Congrats to Glenn Howard and team for winning another Ontario crown. The victory brings up lots of questions:
* Is Howard really that good or is the quality of curling in Ontario slipping?
* Is this version of Team Howard now the best Ontario team ever?
* Will Howard have to go through zone and regional playdowns again next year?
* Are Savill and Laing the most underrated front end in curling history?
* Can Howard reach the Brier final for a fourth consecutive year?
* Did the revelation coming out of the big Saturday free-for-all meeting that most Ontario championships lose money surprise anyone else?
Part II
Congrats to Brett Gallant and team for winning only the second national junior curling crown for PEI. The victory brings up lots of questions:
* Is Brett Gallant really that calm, cool and collected? He looked totally unflappable during that final game, as if he had no pulse.
* Do you think the CCA folks were secretly cheering for Gallant because they were nervous about Dylan Johnson, a guy with green and yellow in his hair, representing Canada?
* Were those tears I saw in the eyes of proud papa Peter Gallant after his son drew the winning stone into the house?
Part III
Today's Globe column, part of a one-year-to-go Olympic section.
3 comments:
To answer the question of is Team Howard the best team in Ontario, I want to take you back to the lat final versus Martin.
if you recall, it's howard up one with playing Martin. Martin is sitting two. Howard is playing a nose through a little port for one. but on the table is to peel off the top one and give up one to be tied up.
As Howard throws the rock, I swear I don’t think there’s a team on the tour that doesn’t sweep it to ensure it hits more of the top one. They are relaxed, not screaming right off, or sweep. It hits just enough of the top rock, and just enough of the back one to just get three by enough.
My point: either they froze, or they are so confident in outcomes that they wait for the outcome.
To me, that last shot is indication that they are not in the least bit afraid to lose. It hit a comfortable amount of the rock, but again, there aren’t too many teams, if any, that let that curl.
They are 4 relaxed guys who simply aren't afraid to miss. that might be because they have the greatest pure thrower of the rock at skip, but it also might be because they've learned as a team that misses will come, but they will also be overcome.
As a team, I think they are the best curling has ever seen.
I think it's a case of both the talent going down and Howard being that good. It's like "reverse evolution". Team Howard is essentially a pro-uber-team in a very elite crowd.
Since the Olympics, it's been a case of the "haves" and "have-nots". If you can't make it a full-time thing (or close to it), then forget it chummer.
I thinks some teams realize this and don't even make an effort for the clubs or zones anymore. Numbers have been down in the provinces (economy is a factor to).
Familiarity does breed contempt. Remember the "Ferbey frenzie" a few years ago? After a while, I got sick of seeing their mugs and cheered when they got knocked off.
Both.
I think the Glenn Howard rink is the best ever, at least in Ontario; as another poster said, it's almost otherworldly how relaxed they are (and supremely confident in their abilities)on the ices in the middle of a game, no matter how big.
But I also think that the quality of the teams in Ontario (and other than Alberta and Manitoba, everywhere else)aren't in Howard's league, either.
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