By Ryan Horne, TSN.ca Staff
The field for the 2016 Tim Hortons Brier is arguably the most decorated and talented in the history of the Canadian men's curling championship.
Pat Simmons and his Calgary rink will return as Team Canada in search of their third straight (second with John Morris) national title but will be opposed by some of the world's best rinks.
Northern Ontario's Brad Jacobs (Brier, Olympic champion), Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue (Olympic champ, 2015-16 money leader), Kevin Koe of Alberta (2X Brier champion) and Ontario's Glenn Howard (4X Brier, 4X world champion) will all be at TD Place Arena from March 5-13. Not to mention the very talented Mike McEwen of Manitoba making his first Brier appearance with solid rinks led by Saskatchewan's Steve Laycock, British Columbia's Jim Cotter and Jean-Michel Menard of Quebec also playing for the right to represent Canada at the world championships.
There will be no "gimmies" in Ottawa for any of these foursomes with a plethora of storylines to keep the drama percolating throughout the week.
Will Gushue finally win his first Brier in his 13th attempt? How will McEwen fare in his first Canadian championship? Can the ageless wonder and curling legend in Howard work some magic and win his fifth Brier with his son, Scott? Will a dark horse like Laycock improve on his solid bronze medal performance from 2015?
Check out TSN.ca's Tim Hortons Brier preview.
Pat Simmons (Team Canada)
Lead: Nolan Thiessen Second: Carter Rycroft Third: John Morris Skip: Pat Simmons
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WCT Money List
$38,773 (12th)
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CTRS Rankings
154.806 (12th)
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Events Won
3
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Brier
9
Pat Simmons will look to capture a third consecutive Brier, and for the third straight season his rink from Calgary will have a different skipper heading into the tournament. In 2014, third Simmons, second Carter Rycroft and lead Nolan Thiessen won it all in Kamloops, B.C., as Kevin Koe threw skip stones. After Koe left, Morris joined the crew as the man in charge the following season. The rink had an automatic entry to the national championship in Calgary as Team Canada and struggled mightily until Simmons took over skip duties in the round robin. Fast forward a few days later and the 41-year-old from Moose Jaw would celebrate another championship. Simmons will be the skip in Ottawa and will look to be the first curler since Randy Ferbey (2001-2003) to win three straight Brier titles. This squad has had a successful year, winning two events on the WCT and was part of North America’s Continental Cup victory in Las Vegas.
Final Word: Even though they’re going for a three-peat, Simmons and Team Canada won’t be big-time favourites once again this year, simply because the field is so strong. If they’re playing their best, they are one of the best foursomes in the game, but are also capable of missing the playoffs entirely if things aren’t working out.