchewan reaches the final of the Macdonald Brier event at the MCA bonspiel before losing
10-9 to Gordon Hudson. In Toronto, Hudson’s team goes 9-0 to win back-to-back Canadian
championships.
(Left) 1929 Brier champions: Gordon
Hudson, Don Rollo, Ron Singbush, Bill
Grant
(Right) Gordon Hudson
The 1930’s
1930: A change in declaring Manitoba’s championship team: the winner of the MCA’s grand aggregate
earns a trip to the Brier. Howard Wood’s Granite team wins the honour. At the Brier, they beat Alberta’s
Bobby Munro 12-9 in a playoff to capture the Canadian championship.
1931: Robert Gourley skips his Strathcona team to the Brier title after winning the grand aggregate at
the MCA bonspiel. Gourley is president of the Manitoba Curling Association at the time.
1932: Jim Congalton wins the Manitoba title, but third Jack Campbell is unable to go to Toronto due to a
family illness. Howard Wood fills in at third for the Granite team, which wins Manitoba’s fifth straight
Brier.
1933: Each club affiliated with the MCA is able to enter one team in the Macdonald Brier event at the
MCA bonspiel (to determine Manitoba’s representative in Toronto). The event is won by Deer Lodge’s

(Right) Jimmy Welsh
John Douglas, whose team loses a first-place showdown on the final draw of the Brier to Alberta’s Cliff
Manahan.
1934: Leo Johnson beats Jimmy Welsh in the Manitoba final before a capacity crowd at the Granite, with
“hundreds staying far beyond their scheduled lunch hour – and willing to take the chance despite
economic conditions,” writes the Winnipeg Free Press. Johnson’s Strathcona team then wins the Brier
with a 7-0 record.
1935: People in Killarney crowd into shops that have radio to find out how Roy Pritchard is doing in the
MCA bonspiel’s Macdonald Brier event final. Pritchard’s rink beats Jim Congalton 15-9 to become the
first rural Manitoba team to win the province.
1936: Ken Watson is ill for the Manitoba final – a chair is put at each end of the sheet so Watson can rest
while his team isn’t throwing. On the 13 th end of a 12-end game, Watson faces a buried opposition rock
in the four-foot on his first throw. He rises out of his chair and calmly puts his rock on the button.
Watson’s Strathcona team captures the provincial championship and goes on to win the Brier at 8-1,
outscoring their opponents in Toronto 142-59.
1937: The Manitoba championship is now called the British Consols (like “Brier”, “British Consols” was
one of Macdonald Tobacco’s brand names). Jimmy Welsh captures the 116-team single-knockout
provincial championship. His Deer Lodge rink wins 33 of 34 games played in the MCA bonspiel and
Consols that year.
(Left) 1937 British Consols and MCA bonspiel champions: Jock Reid, second; Jimmy Welsh, skip; Fred Smith, third, Harry Monk, lead

1938: In front of 3,000 spectators at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre, Ab Gowanlock’s team beats Gil
Stannard in the British Consols final. When Gowanlock and his teammates return home, the Glenboro
band is playing and the champions pass under an arc formed by curling brooms (the next night a special
curlers’ service is held in their honour). They go undefeated at the Brier to become the first rural
Manitoba team to win the Canadian championship. As a prize for winning the Brier, Gowanlock’s team
returns home with a set of new curling rocks.
1939: Ross Kennedy beats Strathcona clubmate Ken Watson 10-9 to win the 92-team British Consols.
Kennedy’s victory comes shortly before midnight, his team’s fourth game of the day – they also played
in two other MCA bonspiel events that day. At the Brier, the Manitobans lose a playoff for the title to
Ontario’s Bert Hall.
The 1940’s
1940: The British Consols is now only open to teams reaching the 16s of the two major events in the
MCA bonspiel (the Dingwall and Eaton). Howard Wood wins the Consols with a team put together just
before the MCA bonspiel’s entry deadline. A few weeks later, the Granite foursome wins the first-ever
Brier held in Winnipeg (and first played outside of Toronto).
Howard Wood

1941: Al Wakefield and his “B” group club team from Strathcona beat Ken Watson in the Manitoba final.
Wakefield’s second had only played a few games that year prior to the MCA bonspiel and the team’s
lead was in just his first year of serious curling.
1942: Manitoba Premier John Bracken loses in the quarterfinals of the British Consols to Ken Watson (six
years earlier, Premier Bracken won the Shea’s trophy in the MCA bonspiel, beating his minister of public
works in the final). Watson’s Strathcona team goes on to win the Manitoba and Canadian
championships.
1943: Ken Watson trails clubmate Leo Johnson 7-2 after four ends in the Manitoba final but comes back
to win 12-10. But there was no Brier for Watson’s team to play in that year (the Brier wasn’t played from
1943-1945 due to travel restrictions during the war).
1944: Coming in the semifinals of the British Consols, Leo Johnson hands Ken Watson his first loss in 19
games at the MCA bonspiel (the Consols was part of the bonspiel at that time). Johnson’s Strathcona
team then beats Bung Cartmell of Glenboro in the Consols final.
1945: Howard Wood beats Ken Watson in the Manitoba final. Wood wins the title with son Lionel at
lead five years after winning the championship with son Howie Wood Jr. at second.
1946: Leo Johnson erases a 7-1 deficit after four ends in the Consols semifinals to Mac Scales to win 12-
10. Johnson’s comeback in the final is even more dramatic: three down playing the 12 th and final end,
the Strathcona team scores four in the last end without Johnson having to throw his last rock. Johnson’s
thrilling 10-9 victory comes over Marno Fredrickson, the lead on Johnson’s 1934 Brier winning team.
1947: A crowd of 4,900 fills the Winnipeg Amphitheatre to see Jimmy Welsh beat Ken Watson in the
Manitoba final (more than 1,000 are turned away). At the Brier, Welsh has a free draw to the rings for
an eight-ender against P.E.I. But Welsh is heavy, knocking one of his own rocks out of the rings. Still,
Welsh counts seven in an 18-7 victory that clinches the Brier title for his Deer Lodge team.
1948: George Sangster skips a three-man Granite team to the provincial title. With twin brother Bill
Sangster at third, George Anderson at second and Bill Petrie at lead, the Sangster rink wins the grand
aggregate at the MCA bonspiel that year. But Anderson is ruled ineligible to play in the Consols because
he isn’t a regular member of the Granite. Before the Manitoba final, Roy Forsyth and the president of
Strathcona make an appeal to the MCA to allow Sangster to use a fourth player. The plea is denied, so
Sangster continues with three players. They beat Forsyth 9-7.
1949: Teams no longer have to enter the MCA bonspiel to qualify for the British Consols as district
competitions are played throughout the province prior to the bonspiel. With two groups of 12 teams, a
round-robin is used for the only time in the history of the Manitoba men’s championship. Ken Watson
and Jimmy Welsh win their groups at 5-0 before Watson beats Welsh 12-5 in the Consols final. The
Strathcona team then goes undefeated at the Brier, making Watson the first skip to win three Briers.

Ken Watson
The 1950’s
1950: Dr. Bill McTavish goes 22-0 through the MCA bonspiel and British Consols (his Elmwood team
remains the only rink to go undefeated in the bonspiel and Manitoba championship in the same season).
In front of nearly 5,000 spectators at the Amphitheatre, Dr. McTavish’s team beats Gordon Taylor of
Rivers in the Consols final – their 22 nd game in 10 days.
1951: Bob Dundar’s team from Eveleth, Minnesota reaches the quarterfinals of the Consols – they are
eligible to compete for the Manitoba title as Eveleth is affiliated with the MCA. Strathcona’s Roy Forsyth
beats Grant Watson in the Consols final.
1952: Billy Walsh’s team becomes the first from Fort Rouge to win the British Consols, beating Jimmy
Welsh in the final. Walsh and his team of Al Langlois, Andy McWilliams and John Watson (all four were
veterans of the Second World War) then go 10-0 to win the second Brier held in Winnipeg.
1953: Ab Gowanlock’s rink counts two biters on the last end of the Manitoba final to edge Howie Wood
Jr. 9-8. Gowanlock, 52, then guides his Dauphin team to the Brier title with a playoff victory over Quebec
(at third on the Quebec team is Ches McCance, who won two Grey Cups with Winnipeg Blue Bombers
and another with the Montreal Alouettes).
1954: In front of 4,000 spectators at the Amphitheatre, Jimmy Welsh steals in the extra end in the
Consols final to beat Gordon Taylor 13-11. Welsh has his brother Alex at third, Jock Reid at second and
Harry Monk at lead – all four members of the Deer Lodge team were born in Scotland but moved to
Manitoba at an early age.
1955: Roy Forsyth wins his second Manitoba title in five years, this time with a rink formed just a week
before the MCA bonspiel: None of the team members curled together in club games at Strathcona.

Forsyth’s team goes 9-1 at the Brier, finishing a game back of Garnet Campbell’s all-brothers team from
Saskatchewan.
1956: The British Consols is played in the Winnipeg Arena for the first time. Billy Walsh’s Fort Rouge
team wins the event and then captures the Canadian title with one of the greatest shots in Brier history:
In the extra end of a playoff with Ontario’s Alf Phillips, Walsh skims past a guard with quiet weight to
remove an Ontario counter in the four-foot. Walsh’s rock barely stays in the rings for the winning point.
1956 Manitoba champions: Billy Walsh,
skip; Andy McWilliams, lead; Cy White,
second; Al Langlois, third
1957: Howie Wood Jr. beats Lorne Leetch in the Consols final before a crowd of 5,400 at the Winnipeg
Arena. The Granite team gets off to a tough start at the Brier: Leading 9-3 with two ends to go against
Reg Stone of BC on the opening draw, they lose 11-9 in an extra end. But the Manitobans win seven of
their next nine games to finish at 7-3 and Don Duguid is voted the championship’s all-star second.
1958: Just days before the MCA bonspiel, Terry Braunstein recruits Jack Van Hellemond to fill in for
regular lead Brian Longley (who can’t get time off work to play in the spiel). The Granite team wins their
provincial spot in the bonspiel and then becomes the youngest team to capture the Manitoba
championship: Braunstein is 18, his brother Ron Braunstein is 17, Ray Turnbull is 18, and Van Hellemond
is 16. At the Brier, Braunstein’s crew loses 10-6 to Alberta’s Matt Baldwin in a championship playoff.

Manitoba’s youngest provincial
men’s championship team: Jack
Van Hellemond, lead; Terry
Braunstein, skip; Ron Braunstein,
third; Ray Turnbull, second
1959: The Consols format moves from a 64-team single knockout to a 16-team double knockout. The
title is won by Dr. Dick Bird, whose Elmwood team beats Stan Topolniski of Transcona 13-6 in the
Manitoba final.
The 1960’s
1960: After going 18-0 in the MCA bonspiel, Mac Scales wins the Manitoba title. Before over 6,000
spectators at the Winnipeg Arena, his Strathcona team trails 9-6 in the 10 th end of the 12-end Consols
final but comes back to beat Billy Walsh 10-9. Including MCA bonspiel and Consols play, the Scales rink
wins 25 of 26 games over 11 days.
1960 Manitoba champions: Mac Scales,
skip; Lloyd Goodman, lead; John
McCorrister, second; George Laudrum,
third

1961: Over 6,000 spectators at the Winnipeg Arena watch John-David Lyon’s West Kildonan team beat
22-year Barry Greenslade of Portage la Prairie in the Consols final. Lyon becomes the first skip to
represent two provinces at the Brier after skipping the Newfoundland entry the previous year.
1962: Norm Houck’s Strathcona team wins the Birks, Supercrete and British Consols trophies at the MCA
bonspiel. The Manitobans tie for top spot in the Brier at 8-3 with Alberta’s Hec Gervais and
Saskatchewan’s Ernie Richarson (who draws the bye). Gervais beats Houck and then loses to Richardson
for the Brier title.
1963: The Consols includes a best-of-three final for the first time. Hersh Lerner of Maple Leaf beats
Valour Road’s Bob Picken in two straight games. In the last game, Lerner scores his fourth six-ender of
the Consols en route to a 17-12 win.
1964: The British Consols draw is partially seeded for the first time. The best-of-three final comes down
to a third game between Bruce Hudson of Strathcona and Gary Ross of Carman. Tied playing the 12 th
and final end, Hudson scores two points with the hammer to win 10-8 and claim the Manitoba title.
1965: The Consols field is made up of 32 teams for the first time. Terry Braunstein beats Bruce Hudson
in two straight games in the final before winning the Brier with a 9-1 record. Braunstein, 25, becomes
the youngest skip to win the Canadian title.
1966: The Consols is held in Dauphin, the first time the Manitoba championship is played outside of
Winnipeg. Hersh Lerner’s team – with Bob Lemecha at third and twins Al and Bob Dudar on the front
end - defeat Bruce Hudson in two straight games to win the provincial title.
1967: Bruce Hudson reaches his fourth straight Manitoba final, beating Gary Ross in two straight games.
In the last game, Hudson’s Strathcona team trails Ross 6-5 coming home. Ross makes a great freeze to a
Hudson counter with his final rock, but Hudson chips it out to score three for an 8-6 win.
Bruce Hudson
Terry Braunstein

1968: Two teams from Dauphin battle for the Consols title, marking the first all-rural Manitoba men’s
final. Burke Parker’s rink wins the showdown against Ralph Wilson in two straight games by scores of 10-
7 and 12-5.
1969: Bob Robinson’s team from the Maple Leaf beats Paul Devlin 10-4 in the third game of the best-ofthree
Consols final. It’s another sporting achievement for Robinson, who was runner-up for the
Manitoba amateur golf championship in 1964.
The 1970’s
Curling Reporters: (from left)
Ralph Bagley, Bob Picken, Ray
Turnbull, Jack Matheson
1970: Don Duguid, who planned on taking the year off curling, is recruited mid-season to skip the team
of Rod Hunter, Jim Pettapiece and Bryan Wood. The team wins the British Consols despite losing its first
game to Hamiota’s Garth Strachan. Then they capture the Brier in Winnipeg and the world
championship in Utica, New York. Including play in the MCA bonspiel, Consols, Brier and worlds, the
Granite team wins 39 of 43 games in 52 days.
1971: Don Duguid’s team beats clubmate Larry Taylor in two straight games in the Manitoba final. Then
after winning a Brier playoff over Northern Ontario’s Bill Tetley, the Duguid foursome wins its second
straight world championship in Megeve, France (sweeping through the worlds undefeated both times).
Back-to-back Brier and world champions

Action from the 1970 Brier:
(Left) Don Duguid, Jim Pettapiece, Bryan Wood
(Right) Don Duguid
1972: Virden hosts the Consols with a total attendance of 10,380. Orest Meleschuk of Fort Rouge beats
Gary Ross in the final in two straight games. In the last game, Meleschuk draws the four-foot on his last
rock in the 12 th end to win 8-7 in a game that lasts four hours. The Meleschuk team – with Dave Romano
at third, John Hanesiak at second and Pat Hailley at lead – go on to win the Brier and world titles. It’s the
third world championship in a row for a Manitoba men’s curling team.
1972 world champions: Pat Hailley, lead; John
Hanesiak, second; Dave Romano, third; Orest
Meleschuk, skip

1973: Danny Fink, recruited to skip Don Duguid’s team after Duguid retired from competitive curling in
1971, beats Clare DeBlonde in the third game of the best-of-three Consols final (Fink has Rod Hunter at
third, Jim Pettapiece at second and John Hunter at lead). A unique matchup at the Brier sees Fink, born
and raised in Saskatchewan, skipping the Manitoba team against Harvey Mazinke, a Manitoba native
who is skipping the Saskatchewan entry. Mazinke wins in two extra ends (14 ends total).
1974: Don Barr’s team steals single points on the 12 th and 13 th ends to edge Gary Ross 11-10 in the third
game of the Manitoba final. It’s the second Consols title for a Glenboro rink after Ab Gowlanlock won
the championship in 1938.
1975: After winning the grand aggregate at the MCA bonspiel with a 15-1 record, Rod Hunter’s rink
beats Barry Fry in the third game of the Consols final. The Granite team finishes 6-5 at the Brier in
Fredericton.
1976: The Manitoba title is won by two sets of brothers: the rink of Clare DeBlonde, Garry DeBlonde,
Don Finkbeiner and Doug Finkbeiner defeat Terry Braunstein in two straight games in the Consols final.
The Heather team finishes second at the Brier behind Newfoundland’s Jack MacDuff.
1977: 10-end games are played in the Consols for the first time, and the event goes back to a suddendeath
final after using a best-of-three format from 1963-76. The championship is won by John Usackis,
whose Lac du Bonnet team beats Henry Thornborough of Glenboro 8-6.
1978: Doug Harrison’s Heather team captures the Manitoba title with an 8-2 victory over Gary Ross.
Harrison’s rink also wins the grand aggregate at the MCA bonspiel that year, beating Barry Fry and then
Billy Walsh Jr. in a three-way playoff.
1979: Barry Fry and his Deer Lodge team of Bill Carey, Gord Sparkes and Bryan Wood beat Bill Paterson
of Portage la Prairie in the Consols final. Fry’s rink goes 10-1 to win the Brier, the last time the winner of
the round-robin is declared Canadian champion (a playoff format is introduced the next year).
(Above) 1976 Manitoba champions: Garry DeBlonde, third; Don
Finkbeiner, second; Doug Finkbeiner, lead, Clare DeBlonde, skip
(Right) Barry Fry

The 1980’s
1980: The Manitoba championship is now known as the Labatt Tankard. Earle Morris wins the
championship, with his CFB team beating 21-year Kerry Burtnyk in the semifinals and Brian White of
Swan River in the final.
1981: In the Tankard semifinals, Kerry Burtnyk steals a point in an extra end against Greg Blanchard on a
measure. Burtnyk’s team beats Murray Nye of Brandon in the provincial final before winning the Brier in
dramatic style: two down coming home against Northern Ontario’s Al Hackner, the Manitobans score
three with a free draw to the rings. With Mark Olson at third, Jim Spencer at second and Ron
Kammerlock at lead, Burtnyk’s Assiniboine Memorial team becomes the youngest to win the Brier at an
average age of 22.
1982: After beating Vic Peters in the semifinals, Mel Logan of Souris beats Gary Ross 8-2 to win the
Tankard. It’s the sixth loss in a Manitoba men’s final for Ross (2001 Canadian senior champion).
1983: At age 54, Lloyd Gunnlaugson wins the Tankard in his first appearance in the Manitoba men’s
championship. With Bob Davidson at third, former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Gord Paterson at second and
Gunnlaugson’s nephew Harold Johannesson at lead, the Valour Road team formed just before the 1982-
83 started. Unseeded in the Tankard, they beat second-seeded John Bubbs 7-4 in the final.

1984: Pembina’s Mike Riley beats Vic Peters of Rossmere 5-3 in the Tankard final. With teammates Brian
Toews, John Helston and Russ Wookey, Riley then wins the Brier with a 7-4 victory over Ontario’s Ed
Werenich. It’s the third win in third meetings that season for Riley’s team over Werenich.
1984 Brier champions: Russ Wookey, lead;
John Helston, second; Brian Toews, third;
Mike Riley, skip
1985: John Bubbs wins the Tankard’s A-B final 6-3 over Ron McMillan. It’s the first Manitoba men’s title
for a Wildewood team and the first for Bubbs, who twice lost in the semifinals and once in the final
before winning the championship.
1986: After beating 22-year-old Jeff Stoughton in the Tankard’s A-side final, Mike Riley wins the
Manitoba title with a 6-4 victory over Brian Penston in the A-B final. Riley’s Pembina team goes 6-5 at
the Brier.
1987: Brian Fowler skips the first Brandon team to win the Manitoba men’s championship with a victory
over Vic Peters. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth end, Peters has a shot for two but just ticks a guard. Fowler
steals a point and then runs his opponent out of rocks in the 10 th .
1988: After earning their provincial spot in the record 1,280-team MCA bonspiel, Kerry Burtnyk’s rink
from Assiniboine Memorial sweeps through the Tankard undefeated. They beat Vic Peters in both the A-
side and B-side finals. At the Brier, Burtnyk’s team finishes 7-4.
1989: Orest Meleschuk wins his second Manitoba men’s title after claiming his first 17 years earlier.
Meleschuk and his Lac du Bonnet teammates John Usackis, John Hyrich and son Sean Meleschuk beat
Murray Duncan of Virden 9-1 in five ends in the Tankard final.

The 1990’s
1990: Duane Edwards of Deloraine hits and rolls out in the 10 th end to allow John Bubbs to steal a point
and send the Manitoba final to an extra end. But Edwards makes no mistake with his final rock in the
extra end, as he hits and sticks for a 6-5 victory.
1991: Jeff Stoughton goes 8-0 in the Tankard, claiming his first Manitoba men’s title with teammates
Dave Iverson, Ken Tresoor and Garry Van Den Berghe. At the Brier, the Wildewood rink finishes one
game out of a tiebreaker at 6-5.
1992: On the opening draw of the Tankard, Greg McGibbon blanks the first nine ends against Bill
Mestdagh and hits and sticks with his last rock in the 10 th to win 1-0. The championship is won by Vic
Peters and teammates Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld and Don Rudd, who beat Jim Ursel in the Tankard final.
The Granite foursome then captures the Brier title with a 4-3 extra-end win over Ontario’s Russ Howard.
1993: The Vic Peters team earns a provincial berth in the MCA bonspiel (winning the grand aggregate
with a 14-2 record) before beating Altona’s Harold Sawatzky twice on the final day of the Tankard. The
Peters rink becomes the first team in 22 years to win back-to-back Manitoba men’s championships.
1992 and 1993 Manitoba champions:
Vic Peters, Dan Carey, Chris Neufeld, Don Rudd

1994: The Tankard heads north as Thompson hosts the event for the first time. Dave Smith’s team
becomes the first from St. Vital to win the provincial men’s title, beating Doug Armour of Souris 6-3 in
the final.
1995: The Manitoba men’s championship is now known as the Safeway Select. Kerry Burtnyk and
teammates Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin and Keith Fenton beat Rob Ramage of Baldur to win the last Manitoba
final ever played at the Winnipeg Arena. The Assiniboine Memorial foursome then wins the Brier with a
10-8 victory over Saskatchewan’s Brad Heidt. At the world championships in Brandon, Burtnyk’s rink
edges Gordon Muirhead of Scotland 4-2 to give Manitoba its first world men’s title in 23 years.
1996: After losing its zone final to Scott Brown, Jeff Stoughton’s Charleswood team picks up a provincial
spot in the MCA bonspiel. Then they beat Dale Duguid twice on the last day of the Safeway Select, with
Stoughton curling 100 percent in his team’s 11-4 final-game victory. Stougton’s rink steals in the extra
end of the Brier final to beat Kevin Martin of Alberta 8-7 before beating Scotland’s Warwick Smith to win
the world championship. Stoughton has Ken Tresoor at third, Garry Van Den Berghe and Steve Gould at
lead.
1996 Brier and world champions: Jeff Stoughton, Ken Tresoor, Garry
Van Den Berghe, Steve Gould
1997: The Vic Peters team beats Kerry Burtnyk 7-4 in the Safeway Select final. For Peters, it’s his third
Manitoba men’s title after losing three finals in the event. His Granite team loses the Brier final 10-8 to
Alberta’s Kevin Martin.

1998: Dale Duguid steals three in the first end in a 9-3 win over Kerry Burtnyk in the Manitoba final. At
the Brier in Winnipeg, Duguid’s Granite team loses the semifinal 7-5 to Quebec’s Guy Hemmings. Wayne
Middaugh of Ontario beats Hemmings in the Brier final.
1999: After losing twice on the final day of the zones to Pat Spiring, Jeff Stoughton’s team reaches the
Free Press final in the MCA bonspiel to earn a spot in the Safeway Select. The rink of Stoughton, Jon
Mead, Garry Van Den Berghe and Doug Armstrong go undefeated at the Manitoba championship in
Portage la Prairie. At the Brier, the Charleswood team beats Guy Hemmings three times, including a 9-5
win in the final. Stoughton’s team loses the world final to Scotland’s Hammy McMillan 6-5 in an extra
end.
The 2000’s
2000: Jeff Stoughton’s team repeats as Manitoba champions, scoring five in the second end of the
Safeway Select final en route to an 8-3 win over Don Spriggs of Portage la Prairie. At the Brier,
Stoughton’s rink falls 7-5 to Quebec’s Francois Roberge in the 3 vs. 4 Page playoff game.
2001: Kerry Burtnyk and his team of Jeff Ryan, Rob Meakin and Keith Fenton beat Dale Duguid 10-7 in
the Safeway Select final. Burtnyk’s rink also wins the MCA grand aggregate that year, reaching the two
major event finals to post a 16-2 record. The Assiniboine Memorial foursome loses the Brier final 8-4 to
Alberta’s Randy Ferbey.
2002: Mark Lukowich and his Valour team go 8-0 at the Safeway Select, defeating James Kirkness 5-4 in
the A-side final and Ron Gauthier 7-5 in the B-side final. Lukowich becomes just the third skip not named
Jeff Stoughton, Vic Peters or Kerry Burtnyk to win the Manitoba title since 1991 (Dave Smith and Dale
Duguid were the others). The Manitobans finish one game out of the playoffs at the Brier with a 6-5
record.
2003: The Safeway Select adopts a page playoff, guaranteeing a winner-take-all final. John Bubbs from
the Granite beats Brent Scales of Swan River 7-3 in the championship game. Bubbs returns to the Brier
after making the trip 18 years earlier (1985), breaking Orest Meleschuk’s record of 17 years (1972, 1989)
between Manitoba men’s titles.
2004: After a two-year Brier boycott, Grand Slam teams (including Jeff Stoughton and Kerry Burtnyk)
return to provincial championship play. Brent Scales and his Swan River team beat Stoughton 7-6 to win
the Safeway Select, giving Stoughton his first loss in a Manitoba men’s final.
2005: Randy Dutiaume forms a team with Dave Elias, Greg Melnichuk and Shane Kilgallen just days
before the MCA bonspiel. The Valour Road rink wins the MCA grand aggregate and then the Manitoba
championship, going 24-2 over the two events. At the Brier, Dutiaume’s team goes 8-3 in the roundrobin
before dropping the 1 vs. 2 Page playoff game to Randy Ferbey and the semifinal to Nova Scotia’s
Shawn Adams.

2005 Manitoba champions: Randy Dutiaume, Dave
Elias, Greg Melnichuk, Shane Kilgallen
2006: Trailing 3-1 after four ends to Reid Carruthers in the Safeway Select final, Jeff Stoughton makes a
raise takeout for four points to take a 5-3 lead. Stoughton goes on to beat the 21-year-old Carruthers
and his Valour Road team 8-7 to win the provincial title.
2007: Tied 5-5 playing the ninth end, Jeff Stoughton makes a double takeout for three points in an 8-5
win over Peter Nicholls in the Manitoba final. Stoughton’s Charleswood team loses the Brier semifinal 8-
4 to Ontario’s Glenn Howard.
2008: The Safeway Select is now known as the Safeway Championship. After a 7-5 win over Mike
McEwen in the semifinal, Kerry Burtnyk steals four in the first end en route to beating David Bohn 11-5
in the Safeway Championship final. With Dan Kammerlock at third, Richard Daneault at second and
Garth Smith at lead, it’s Burtnyk’s fifth Manitoba men’s title.
2009: Two Alberta imports battle for the Manitoba title – Kevin Park at third for Jeff Stoughton and Don
Walchuk at third for Kerry Burtnyk. Stoughton beats Burtnyk 7-6 before losing the Brier final to Kevin
Martin.
The 2010’s
2010: Jeff Stoughton draws to the button in an extra end to beat Mike McEwen 9-8 in the Safeway
Championship final. It’s the second straight Manitoba title for the Charleswood team of Stoughton,
Kevin Park, Rob Fowler and Steve Gould.
2011: Again with a last-rock draw, Jeff Stoughton beats Mike McEwen 5-4 in the Manitoba final.
Stoughton and his team of third Jon Mead, second Reid Carruthers and lead Steve Gould win the Brier
with an 8-6 victory over Ontario’s Glenn Howard. The Charleswood rink then captures the world title
with a 6-5 win over Tow Brewster of Scotland.
2012: Rob Fowler’s team beats Mike McEwen 10-6 in the Safeway Championship final, which is the
Brandon rink’s fifth win in a row after dropping their first game in the championship round. The
Manitobans lose the Brier semifinal 8-6 to Kevin Koe before beating Jamie Koe 8-7 in the bronze medal
game.

2013: Jeff Stoughton beats this writer’s Deer Lodge team 7-4 to win the Safeway Championship.
Stoughton’s team of Jon Mead, Reid Carruthers and Mark Nichols lose the Brier final 11-4 to Northern
Ontario’s Brad Jacobs.
2014: The men’s provincial championship returns to Winnipeg for the first time since 1995. Held at the
MTS Iceplex, Jeff Stoughton’s Charleswood team beats Mike McEwen 8-3 to win the Safeway
Championship. For Stoughton, it’s his record 11 th Manitoba men’s title in 12 trips to the final.
Jeff Stoughton

Safeway Championship Records
Appearances
Meleschuk Orest 30
Usackis John 30
Stoughton Jeff 25
Burtnyk Kerry 25
Wood Howard 23
Nicholls Peter 22
Reid Jock 22
Welsh Jimmy 22
Armour Doug 21
DeBlonde Clare 21
Peters Vic 21
Watson Grant 21
Fry Barry 20
Gowanlock Ab 20
Harrison Doug 20
Prokopowich Peter 20
Robertson Kelly 20
Spriggs Don 20
Jenion Bob 19
Watson Ken 19
Games
Stoughton Jeff 172
Burtnyk Kerry 160
Meleschuk Orest 142
Peters Vic 133
Usackis John 130
Nicholls Peter 129
Mead Jon 118
Fenton Keith 112
Ross Gary 111
DeBlonde Clare 109
Gould Steve 104
Fry Barry 103
Harvey Don 102
Neufeld Chris 100
VanDenBerghe Garry 100
Jenion Bob 96
Armour Doug 95

Harrison Doug 93
Spriggs Don 93
Ryan Jeff 93
Wins
Stoughton Jeff 138
Burtnyk Kerry 117
Mead Jon 93
Peters Vic 92
Meleschuk Orest 85
Gould Steve 82
Nicholls Peter 81
Fenton Keith 77
VanDenBerghe Garry 77
Usackis John 73
Ross Gary 72
DeBlonde Clare 72
Neufeld Chris 71
Harvey Don 68
Fowler Rob 64
Fry Barry 63
Watson Grant 63
Ryan Jeff 62
Watson Ken 61
Tresoor Ken 60
Provincial Championships
Stoughton Jeff 11
Gould Steve 6
Mead Jon 6
Burtnyk Kerry 5
VanDenBerghe Garry 5
Wood Bryan 5
Fowler Rob 4
Hunter Rod 4
Duguid Don 4
Reid Jock 4
Welsh Jimmy 4
Watson Grant 4
Watson Ken 4
Armstrong Doug 3
Carey Dan 3
Neufeld Chris 3
Peters Vic 3

Spencer Jim 3
Riley Mike 3
Pettapiece Jim 3
Monk Harry 3
Welsh Alex 3
Wood Howard 3
Carruthers Reid 3
Johnson Leo 3
Finals Played
Stoughton Jeff 12
Burtnyk Kerry 9
Reid Jock 9
Welsh Jimmy 9
Gould Steve 8
Watson Grant 8
Watson Ken 8
Mead Jon 7
Monk Harry 7
Welsh Alex 7
VanDenBerghe Garry 6
Peters Vic 6
Ross Gary 6
Wood Bryan 5
Duguid Don 5
Neufeld Chris 5
Little Ken 5
Ryan Jeff 5
Meakin Rob 5
Fenton Keith 5
Fowler Rob 4
Hunter Rod 4
Johnson Leo 4
Armstrong Doug 4
Carey Dan 4
Carruthers Reid 4
Dyker Lyle 4
Hudson Bruce 4
Martel Harry 4
Bubbs John 4
Duncan Wayne 4
Wilkie Jimmy 4
McEwen Mike 4
Neufeld BJ 4
Wozniak Matt 4
Neufeld Denni 4

Host Sites
Winnipeg 58 1925, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 ,32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 39
40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54
55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 67, 69, 71, 73,
74, 77, 79, 80, 82, 83, 86, 87, 89, 90, 92, 95, 2014
Brandon 9 1968, 75, 78, 81, 91, 96, 2000, 04, 08
Dauphin 5
1966, 70, 85,
2007, 12
Selkirk 4 1993, 2001, 05, 09
Virden 3
Morden 2
Portage 2
Neepawa 2
Steinbach 2
1972,
84, 98
1988,
97
1999,
2003
2002,
13
2006,
10
Flin Flon 1 1976
Thompson 1 1994
Beausejour 1 2011