Labatt Brier

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The 1999 Labatt Brier, held at the Skyreach Centre (formerly Northlands Coliseum), March 6-14 in Edmonton, held great promise, both on and off the ice. There was optimism that an attendance record would be established in the 15,500 seat venue, eclipsing the mark set by the city's friendly southern rival, Calgary, in 1997. On the ice, 1996 Labatt Brier and world champion Jeff Stoughton would face, amongst others, two-time world champ Russ Howard, who was representing a new province, New Brunswick, after eight previous appearances as an Ontario skip. Howard had moved to the Maritimes as a golf pro. Also back was Quebec's Guy Hemmings, who became so popular to fans during his attempt to win the 1998 Labatt Brier in Winnipeg, falling to Ontario's Wayne Middaugh in the final. So too was B.C. skip Bert Gretzinger, who played second for Rick Folk when they won the 1994 Brier and Worlds. At the conclusion of the round robin, Stoughton and Hemmings tied for first with 8-3 marks, but the Manitoban was awarded first for his round robin win. Saskatchewan's Gerald Shymko, Nova Scotia's Paul Flemming and New Brunswick's Russ Howard tied for third with 7-4 marks, but Shymko earned third from round robin wins over both. In a tie-breaker, Howard eliminated Flemming, 5-4, but then lost to Shymko, 6-4 in the 3 vs 4 Page Playoff game. Stoughton defeated Hemmings 6-4 in the Page Playoff 1 vs 2 game to advance to the final. Hemmings came back to edge Shymko 6-5 in an extra end semi-final to earn a rematch with Stoughton in the final. But Stoughton and his Winnipeg Charleswood Curling Club team proved too strong, winning 9-5. It was Stoughton's second Brier win. His team would then represent Canada at the Ford Worlds in Saint John, New Brunswick. After finishing the round robin in first place, he lost an extra end final to Scotland's Hammy McMillan, 6-5. The 'black hat' hospitality of the City of Champions proved enticing enough to establish a Brier attendance mark of an incredible 242,887, eclipsing the 223,322 set in Calgary in 1997.
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