The 2009 Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held March 7–15 at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary.
The Brier was billed as one of the best in history, as it included six former champion skips, as well as the defending Olympic champion Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador, who had yet to even win a Brier. The former champions included the defending champion Alberta rink, skipped by Kevin Martin, 2007 Brier champion Glenn Howard of Ontario, 2006 champion Jean-Michel Ménard of Quebec, 2004 champion Mark Dacey of Nova Scotia, 1996 & 1999 champion Jeff Stoughton of Manitoba, and 1987 & 1993 champion Russ Howard of New Brunswick (formerly from Ontario). Rounding out the field were Sean Geall of BC, Jamie Koe of the Territories, Joel Jordison of Saskatchewan, Mike Jakubo of Northern Ontario, and Rod MacDonald of PEI.
The Brier was also one of the most attended in history, with nearly 250,000 spectators.
The 2009 Brier featured one of the greatest Brier shots in history, when Glenn Howard made a seemingly impossible in-off "round the clock" double to score three to win his Draw 8 match against Saskatchewan. The Brier also featured one of the greatest games in history, between Ontario and Alberta in Draw 17. The Brier also included three "perfect" games where players scored 100%, including Kevin Martin in Draw 13.
Prior to the Brier, Sweep magazine gave both Alberta and Ontario 2:1 odds to win it. Many had expected a rematch of the 2008 Brier final between these two teams, and after the round robin, these teams finished first and second in the round robin. Alberta was undefeated while Ontario lost their final game to Alberta and an earlier match against Quebec. The two teams faced off in the 1 vs. 2 page playoff game, with Alberta's win putting them into the final, and sending Ontario to play Manitoba in the semi-final. Manitoba won this game in an upset, giving them the right to face the defending champions in the final.
Teams British ColumbiaManitobaSaville SC, Edmonton Skip: Kevin Martin Third: John Morris Second: Marc Kennedy Lead: Ben Hebert Alternate: Terry MeekRoyal City CC, New Westminster Skip: Sean Geall Third: Brent Pierce Second: Kevin Recksiedler Lead: Mark Olson Alternate: Tyler Klitch Charleswood CC, Winnipeg Skip: Jeff Stoughton Third: Kevin Park Second: Rob Fowler Lead: Steve Gould Alternate: Randy DutiaumeNew BrunswickNewfoundland and LabradorNorthern OntarioGage G&CC, Oromocto Skip: Russ Howard Third: James Grattan Second: Jason Vaughan Lead: Peter Case Alternate: Steve HowardBally Haly G&CC, St. John's Skip: Brad Gushue Third: Mark Nichols Second: Ryan Fry Lead: Jamie Korab Alternate: Glenn GossCopper Cliff CC, Copper Cliff Skip: Mike Jakubo Third: Matt Seabrook Second: Luc Ouimet Lead: Lee Toner Alternate: Scott SeabrookNova ScotiaOntarioPrince Edward IslandMayflower CC, Halifax Skip: Mark Dacey Third: Bruce Lohnes Second: Andrew Gibson Lead: Kris Granchelli Alternate: Mat HarrisColdwater & District CC, Coldwater Skip: Glenn Howard Third: Richard Hart Second: Brent Laing Lead: Craig Savill Alternate: Steve BiceCharlottetown CC, Charlottetown Skip: Rod MacDonald Third: Kevin Champion Second: Andrew Robinson Lead: Mark O'Rourke Alternate: Peter MacDonaldQuebec SaskatchewanYukon/Northwest TerritoriesCC Victoria, Sainte-FoyCC Etchemin, Saint-Romuald Skip: Jean-Michel Ménard Third: Martin Crête Second: Eric Sylvain Lead: Jean Gagnon Alternate: Philippe MénardBushell Park CC, Moose Jaw Skip: Joel Jordison Third: Scott Bitz Second: Aryn Schmidt Lead: Dean Hicke Alternate: Rod MontgomeryYellowknife CC, Yellowknife Skip: Jamie Koe Third: Jon Solberg Second: Brad Chorostkowski Lead: Martin Gavin Alternate: Tom Naugler
Map of teams
Round-robin standings Final round-robin standings KeyTeams to PlayoffsTeams to Tiebreaker LocaleSkip Kevin Martin 11 0 86 38 49 31 9 12 88% Glenn Howard 9 2 83 58 48 41 11 11 87% Brad Gushue 8 3 81 55 49 39 5 13 83% Jeff Stoughton 7 4 69 52 38 39 18 7 85% Jean-Michel Ménard 7 4 80 65 46 43 7 6 83% Sean Geall 6 5 63 68 37 44 8 7 79% Russ Howard 6 5 69 66 46 38 10 11 82% Joel Jordison 3 8 58 82 43 47 8 9 79% Jamie Koe 3 8 60 79 40 43 11 7 78% Mark Dacey 2 9 58 87 40 51 5 10 76% Mike Jakubo 2 9 52 82 40 49 10 4 77% Rod MacDonald 2 9 54 81 38 49 8 9 75%
Results All draw times are listed in Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7).
Draw 1 Saturday, March 7, 13:00
Draw 2 Saturday, March 7, 18:00
Draw 3 Sunday, March 8, 8:30
Draw 4 Sunday, March 8, 13:00
Draw 5 Sunday, March 8, 18:30
Draw 6 Monday, March 9, 8:30
Draw 7 Monday, March 9, 13:00
Draw 8
Monday, March 9, 18:30
Draw 9 Tuesday, March 10, 8:30
Draw 10 Tuesday, March 10, 13:00
Draw 11 Tuesday, March 10, 18:30
Draw 12 Wednesday, March 11, 8:30
Draw 13 Wednesday, March 11, 13:00
Draw 14 Wednesday, March 11, 18:30
Draw 15 Thursday, March 12, 8:30
Draw 16 Thursday, March 12, 13:00
Draw 17
Thursday, March 12, 18:30
Tiebreaker Friday, March 13, 13:00
Playoffs
1 vs. 2 Friday, March 13, 18:00
3 vs. 4 Saturday, March 14, 10:00
Semifinal Saturday, March 14, 18:00
Final Sunday, March 15, 18:00
Statistics Top 5 player percentages Round Robin only Leads % Steve Gould 90 Ben Hebert 89 Craig Savill 88 Mark Olson 87 Peter Case 87 Seconds % Marc Kennedy 91 Éric Sylvain 86 Brent Laing 85 Rob Fowler 85 Jason Vaughan 81 Thirds % Richard Hart 88 John Morris 86 Kevin Park 84 James Grattan 81 Mark Nichols 81 Skips % Kevin Martin 89 Glenn Howard 88 Brad Gushue 86 Jean-Michel Ménard 82 Russ Howard 80
Awards and honours All-Star Teams First Team Skip: Kevin Martin (Alberta) Third: Richard Hart (Ontario) Second: Marc Kennedy (Alberta) Lead: Ben Hebert (Alberta)
Second Team Skip: Glenn Howard (Ontario) Third: John Morris (Alberta) Second: Eric Sylvain (Quebec) Lead: Steve Gould (Manitoba)
Hec Gervais Most Valuable Player Award Kevin Martin (Alberta)
Ross Harstone Award Dean Hicke (Saskatchewan)
Scotty Harper Award – Media Award Guy Scholz, Sweep Magazine – $500 award
Paul McLean Award Jeff Timson, Calgary Herald, Media Co-ordinator
See also 2009 Scotties Tournament of Hearts 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials
References
External links
Final on YouTube