The 1951 Macdonald Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held from March 6 to 10, 1951 at Dalhousie Memorial Arena in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A total of 17,000 fans attended the event. This would be the first Brier in which a team from Newfoundland would compete, increasing the field from 10 to 11 teams. This arrangement would last until 1975, when a combined Northwest Territories/Yukon entry was added to the field.
Team Nova Scotia, skipped by Don Oyler, won the Brier Tankard as they finished round robin play unbeaten with a 10–0 record. This was the second time in which Nova Scotia had won the Brier, with their previous title being the inaugural event in 1927. This was the seventh time in which a team finished a Brier undefeated and the first non-Manitoban team to do so. Oyler would quit competitive curling after his Brier championship due to a sore wrist, which affected his delivery.
British Columbia, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan all tied for second with 7-3 records, necessitating a tiebreaker playoff between the three teams for runner-up. British Columbia would ultimately be the runner-up as they defeated Saskatchewan 8–0 in the second tiebreaker game. Saskatchewan defeated Manitoba 9–7 in the first tiebreaker game. This was the last time in the Macdonald era in which there would be a tiebreaker playoff contested for runner-up. After 1951, tiebreaker playoff games would only be played if two or more teams were tied for first place.
British Columbia's win over Saskatchewan in the second tiebreaker was the first game in Brier history in which there was a shutout.
Teams The teams are listed as follows: British ColumbiaManitobaGranite CC, Edmonton Skip: William Gray Third: Glenn Gray Second: John Ferry Lead: Warren ScottTrail CC, Trail Skip: Alf Chesser Third: John J. Cameron Second: Maxwell Gordon Lead: Harry RotheryStrathcona CC, Winnipeg Skip: Roy Forsythe Third: Lorne Stewart Second: Alixter McDiairmid Lead: Arthur MeersBathurst CC, Bathurst Skip: Nicholas Thibodeau Third: Huntley Ferguson Second: Charles McArdle Lead: John E. CameronNewfoundlandNorthern OntarioOntarioSt. Johns CC, St. John's Skip: Thomas Hallett Third: Claude Hall Second: Frederick Wylie Lead: Edmund HiscockCopper Cliff CC, Copper Cliff Skip: Walter Johnstone Third: Arnold Boyd Second: Walter Flowers Lead: William MacKayKentville CC, Kentville Skip: Don Oyler Third: George Hanson Second: Frederick Dyke Lead: Wallace KnockThe Granite Club, Toronto Skip: Gordon Campbell Third: Stanley Jones Second: Reginald Mooney Lead: Colin CampbellPrince Edward IslandCharlottetown CC, Charlottetown Skip: Frank Acorn Third: John Squarebriggs Second: William MacNeill Lead: Melvin JenkinsSigma CC, Val-d'Or Skip: Merle Thomas Third: Jean Paul Bonneville Second: Augustus Peppard Lead: Albert RandallRosetown CC, Rosetown Skip: John Franklin Third: Clifford Annabel Second: George Heartwell Lead: Harold Lloyd
Round robin standings KeyBrier championTeams to tiebreaker playoff ProvinceSkipWLPFPA Don Oyler 10 0 114 60 British Columbia Alf Chesser 7 3 122 89 Roy Forsythe 7 3 118 98 Saskatchewan John Franklin 7 3 109 79 Alberta William Gray 6 4 98 84 Ontario Gordon Campbell 6 4 94 101 New Brunswick Nichols Thibodeau 3 7 98 121 Northern Ontario Walter Johnstone 3 7 90 113 Merle Thomas 3 7 92 99 Prince Edward Island Frank Acorn 2 8 95 120 Newfoundland Thomas Hallett 1 9 66 132
Round robin results Draw 1 Tuesday, March 6
Draw 2 Tuesday, March 6
Draw 3 Wednesday, March 7
Draw 4 Wednesday, March 7
Draw 5 Thursday, March 8
Draw 6 Thursday, March 8
Draw 7 Friday, March 9
Draw 8 Friday, March 9
Draw 9 Friday, March 9
Draw 10 Saturday, March 10
Draw 11 Saturday, March 10
Playoff
Tiebreaker #1 Saturday, March 10
Tiebreaker #2 Saturday, March 10
References
External links Video: