Wikipedia

1979 Macdonald Brier

The 1979 Macdonald Brier, the Canadian men's curling championship was held from March 4 to 10, 1979 at the Ottawa Civic Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. For the second straight year, the total attendance for the week set a then-record where 89,081 attended the event.[2] This was the last Brier where the round robin would determine the champion without a playoff.

1979 Macdonald Brier
Host cityOttawa, Ontario
ArenaOttawa Civic Centre
DatesMarch 4–10[1]
Attendance89,081
Winner Manitoba
Curling clubDeer Lodge CC, Winnipeg
SkipBarry Fry
ThirdBill Carey
SecondGordon Sparkes
LeadBryan Wood
« 1978
1980 »

Team Manitoba, who was skipped by Barry Fry captured the Brier tankard as they finished round robin play with a 10–1 record as they clinched the title with after the Friday night draw. This was Manitoba's twentieth title and the only Brier won by Fry. The Fry rink would go onto represent Canada at the 1979 Air Canada Silver Broom, the men's world curling championship in Bern, Switzerland where they lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Norway.

It would be the last Brier under the sponsorship of Macdonald Tobacco. This marked an end of an era, as Macdonald Tobacco had sponsored the event since the first Brier in 1927. Following the final draw, the head of Macdonald Tobacco, David Macdonald Stewart declared "[f]or half a century, Macdonald Tobacco has followed an idea ... a dream to ... bring together Canadians, from all parts of the country and all walks of life, in a national sporting event. Curling was the ideal sport. It's been a wonderful experience. We've now seen the final chapter in 50 years of Canadian history". To commemorate the end of the Macdonald era, every living Brier champion skip at the time were invited to attend the Brier, and had their picture taken together. The lone surviving curler from the 1927 Brier, Emmet Smith (Northern Ontario) was also invited.[3] The group of skips gathered before the final draw of the event for a special ceremony.[4]

The event was marred with slow ice conditions and bad rocks,[5] which were borrowed from a local curling club. The rocks were mismatched and pitted which "reduced shotmaking to a guessing game."[6] Part way through the week, organizers asked for the teams to vote on changing the rocks. The teams that favoured hitting, including the leading Manitoba rink opposed changing the rocks, as the mismatched rocks made draw shots more difficult than hit shots.[7]

Teams

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The teams were listed as follows:[8]

Alberta British Columbia Manitoba
Crestwood CC, Edmonton

Skip: Paul Devlin
Third: John Hunter
Second: Pat Ryan
Lead: Derek Devlin

Vancouver CC, Vancouver

Skip: Glen Pierce
Third: Wayne Matthewson
Second: Bruce Davey
Lead: Fuji Miki

Deer Lodge CC, Winnipeg

Skip: Barry Fry
Third: Bill Carey
Second: Gordon Sparkes
Lead: Bryan Wood

New Brunswick Newfoundland Northern Ontario
Thistle St. Andrews CC, Saint John

Skip: Richard Belyea
Third: Charlie Sullivan
Second:Don Pennell
Lead: Brian McLeod

St. John's CC, St. John's

Skip: Jeff Thomas
Third: Toby McDonald
Second: Peter Hollett
Lead: Ken Thomas

Thunder Bay WC, Thunder Bay

Skip: Larry Pineau
Third: Scott Hamilton
Second: George Campbell
Lead: Cliff Campbell

Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island
Dartmouth CC, Dartmouth

Skip: Alan Darragh
Third: Peter MacPhee
Second: Mike Currie
Lead: Dave Durrant

Annandale CC, Pickering

Skip: Bob Fedosa
Third: Bob Turcotte
Second: Craig Garratt
Lead: Doug Morrison

Charlottetown CC, Charlottetown

Skip: Wayne Matheson
Third: Ken MacDonald
Second: Al Legerwood
Lead: John Scales

Quebec Saskatchewan Northwest Territories/Yukon
St. Laurent CC, Mount Royal

Skip: Jim Ursel
Third: Don Aitken
Second: Warren Wallace
Lead: Malcolm Turner

Nutana CC, Saskatoon

Skip: Rick Folk
Third: Bob Thompson
Second: Tom Wilson
Lead: Jim Wilson

Yellowknife CC, Yellowknife

Skip: Don Strang
Third: Klaus Schoenne
Second: Rick Borden
Lead: Clay Cedarholm

Map of teams

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  Provincial Winners

Round Robin standings

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Final Round Robin standings[8]

Key
Brier champion
Province Skip W L PF PA
  Manitoba Barry Fry 10 1 67 40
  Saskatchewan Rick Folk 8 3 74 59
  Northern Ontario Larry Pineau 8 3 63 54
  Ontario Bob Fedosa 6 5 56 58
  Prince Edward Island Wayne Matheson 6 5 67 49
  Alberta Paul Devlin 6 5 62 62
  Quebec Jim Ursel 5 6 61 62
  British Columbia Glen Pierce 5 6 61 69
  Nova Scotia Alan Darragh 4 7 59 71
  New Brunswick Richard Belyea 3 8 44 69
  Newfoundland Jeff Thomas 3 8 63 71
  Northwest Territories/Yukon Don Strang 2 9 54 67

Round Robin results

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All draw times are listed in Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00)[8][9][10]

Draw 1

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Sunday, March 4, 2:00 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 5
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 6
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 X 5
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 X 3
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 2 1 0 2 1 0 2 0 X 8
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 2 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 X 6
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 5
  Manitoba (Fry) 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 6
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 1 1 X 8
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 2

Draw 2

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Sunday, March 4, 7:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 X 6
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 X 7
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 6
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 2 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 X X 7
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 X X 1
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Ontario (Fedosa) 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 X 6
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 X 3
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 3

Draw 3

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Monday, March 5, 9:30 am

Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 X 3
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 X 5
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 X X 3
  Quebec (Ursel) 2 2 0 3 0 2 1 0 X X 10
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Manitoba (Fry) 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 X 6
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 X 5

Draw 4

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Monday, March 5, 2:00 pm

Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 X 3
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 X 6
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 2 0 1 1 0 2 2 0 2 X 10
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 3
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 2 1 1 1 0 4 0 0 X X 9
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 X X 3

Draw 5

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Monday, March 5, 7:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 2 0 X 7
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 X 3
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 5
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 3
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 4 X 9
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 X 4
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 X 7
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 X 5
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 X 4
  Ontario (Fedosa) 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 3 X 8

Draw 6

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Tuesday, March 6, 9:00 am

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 5
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 X X 3
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 0 2 0 3 3 1 2 X X 11
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 4
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 5
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 1 7
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 6
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X X 1
  Manitoba (Fry) 2 1 0 1 1 3 1 1 X X 10

Draw 7

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Tuesday, March 6, 2:00 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 3 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 7
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 X 3
  Manitoba (Fry) 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 4 X 10
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 6
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 1 2 8
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 X X 3
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 2 1 0 1 4 0 2 0 X X 10
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 6
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 7

Draw 8

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Wednesday, March 7, 2:00 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 1 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 X 7
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 X 3
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 X 3
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 3 X 8
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 5
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 4
  Ontario (Fedosa) 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 5
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 X 3
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 1 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 1 X 8

Draw 9

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Wednesday, March 7, 7:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 X 7
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 X 4
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
  Ontario (Fedosa) 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 5
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 X 4
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 1 X 7
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 4
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 5
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 8
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 5

Draw 10

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Thursday, March 8, 2:00 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 5 1 0 3 0 1 2 X X 12
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 X X 3
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X 4
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 0 0 2 0 1 2 1 2 2 X 8
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 X 4
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X 2
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 X 6
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 X 3
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 1 0 3 2 0 1 0 1 2 X 10
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 X 3

Draw 11

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Thursday, March 8, 7:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Alberta (Devlin) 3 0 1 3 1 0 2 0 X X 10
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 2 X X 7
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 5
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  British Columbia (Pierce) 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 2 X 8
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 X 5
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 5
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3 6
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 X 8
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 X 3

Draw 12

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Friday, March 9, 2:00 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 1 0 1 0 3 2 0 2 2 X 11
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 4
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 6
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 5
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 5
  Alberta (Devlin) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 3
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 X 6
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 4 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 1 X 9

Draw 13

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Friday, March 9, 7:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Ontario (Fedosa) 1 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 9
  British Columbia (Pierce) 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 2 0 7
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 X 6
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 4 0 4 0 1 0 1 X 10
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 3
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 4
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Nova Scotia (Darragh) 2 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 8
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 2 1 0 7
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 X 5
  Northern Ontario (Pineau) 3 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 1 X 10

Draw 14

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Saturday, March 10, 1:30 pm

Sheet A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Manitoba (Fry) 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 2 X 7
  Quebec (Ursel) 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 X 2
Sheet B 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Prince Edward Island (Matheson) 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 4
  British Columbia (Pierce) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 5
Sheet C 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Northwest Territories/Yukon (Strang) 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 4
  Alberta (Devlin) 2 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 X 6
Sheet D 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Brunswick (Belyea) 1 0 2 0 1 3 0 0 1 X 8
  Newfoundland (Thomas) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X 2
Sheet E 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Ontario (Fedosa) 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 X 4
  Saskatchewan (Folk) 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 2 X 7

Awards

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All-Star Team

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The media selected the following curlers as All-Stars.[11]

Position Name Team
Skip Barry Fry   Manitoba
Third Bill Carey   Manitoba
Second George Campbell   Northern Ontario
Lead Bryan Wood   Manitoba

Ross G.L. Harstone Award

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The Ross Harstone Award was presented to the player chosen by their fellow peers as the curler who best represented Harstone's high ideals of good sportsmanship, observance of the rules, exemplary conduct and curling ability.[12][11]

As of 2023, this is the only Brier in which two players won the Harstone Award.

Name Team Position
Wayne Matheson   Prince Edward Island Skip
Dave Durrant   Nova Scotia Lead

References

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  1. ^ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
  2. ^ "Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search".
  3. ^ Weeks, pg 153
  4. ^ "The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search".
  5. ^ Ottawa Citizen, March 6, 1979, pg 19
  6. ^ "The Brier", Bob Weeks, pg 158
  7. ^ Weeks
  8. ^ a b c "1979 MacDonald Brier - Curling Canada Stats Archive".
  9. ^ "The who and when of the 50th Brier". The Ottawa Citizen. Newspapers.com. March 3, 1979. p. 26. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  10. ^ "A draw by draw guide to Brier week". The Ottawa Citizen. Newspapers.com. March 3, 1979. p. 27. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  11. ^ a b BRIER INDIVIDUAL AWARDS & ALL-STAR TEAMS
  12. ^ "EE22_BrierSouvenirProgramFinal.pdf" (PDF). Curling Canada. p. 52. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
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