Darrell Davis: From Ernie Richardson to Mike McEwen — ‘You have a chance’ at the Brier

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Saskatchewan’s team at the 2024 Montana’s Brier got support this week from someone who knows how to win the Canadian men’s curling championship:

Ernie Richardson met with Mike McEwen before the imported skip’s Saskatoon-based squad played Brad Gushue, a five-time national champ whose rink is chasing a third straight title.

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“I didn’t tell them much other than, ‘You have a chance,’ ” said 92-year-old Richardson, who skipped a rink from Regina to four Canadian and world championships between 1959-63. “They were playing Gushue that night and I said, ‘Tonight’s one of your better chances to beat ’em.’ And it turned out they did.

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“I want Saskatchewan to win this Brier in the worst way because I’m such a true Saskatchewan person. But Gushue’s my team outside of Saskatchewan. I’ve got to know that team quite well. When he broke our record (of four Canadian championships) I sent him a nice email, well (my son) Jim did because I don’t do emails and I haven’t even got a cell phone. I also did the same with (Sweden’s Niklas) Edin when he broke the world records. I sent them notes and I got some beautiful answers from both.”

With Ernie’s brother Garnet (known as “Sam”) playing second and cousins Arnold and Wes throwing third and lead stones respectively — until Wes’ back forced him to step aside for Mel Perry — the team won tankards in 1959, 1960, 1962 and 1963. As Canadian champs they added four world championships.

Posters from Macdonald Brier Tankards adorn Ernie’s office inside Richardson Lighting, the family company being run now by Jim, who set up the meeting with McEwen. Richardson chuckled about the Brier’s initial sponsor, a tobacco company, during an era when ashtrays were prominent inside curling clubs. Ernie quit smoking before starting to curl in the 1950s.

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He told stories about playing 50 ends in one day, shredding the sweepers’ hands. Sharing prizes in a carspiel with Hec Gervais. Regina-versus-Saskatoon showdowns for provincial supremacy before 3,000 fans. Competing against fellow provincial champions Bob Pickering and Garnet Campbell.

Watching Saskatchewan’s Gary Bryden, Eugene Hritzuk, Brad Heidt, and Bob Ellert nearly ending the Brier drought. Keeping his congratulatory telegrams following that 1959 victory. And one of his last competitions in the mid-70s, when he joined Perry for a cashspiel in Calgary and lost three straight games.

“Well, that’s it,” he said. “I’d never got knocked out of a spiel in my life!”

Asked how his old corn-broom sweeping rink would do against today’s scrub-brushing curlers, Richardson had a wonderful answer:

“We would not beat them out there now. We would have to do a helluva lot of practice just to compete. But if they were to play us back in our day, as (former world champion-turned-TSN-anlayst) Russ Howard told me, ‘Ernie, they would not beat you.’ That’s quite a compliment! I said to Russ, ‘I don’t know about that, but we would have a lot better chance of beating them if they came back and played on our ice.’ ”

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The Richardsons set a high standard for Saskatchewan curlers, but since then only Regina’s Harvey Mazinke (in 1973) and Saskatoon’s Rick Folk (in 1980) have won the Brier. It has become a 44-year drought.

McEwen is from Manitoba. As allowed by Curling Canada, he joined forces this season with Colton Flasch and brothers Daniel and Kevin Marsh to win the Saskatchewan playdowns. With coach Brent Laing and fifth Pat Simmons, McEwen finished atop his Brier pool with a 7-1 round-robin record to qualify for Friday’s playoffs. McEwen knows about the drought and Richardson’s legacy, but it was the first time they had met.

“What struck me is his love for curling; he just lives and breathes it still,” said McEwen. “To see him walking around and his mind’s so sharp you could feel how much he loves the game. Obviously he’s pulling hard for a Sask team. That was immediate and I knew he still was deeply in love with the game.”

McEwen enjoys representing Saskatchewan and being the hometown favourites during the Brier. There has been some debate about the validity of a Manitoba skip winning the Brier for Saskatchewan — Would it officially end the wheat province’s drought? Getting Richardson’s approval certainly can’t hurt.

‘Is that what it takes to make me (a Saskathewanian)?” McEwen said with a smile. “There’s probably a few more steps for me to get there.”

Winning would help.

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