Robservations: Having an ice time at the Brier … Roughriders curling connections abound … and the three-touchdown club

This week’s theme: Slider Pride!

I have scheduled some vacation time for the purpose of immersing myself in the Brier. The Canadian men’s curling championship began Friday night at the Brandt Centre, where the final is to be played on March 10.

Brier passes went on sale last year, shortly after I joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders as the resident writer and historian. I quickly signed up for every draw and, all these months later, am now attending a major curling event for the first time as a spectator, period.

Over the years, I covered three Regina-based Briers (those of 1992, 2006 and 2018) for the Regina Leader-Post.

I also had media credentials when the Queen City played host to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (1998, 2008) and the Canadian Olympic curling trials (2001).

In the line of duty, I travelled to Kelowna (1989), Moose Jaw (2015, 2020) and Grande Prairie, Alta. (2016) to staff the Scotties.

Not once did I sit anywhere except on media row.

Each event was something to savour, but I secretly envied the people who could simply sit in the stands and watch, without having to conduct interviews or adhere to those annoying deadlines.

Hence my attendance at this year’s Brier. Between draws, I will walk over to the office — Mosaic Stadium — and continue to file stories for Riderville.com.

Who knows? Some of them may even pertain to curling, because locally based football ties abound.

Regina-born Ben Hebert is the lead with Team Alberta, skipped by Brendan Bottcher.

I met Ben nearly a quarter-century ago, when he quarterbacked the Riffel Royals. In fact, he was at the controls of the offence for one of the best football games ever played, at any level.

On Oct. 31, 2000, Ben threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Arsenault in the second overtime period to give Riffel a 41-34 playoff victory over the Notre Dame Hounds at Taylor Field.

The scoring strike to Arsenault was the third touchdown pass of the evening for Hebert, who also ran for a major.

“It doesn’t get any better than this,” he told me after the game. “This tops my high school career. This is the most amazing feeling I’ve had in my entire life.”

That was before Hebert won an Olympic gold medal in 2010, as a member of the Kevin Martin team.

Hebert and Martin were also part of a world championship-winning team in 2008. As well, Hebert has four Brier championships to his credit.

Also of note: He is an ardent CFL fan.

A staunch Roughriders supporter by birthright, he also co-hosted a podcast with Bo Levi Mitchell when the veteran quarterback was a member of the Calgary Stampeders.

The 2024 Brier’s football connections extend to the B.C. skip, Catlin Schneider, who is a former receiver with the University of Regina Rams.

I recall interviewing Schneider when he was in Grade 11 and a running back with Balgonie’s Greenall Griffins.

“It feels good to play where the Riders play, after cheering for them all the time while growing up,” he said on Sept. 24, 2008 after rushing for 113 yards against Riffel.

The Royals’ coaching staff at the time included Roughriders receiver Matt Dominguez, who entered the SaskTel Plaza of Honour in 2016.

Another honoured member of the Plaza is Bill Clarke, who was a standout defensive lineman with the Roughriders from 1951 to 1964.

Clarke has also been enshrined in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame — in part because of his accomplishments as a curler.

In 1950, Clarke skipped his Scott Collegiate team to a Canadian high school curling championship.

The Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame has also honoured Ernie Richardson, a four-time world champion.

Ernie, who is sporting royalty, was a special advisor on the Roughriders’ Executive Committee (now the Board of Directors) from 1987 to 1991. He thus became a champion once more, as someone who was part of the equation when the Roughriders won the 1989 Grey Cup Game.

Other football/curling links? We’ve got ’em! (Please hold your applause.)

On Feb. 22, 1998, when the Roughriders were wooing free-agent quarterback Danny McManus, he paid a visit to Regina and took in the Scotties.

When McManus was asked about what he hoped to accomplish during the trip, he replied: “There are a lot of things I’ll find out — like how to play curling.”

A draw, in his case, is a running play.

McManus ended up signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Negotiations with a prominent pivot were more successful 17 years later, when Kevin Glenn signed with Saskatchewan.

After the deal was announced at historic Mosaic Stadium on Feb. 19, 2015, Glenn made a road trip.

Alongside then-Roughriders Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Brendan Taman — a devotee of curling — Glenn headed to Moose Jaw to watch the Scotties.

Talk about a curl route!

RANDOM RAMBLINGS

• Great curling names in Roughriders history: Jack Ring (1940 and 1942), Skip Eaman (1969 draftee), Joe Roller (training camp, 1970), Gary Kerl (linebacker, 1971), Rock Perdoni (defensive lineman, 1972 and 1973), Campbell Hackney (linebacker, 1980 to 1982), Jim House (training camp, 1999), Matt Hammer (defensive back, 1999 and 2000), Daren Stone (linebacker, 2012) and Kory Sheets (running back, 2012 and 2013).
• Honourable mention: Ray El-guard.
• Laurie Artiss, who in 1966 covered the Roughriders’ first Grey Cup victory for the L-P, chaired three Regina-based curling events — the 1973 and 1983 world men’s championships, along with the 1976 Brier. He also founded Laurie Artiss Ltd.: The Pin People, which is a premier pin provider for major curling events.
• The firm is now operated by Barry Taman, whose resume includes time spent with the Roughriders as an equipment manager and marketing expert. Yes, he is Brendan Taman’s brother.
• Flashback to 1969: Fred Wagman, a future President of the Roughriders, skipped a curling team that recorded an eight-ender in the Commercial Teachers’ League.

SATURDAY STATS SPECTACULAR!

OK, the preceding line is an example of hyperbole, but I do get excited about this stuff.

A considerable portion of the off-season has been spent updating and expanding the Roughriders’ list of all-time records and statistical leaders.

I have just completed a thorough documentation of all the three-touchdown games in team history, dating back more than a century.

So here, without further preamble, is the definitive list …

Most Games, Three-Plus Touchdowns

11 — George Reed (four-TD game vs. Edmonton, Oct. 10, 1968; three-TD games: Oct. 31, 1964 vs. Edmonton; Oct. 4, 1965 vs. Ottawa; Sept. 5, 1966 vs. Montreal; Aug. 11, 1967 vs B.C.; Oct. 23, 1968 at Winnipeg; Aug. 13, 1971 vs. Winnipeg; Aug. 27, 1972 vs. Ottawa; Sept.12, 1972 at B.C.; Oct. 7, 1973 vs. B.C.; Sept. 10, 1975 vs. Calgary). Whew!

5 — Brian Timmis (four TDs vs. Saskatoon, Oct. 30, 1920; three TDs: Nov. 6, 1920 vs. Calgary; Sept. 24, 1921 at Moose Jaw; Oct. 15, 1921 vs. Moose Jaw; Oct. 14, 1922 vs. Regina Boat Club).

4 — Ken Carpenter (Aug. 29, 1955 at B.C.; Sept. 5, 1955 vs. B.C.; Sept. 29, 1956 at B.C.; Nov. 5, 1956 vs. Winnipeg).

4 — Hugh Campbell (Aug. 7, 1964 vs. Winnipeg; Aug. 28, 1964 at Edmonton; Aug. 7, 1966 vs. Winnipeg; Sept. 5, 1966 vs. Montreal).

2 — Bill Orban (Oct. 10, 1942 vs. Notre Dame; Oct. 26, 1942; vs. Notre Dame; Orban played for a Regina Navy team during the Second World War.

2 — Ken Charlton (Oct. 23, 1943 vs. Winnipeg RCAF; Oct. 24, 1949 at Edmonton).

2 — Jack Hill (Sept. 29, 1958 at B.C.; Oct. 25, 1958 at Calgary).

2 — Ray Purdin (Oct. 13, 1962 at Ottawa; Oct. 27, 1962 at Calgary).

2 — Joey Walters (Aug. 30, 1981 at Edmonton; Oct. 18, 1981 vs. Edmonton).

2 — Curtis Marsh (July 28, 2000 vs. Calgary; July 28, 2001 vs. Toronto).

1 — Ferd Burket (with a team-record five TDs on Oct. 26, 1959 at Winnipeg).

1 — Milson Jones (four TDs, Aug. 31, 1988 at Winnipeg).

1 — Tare Rennebohm Sr. (with the team’s first three-TD game, Oct. 4, 1919 versus Moose Jaw).

1 — Eddie James (Nov. 10, 1928 at Calgary).

1 — Curt Schave (Nov. 7, 1931 at Winnipeg).

1 — Jack Thompson (Oct. 10, 1932 vs. Saskatoon).

1 — Del Wardien (Oct. 11, 1948 vs. Winnipeg).

1 — Fred Hamilton (Oct. 18, 1952 at Edmonton).

1 — Bobby Marlow (Oct. 26, 1957 vs. Calgary). Marlow scored a TD three different ways — on a running play, a fumble return and an interception return.

1 — Bob Renn (Sept. 26, 1960 vs. Calgary).

1 — Silas McKinnie (July 28, 1969 at B.C.).

1 — Bobby Thompson (Oct. 24, 1971 vs. B.C.).

1 — Tom Campana (Sept. 16, 1973 at Montreal).

1 — Rhett Dawson (Sept. 28, 1975 vs. B.C.).

1 — Pete Van Valkenburg (Aug. 20, 1976 at Calgary).

1 — Steve Molnar (Aug. 9, 1977 vs. Ottawa).

1 — Mike Strickland (July 17, 1979 at Edmonton).

1 — Craig Ellis (Aug. 23, 1985 at Edmonton).

1 — Walter Bender (Oct. 18, 1987 vs. Edmonton).

1 — Ray Elgaard (Sept. 16, 1988 at B.C.).

1 — Jeff Fairholm (Sept. 21, 1991 at B.C.).

1 — Kent Austin (Oct. 23, 1993 vs. Calgary).

1 — Mike Saunders (Oct. 24, 1994 vs. Ottawa).

1 — Don Narcisse (Sept. 13, 1998 at Winnipeg).

1 — Curtis Mayfield (Sept. 5, 1999 vs. Winnipeg).

1 — Rocky Butler (Sept. 1, 2002 vs. Winnipeg).

1 — Kenton Keith (Nov. 2, 2003 at Winnipeg).

1 — Jason Armstead (July 8, 2006 vs. Calgary).

1 — Andy Fantuz (Oct. 14, 2007 at Hamilton).

1 — Michael Bishop (Oct. 30, 2008 at Toronto).

1 — Chris Szarka (Oct. 17, 2009 at Calgary).

1 — Hugh Charles (Aug. 12, 2011 vs. Calgary).

1 — Weston Dressler (June 29, 2012 at Hamilton).

1 — Will Ford (July 26, 2014 vs. Toronto).

1 — William Powell (July 27, 2019 at B.C.).

1 — Samuel Emilus (June 16, 2023 vs. Winnipeg).

ROLL CREDITS …

• Nice people who deserve a plug: Jacqueline Hurlbert, Ron Jones, Lovella Jones, Yvonne Harrison, Jasper Dent, Doug Ferris, Jim Hopson, Brenda Edwards, Don Rice, Kevin Glenn, Danny McManus, Ben Hebert, Catlin Schneider, Ernie Richardson, Jim Richardson, Barry Taman, Brendan Taman, Fred Schrader and Henoc Muamba.