The Boston Pizza Cup is the Alberta provincial championship for men's curling, run by Curling Alberta. The winner represents Team Alberta at the national men's championship, called the Montana's Brier. Currently sponsored by restaurant chain Boston Pizza, under former sponsors, the championship was known as the Alberta Kia Cup and the Safeway Select. Prior to obtaining a title sponsor, the tournament was called the Alberta Tankard.

Boston Pizza Cup
Established1928
2024 host cityHinton, Alberta
2024 arenaBill Thomson Arena
2024 championAaron Sluchinski
Current edition

Qualification

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In the current format, twelve teams compete in the provincial tournament. The following teams qualify:

  • The defending champion(s) automatically qualify(ies) – either or both the previous year's Boston Pizza Cup winner and/or an Albertan-based "Team Canada" that failed to defend a Brier title the previous year can be entered as a "defending champion." If for whatever reason no defending champion enters the tournament (for example, because they qualified automatically for the Brier as the defending national champion) then an additional Alberta Tour team qualifies as described below;
  • The top Albertan team as determined by the Canadian Team Ranking System qualifies – if this team is entered as the defending provincial champion and/or is the defending national champion (or otherwise does not participate) then the next ranked team qualifies, if that team is also qualified (or does not enter) then the next ranked team qualifies, and so on;
  • The team(s) with the most Alberta Tour points not already qualified also qualify(ies) – the number of teams that qualify by this method can be one, two or three depending on how many "defending champions" enter;
  • The remaining eight spots are determined through the "traditional" route, that is, through zone and district playdowns. As of 2020, four teams qualify from the Southern Zone, three from the Northern Zone and one from Peace River Country.

Past champions

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Listed below are the provincial champion skips for each year.[1] Alberta did not participate in the 1927 Brier.

Starting in 2015, teams that win the previous year's Brier have been automatically entered into the national championship as "Team Canada." Any such Albertan-based teams do not participate in that year's provincial championship. Such teams have the right to enter as a "defending champion" in the year following any failed defence of their Brier title, although as of 2020 both teams eligible to qualify in this way so far have declined to enter - Simmons' team disbanded after failing to win the 2016 Brier, while Koe qualified for the Olympics after failing to win the 2017 Brier. Starting in 2018, the top two CTRS teams not otherwise qualified play a "Wild Card Game" for an additional main draw Brier entry.

In another change to the qualifying format, as of 2024, 2 teams (in addition to Team Canada) automatically pre-qualify for the Brier field based on the previous season's Canadian Team Ranking Standings (CTRS), which meant they bypassed the provincial qualifiers. As well, a fourth qualifying team will join the field as the top non-qualified team on the CTRS standings following provincial and territorial playdowns.[2]

* Won Brier
** Won World Curling Championships (1959–present)
No Brier that year
Year Skip Winning Club Other AB Brier Skips5
2024 Aaron Sluchinski Airdrie Curling Club Brendan BottcherCTRS
Kevin KoeCTRS
2023 Kevin Koe The Glencoe Club Brendan BottcherWC
Karsten SturmayWC
2022 Kevin Koe The Glencoe Club Brendan BottcherCA
2021 Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Alberta.[3]
Team Brendan Bottcher* represented Alberta (and won) at Brier.
[4]
Kevin KoeWC
2020 Brendan Bottcher Saville Community Sports Centre Kevin KoeCA
2019 Kevin Koe* The Glencoe Club Brendan BottcherWC
2018[5] Brendan Bottcher Saville Sports Centre None
2017[6] Brendan Bottcher Saville Sports Centre Kevin KoeCA
2016[7] Kevin Koe** Glencoe Curling Club Pat SimmonsCA
2015[8] Kevin Koe1 Glencoe Curling Club Pat Simmons*CA
2014[9] Kevin Koe*1 Glencoe Curling Club
2013[10] Kevin Martin Saville Sports Centre
2012[11] Kevin Koe Glencoe Curling Club
2011[12] Kevin Martin Saville Sports Centre
2010[13] Kevin Koe** Saville Sports Centre
2009 Kevin Martin* Saville Sports Centre
2008 Kevin Martin** Saville Sports Centre
2007 Kevin Martin Saville Sports Centre
2006 Kevin Martin Saville Sports Centre
2005 Randy Ferbey** Granite Curling Club
2004 Randy Ferbey Avonair Curling Club
2003 Randy Ferbey** Avonair Curling Club
2002 Randy Ferbey** Ottewell Curling Club
2001 Randy Ferbey* Ottewell Curling Club
2000 Kevin Martin Ottewell Curling Club
1999 Ken Hunka Ottewell Curling Club
1998 Tom Reed Granite Curling Club
1997 Kevin Martin* Ottewell Curling Club
1996 Kevin Martin Ottewell Curling Club
1995 Kevin Martin Ottewell Curling Club
1994 Ed Lukowich Calgary Curling Club
1993 Greg Ferster Leduc Curling Club
1992 Kevin Martin Avonair Curling Club
1991 Kevin Martin* Avonair Curling Club
1990 Harold Breckenridge North Hill Curling Club
1989 Pat Ryan** Ottewell Curling Club
1988 Pat Ryan* Ottewell Curling Club
1987 Pat Ryan Ottewell Curling Club
1986 Ed Lukowich** Calgary Winter Club
1985 Pat Ryan Ottewell Curling Club
1984 Ed Lukowich Calgary Curling Club
1983 Ed Lukowich North Hill Curling Club
1982 Gary Morken Grande Prairie Curling Club
1981 Mel Watchorn Fairview Curling Club
1980 Paul Gowsell Calgary Winter Club
1979 Paul Devlin Crestwood Curling Club
1978 Ed Lukowich* Medicine Hat Curling Club
1977 Tom Reed Crestwood Curling Club
1976 Wayne Sokolosky Calgary Curling Club
1975 Tom Reed St. Albert Curling Club
1974 Hec Gervais* St. Albert Curling Club
1973 Mel Watchorn Fairview Curling Club
1972 Mel Watchorn Fairview Curling Club
1971 Matt Baldwin Derrick Golf & Winter Club
1970 Hec Gervais Granite Curling Club
1969 Ron Northcott** Calgary Curling Club
1968 Ron Northcott** Calgary Curling Club
1967 Ron Northcott Calgary Curling Club
1966 Ron Northcott** Calgary Curling Club
1965 Nick Lashuk Calgary Curling Club
1964 Ron Northcott Calgary Curling Club
1963 Jim Shields Calgary Curling Club
1962 Hec Gervais Alberta Avenue Curling Club
1961 Hec Gervais** Alberta Avenue Curling Club
1960 Stu Beagle Calgary Curling Club
1959 Herb Olsen Edmonton Curling Club
1958 Matt Baldwin* Granite Curling Club
1957 Matt Baldwin* Granite Curling Club
1956 Matt Baldwin Granite Curling Club
1955 Hugh Brown Claresholm Curling Club
1954 Matt Baldwin* Granite Curling Club
1953 Len Haw Glencoe Curling Club
1952 Art Simpson Bassano Curling Club
1951 Bill Gray Granite Curling Club
1950 Cliff Manahan Royal Curling Club
1949 Stu Beagle Blackie Curling Club
1948 Walter McLaws Glencoe Curling Club
1947 Howard Palmer Calgary Curling Club
1946 Billy Rose* Sedgewick Curling Club
1945 Cliff Manahan5 Edmonton Royal Curling Club
1944 Cliff Manahan5 Edmonton Royal Curling Club
1943 Cliff Manahan5 Edmonton Royal Curling Club
1942 John Slavik Viking Curling Club
1941 Howard Palmer* Calgary Curling Club
1940 Cliff Manahan Royal Curling Club
1939 Howard Baker Calgary Curling Club
1938 Cliff Manahan Royal Curling Club
1937 Cliff Manahan* Royal Curling Club
1936 George Wanless Granite Curling Club
1935 Robert Alexander Calgary Curling Club
1934 Orwell Stewart Macleod Curling Club
1933 Cliff Manahan* Royal Curling Club
1932 Art Hallonquist Three Hills Curling Club
1931 Robert Welliver Red Deer Curling Club
1930 Bob Munro Edmonton Curling Club
1929 Arnold Johnson Edmonton Curling Club
1928 Joe Heartwell Rosetown Curling Club (SK)
Notes
  1. ^ Koe assembled a new team following his 2014 Brier win, and won the 2015 Boston Pizza Cup after re-qualifying with his new team. His former team, skipped by Pat Simmons, competed in the 2015 and 2016 Briers as Team Canada.
  2. ^ Qualified for the Brier as Team Canada.
  3. ^ Qualified for the Brier as Wild Card.
  4. ^ Qualified for the Brier as either a pre-qualified team, or the top non-qualifying team on the CTRS.
  5. ^ Due to World War II, the Brier was not held from 1943 through 1945.
  6. ^ Since there was neither a Team Canada nor a Wild Card in the 2014 or prior Briers it was not possible for more than one Albertan team to play in those tournaments, therefore this column is left blank for 2014 and all prior years.

References

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  1. ^ "Past Provincial Champions". Curling Alberta. Retrieved 2019-03-29.
  2. ^ "Early Brier Qualifiers!". Curling Canada. July 11, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  3. ^ Heroux, Devin (January 8, 2020). "Curling Alberta cancels provincial championships". CBC Sports. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  4. ^ Heroux, Devin (January 18, 2020). "Alberta selects Laura Walker, Brendan Bottcher for Scotties, Brier". CBC Sports. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. ^ CurlingZone
  6. ^ CurlingZone
  7. ^ CurlingZone
  8. ^ CurlingZone
  9. ^ CurlingZone
  10. ^ CurlingZone
  11. ^ CurlingZone
  12. ^ CurlingZone
  13. ^ CurlingZone
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