Curling Legends Podcast

Episode 98 - Bob Nichols

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Nichols was on a mission. His goals were to become an accountant and a curling world champion. Bob captured his first Air Canada Silver Broom in 1...

Episode 97 - Beau Welling

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Beau Welling followed a peculiar path. From studying physics to designing golf courses and eventually becoming the President of World Curling. Beau sh...

Episode 96 - Ken Horton, Part 2

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Ken Horton we begin after the 1977 men's world championship, progressing to the 1983 worlds and the controversy surr...

Episode 95 - Ken Horton, Part 1

05 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ken Horton was obsessed about curling. He honed his skills at the Crossmyloof Ice Rink in Glasgow, eventually teaming with skip Robert Kelly and the f...

Episode 94 - Andrea Schoepp

23 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Andrea Schoepp could focus on the game and nothing else. Her skills developed from curling outdoors with her family in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At the ...

Episode 93 - Toby McDonald

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Toby McDonald always chose to wake up with a smile. From his beginnings at the St. John's Curling Club, Toby had a passion for the sport and its evolu...

Special Episode - Don Finkbeiner

08 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Don Finkbeiner speaks at the banquet celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Manitoba Men's Provincial Curling Championship. Resby Coutts provides th...

Episode 92 - Bryan Wood

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bryan Wood led the seventies. Woody learned to curl on a two sheet natural ice club in the small community of Justice, Manitoba. His legacy began when...

Episode 91 - Ron Braunstein

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Braunstein missed the Scotch Cup. Committed to his exams, Gordon McTavish went in Ron's place and Canada lost its first world championship in men'...

Episode 90 - George Fink

13 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

George Fink is unflappable. Raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, he began curling with his family on a two sheet club with natural ice. George won the Br...

Episode 89 - John Cullen/Warren Hansen

01 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Cullen joins Kevin to discuss his new podcast series Broomgate: A Curling Scandal. John explains how the project came together, what he learned t...

Episode 88 - Dorenda Bailey

17 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dorenda Bailey did it all by twenty-two. Growing up in Moose Jaw, a provincial High School championship was followed by multiple collegiate victories ...

Episode 87 - Jim Waite

10 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Waite learned honour in curling at an early age. Playing lead in a bonspiel final, their opponent's last stone picked and Jim's skip, Don Anderson...

Episode 86 - Susan Seitz

02 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Susan Seitz kept knocking at the door. After winning an Alberta Junior Championship in 1968 it would take 13 years and several close calls before capt...

Episode 85 - Larry McGrath

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Larry McGrath rode horses to the curling club. His father would take him via horse and sleigh on Saturday mornings to practice on a sheet of natural i...

Episode 84 - Eugene Hritzuk

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eugene Hritzuk walked over to curl after hockey practice. Planted in goal with no face mask, the team took shots at him. After one puck whizzed past E...

Episode 83 - Hersh Lerner/Wally Ursuliak and Will Pacarynuk

05 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hersh Lerner says if you're not nervous it's BS. Hersh grew up in Winnipeg, learning to curl at the Maple Leaf Curling Club. His talent for golf was m...

Episode 82 - George Karrys

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

George Karrys bought The Curling News. February 15, 2023 was the 25th anniversary of the Olympic men's curling final in Nagano, Japan. George and team...

Episode 81 - Heather Houston

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

  Heather Houston isn't a stereotypical skip. She never felt a need to be the centre of attention, often avoiding the limelight. When Heather and Lor...

Episode 80 - Al Hackner

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Al Hackner always concentrated on the game. His deep focus, cool demeanor and absence of emotional display led to his nickname "the Iceman". Al's part...

Episode 79 - Joe Gurowka

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Gurowka believes curling associations need to engage players. He shared this perspective in his retiring address as Ontario Curling Association (O...

Episode 78 - Orest Meleschuk

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Orest Meleschuk could accept when an opponent threw a good stone. But he was less tolerant when chaff from a corn broom turned a terrible miss into a ...

Episode 77 - Georgina Wheatcroft

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Georgina Wheatcroft always wanted to be an Olympian. Initially kept out of the evaluation camps, she needed a Scotties victory with Pat Sanders in 198...

Episode 76 - Don Lewis

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Don Lewis was an innovator. Being a curling icemaker in the 1970s was as much art as science. Don learned the craft in Saskatchewan, honed his skills ...

Episode 75 - Erika Brown

24 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Erika Brown started young. At the age of 15 she qualified for the 1988 Olympic Games and would compete in her first World Junior Championships a month...

Special Episode - Jim Wilson

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are many legendary nicknames in curling. The Wrench, Snake, Moose, Arrow, Ice Man and the Round-Mound-Of-Come-Around are only a few.  But you m...

Episode 74 - Rae Kells/Donna Boyle

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rae Kells was prepared for the challenge.  Her experience as a probations officer provided ideal training for work as a curling official.  Her stead...

Episode 73 - Don Aitken

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Don Aitken misses corn brooms. With two players pounding in unison, the sound and rhythm was a thing of beauty. In the 1970s, Don practiced on linoleu...

Episode 72 - Terry Jones

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Terry Jones wanted to have fun. As a kid he ran errands for the press box during the local baseball tournament and saw the thrill of being a sportswri...

Episode 71 - Elaine Dagg-Jackson

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Elaine Dagg-Jackson pursued her passion to coach curling. The decision led her to amazing experiences across the globe and eventually her dream job as...

Episode 70 - Bert Gretzinger

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Bert Gretzinger has a few stories to tell. Born in Winnipeg, he spent his middle-school years in Calgary and eventually landed in Vancouver, winning h...

Episode 69 - Resby Coutts

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Resby Coutts is a real life Les Nessman. Farm reporting was the primary job but having been a member of the Murray Nye team that lost the final of the...

Episode 68 - Lindsay Sparkes

17 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Lindsay Sparkes was driven by a desire to improve rather than by competition. Leaving figure skating for curling she replaced judges with a scoreboard...

Episode 67 - Glen Jackson/Doug Wilson

16 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Glen Jackson was young and brash but made a mature decision when it mattered. A coin flip to determine who would be third for Paul Gowsell on their hi...

Episode 66 - Matt Hames/Warren Hansen

16 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Hames was a mad man. Once a copywriter, just like fictional TV character Don Draper, Matt gave up three martini lunches at Bay and Bloor for six ...

Episode 65 - John Ferguson

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Ferguson developed management skills from behind the tee-line.  Dealing with a contentious boardroom seemed easy after numerous years as vice fo...

Episode 64 - Guy Hemmings

21 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Guy Hemmings found curling by accident. Having moved to Montreal for University, during a Sunday morning walk he saw a sign to try curling at the Outr...

Episode 63 - Alison Goring

01 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Alison Goring likes to be around people. Socializing was also a form of sports psychology. She couldn't face the alternative of quiet solitude in a ho...

Episode 62 - Julie Skinner

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Julie Skinner was always driven. Recognizing this, she was hesitant to return to curling when Kelley Law asked her to play third years after she'd ste...

Episode 61 - Don Bartlett, Part 3

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Don Bartlett returns for more conversation. He shares thoughts on the Brier boycott era and Team Martin with Carter Rycroft. Don discusses the Ferbey ...

Episode 60 - Peter Gallant

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Gallant never took to skating. His father was a hockey coach and while his older brother reached for a stick and puck, he chose a broom and slid...

Episode 59 - Ray Grant

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ray Grant's father Andy felt one trip to the Brier was enough. After skipping Ontario at the first Regina Brier in 1955, Andy's experience was so fant...

Episode 58 - Bernie Sparkes

06 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bernie Sparkes loves the Brier. From his first purple heart as second for Ron Northcott in 1966 to his twelfth and final appearance skipping British C...

Episode 57 - Earle Morris

07 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Earle Morris always knew how to prepare. Years before appearing in a Brier he studied the best teams, collecting binders of notes on how to approach t...

Episode 56 - Pat Sanders

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Sanders was always determined to knock over obstacles.  Still a knee slider when starting university, she changed her delivery and fought to make...

Epsiode 55 - Larry Wood

12 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Larry Wood doesn't like puff pieces.  He became editor of the Tankard Times, a daily newspaper at the Brier, on one condition; he wasn't going to pul...

Episode 54 - Harvey Mazinke, Part 2

02 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Harvey Mazinke we begin with a Paul Gowsell story, discuss the original Labatt Brier cresting, re-writing of the "bu...

Episode 53 - Harvey Mazinke, Part 1

18 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Harvey Mazinke influenced curling as a player and a builder.  Growing up in Manitoba, Harvey reached the Brier in 1964 with Bruce Hudson, but moved t...

Episode 52 - Anne Merklinger

29 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anne Merklinger understands the mind of an athlete. As a swimmer she competed with the University of South Carolina and Canada's national team, a choi...

Epsiode 51 - Bob Weeks/Mickey Duzyj

17 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Weeks joins Kevin to discuss TSN's recent attempt to rank Canada's Greatest Curlers (35:45).  Bob explains how the process came together and they...

Episode 50 - Rick Folk

28 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Folk was meant to throw the last rock.  His ability to focus while remaining calm under pressure worked for both golf and curling.  After comin...

Episode 49 - Bob Picken

14 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Picken had a voice for curling.  An accomplished skip who nearly won a Purple Heart at the 1963 Manitoba Provincials, Bob became widely known for...

Episode 48 - Rick Lang

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Rick Lang had an awkward start with success.  His first purple heart was won as third for Bill Tetley, but he had spared for Tom Todd and the uncerta...

Episode 47 - Ron Anton

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Anton was the original boy wonder.  He started skipping a men's team at the age of sixteen.  With his father at third, they reached the semifina...

Episode 46 - Lloyd Yerama/Brian Chick

04 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Lloyd Yerama would sooner curl than eat.  The second of 13 children, Lloyd grew up in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, learning to curl on a unique two shee...

Episode 45 - Robin Wilson

17 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Robin Wilson grew up a fighter.  She was active in supporting social change during the early 1970's and, after earning her business degree, applied f...

Episode 44 - Pierre Charette

01 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pierre Charette may have been a little feisty. Regardless of his position for Team Quebec at the Brier (and he played them all) he was intensely focus...

Episode 43 - Ron Green

18 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Green grew up in the Toronto curling scene of the 1960s. After a close loss in the Ontario school boys, the opposing skip asked if he would join u...

Episode 42 - Linda Moore

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Linda Moore was always willing to have an open mind.  After losing the Scotties final in 1986, instead of a direct entry to the first ever Olympic Tr...

Episode 41 - Ian Tetley

20 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Tetley isn't afraid to give his input.  Sometimes a front-end player has to speak out before the wrong shot is called.  According to Ian, his t...

Episode 40 - Don Bartlett, Part 2

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Don Bartlett, we cover the boycott years, dig deeper into the Ferbey rivalry and reflect on his Olympic experiences....

Episode 39 - Don Bartlett, Part 1

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Don Bartlett's greatest skill might be assessing talent.  He recognized early on that Pat Ryan and later, Kevin Martin, were going to be the best s...

Episode 38 - Barry Fry

30 Apr 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Barry Fry was known as "The Snake" for his unique version of the tuck-slide.  As a young skip he teamed with Orest Meleschuk, reaching the provincial...

Episode 37 - Morning Classes/David Padgett

31 Mar 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Morning Classes.  Since 1948, members and friends of the Fort William Curling Club in Thunder Bay have held classes each morning during th...

Episode 36 - Joan McCusker

24 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Joan McCusker takes humour seriously.  The 1998 Gold medal winning Schmirler Rink almost never happened because Joan and Marcia were concerned that J...

Episode 35 - Pal Trulsen

18 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Pal Trulsen was supposed to be a ski jumper.  It was the sport of his father.  Admittedly, Pal was a little too husky and grew tired of walking to t...

Episode 34 - John Aasand

07 Feb 2018

Contributed by Lukas

John Aassand doesn't live in the past. In 1972 four young players from Grafton, North Dakota competed in their first mens playdowns.  From State to U...

Episode 33 - Kim Kelly

31 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Kim Kelly understands what it takes to overcome adversity.  Her father in the armed forces, Kelly moved often and had to adapt to new people and surr...

Episode 32 - Bob Cole

26 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bob Cole is more than the iconic play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada.  As a young broadcaster in St. John's, Newfoundland, Bob was intr...

Episode 31 - Marilyn Bodogh, Part 2

13 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Marilyn Bodogh, we'll dive into the 1996 Scotties playoffs against Connie Laliberte and Cheryl Bernard. She explains...

Episode 30 - Marilyn Bodogh, Part 1

06 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Marilyn Bodogh may have appeared brash, opinionated, outspoken or a little unfiltered.  But behind the newsworthy quotes and smiles for the camera wa...

Episode 29 - Alfie Phillips

22 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Alfie Phillips Jr. had a tough act to follow.  His father, Alf Sr., was an Olympian diver, a carnival showman and, despite taking up the game in his ...

Episode 28 - Jim Ursel

14 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Ursel had one of the smoothest deliveries of his era.  He came a long way from the early days of knee sliding on a two sheet rink of natural ice ...

Episode 27 - Lorraine Lang

23 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Lorraine Lang could be considered part of the first family of Thunder Bay curling.  Despite starting later than most, Lorraine has put together a res...

Episode 26 - Peja Lindholm

13 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Peja Lindholm began curling outdoors at age 11.  Learning the game with his friends, Peja eventually led teams to three World Junior Championships, c...

Episode 25 - Arnold Asham

02 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Arnold Asham is a curler, dancer, inventor, showman and in his words, an opportunist.  From his early days in Reedy Creek, Manitoba, Arnold dreamed h...

Episode 24 - Wally Ursuliak

26 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Wally Ursuliak has had quite a life.  From Brier Champion with Hector Gervais, to corn broom salesman, camp instructor, then curling missionary in Ja...

Episode 23 - Paul Savage, Part 2

30 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Paul Savage, we'll cover the 1987 Olympic Curling Trials and the controversy surrounding the qualification process. ...

Episode 22 - Paul Savage, Part 1

27 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Savage always believed curling should be a fun game.  From his early days at the Parkway Club, he learned from Alfie Phillips Jr. how to generat...

Episode 21 - Cathy King

20 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Cathy King keeps on curling.  Growing up in Edmonton, she played many sports. Winter evenings included time spent around the dinner table discussing ...

Episode 20 - Don Duguid

13 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Don Duguid was curling before the Allies took Berlin.  In 1943, at 8 years old, Don and brothers Gerry and Lorne would throw rocks at the CPR Curling...

Episode 19 - Jack MacDuff

06 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Jack MacDuff is a true Maritimer.  He now lives in New Brunswick, was born in Nova Scotia but is perhaps best known for his short stay in Newfoundlan...

Episode 18 - Don Barcome

27 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Don Barcome always loved to curl.  He was introduced to the game after his family moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota in the mid-60's.  By the age of...

Episode 17 - Ron Northcott

21 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ron Northcott was Alberta curling in the 1960s.  From 1963 to 1969, Ron (AKA "The Owl") won the Alberta Tankard six times, five as a skip.  He went ...

Episode 16 - Dan Carey

13 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Carey didn't think he was too competitive.  Growing up in Winnipeg, he could gauge his drive against older brother Bill, and everything seemed fi...

Episode 15 - Vera Pezer

06 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Vera Pezer has always had a mind for curling.  From her early days in Meskanaw, SK, tossing stones on a two sheeter at the age of 6, Vera developed a...

Episode 14 - Matt Baldwin, Part 2

02 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Matt Baldwin, we'll cover the 1958 Brier in Victoria, where Alberta landed in a playoff against a young Braunstein r...

Episode 13 - Matt Baldwin, Part 1

30 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Baldwin begins with a story about Gordie Howe's sister in small town Saskatchewan.  From there we head to Saskatoon and then Edmonton, where he ...

Episode 12 - Paul Gowsell

23 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Gowsell had irrational confidence from an early age.  While other junior curlers were learning the game by challenging their peers, Gowsell was ...

Episode 11 - Rod Hunter

16 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Rod Hunter now resides in Viking, Alberta, made famous for a local family with six brothers who all played in the NHL.  Rod, AKA "The Arrow", found h...

Episode 10 - Mike Riley

09 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Mike Riley had a passion for curling, but it never fully consumed him.  Mike reached his greatest success when he found balance in pursuing business ...

Episode 9 - Ed Lukowich

02 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Lukowich has been there in Curling.  "Fast" Eddy has been central to some of the greatest shifts in the history of the game.  He learned to curl ...

Episode 8 - Warren Hansen, Part 2

29 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of my conversation with Warren Hansen, we'll dive deep into the Winter Olympics.  Warren will share how curling came to be a demonstration ...

Episode 7 - Warren Hansen, Part 1

26 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Warren Hansen loves curling.  Growing up in Namao, Alberta, it was a passion rivaled only by football.  Warren played and coached for several years ...

Episode 6 - Errol Klinck

19 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Errol Klinck, better known as "Colonel", started curling in Regina with his father.  His grandfather, Ozzie Barkwell, skipped the team representing W...

Episode 5 - Neil Houston

12 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Neil Houston is now an Event Manager for Curling Canada.  He has been instrumental in bringing the Brier to large NHL arenas and showcasing curling a...

Episode 4 - Ernie Richardson

05 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Ernie Richardson still lives in Saskatchewan, a province he represented at the Brier 5 times.  In 1959, Ernie and his family rink of brother Garnet "...

Episode 3 - Art Lobel

27 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Art Lobel was born near Virden, Manitoba, then started curling as a teenager in Winnipeg...except he wasn't very good.  He was actually more skilled ...

Episode 2 - Terry Braunstein

21 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Terry Braunstein has the unique distinction of a rule being named after him.  Until recently (2015), the "Braunstein Rule" prohibited junior teams of...

Episode 1 - Pat Ryan

14 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Pat Ryan grew up curling in Winnipeg, where he perfected his tuck slide delivery, but found his greatest success in Alberta.  Following his heartbrea...