SPORTS FLASHBACK 1992: Steinbach Curling Club honours Brier champs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/04/2023 (764 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Steinbach Curling Club’s annual windup banquet included an emotional salute to guests of honour, Vic Peters and Chris Neufeld, who learned the game in Steinbach and went on to reach the pinnacle of success in Canadian curling by winning the Brier in Regina this year.

Peters and Neufeld, along with third Dan Carey and lead Don Rudd, defeated former world champion Russ Howard of Ontario 4-3 in an extra end in a tense Brier final. Representing Canada at the World Curling Championships at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, March 28-April 5, the Peters foursome lost out in the semi-finals after finishing the round robin in first place.

Peters, who now lives in Winnipeg and curls out of the Granite Curling Club, had a chance to win the Canadian championship in the 10th end of the final, but rolled out on an open hit. He did not make the same mistake twice as he hit and stuck for the win with his final rock in the extra end.

The Peters team was in first place for virtually the entire Regina Brier, culminating with a crucial 7-4 victory over the defending champions, Team Kevin Martin of Alberta, in the final round-robin game. The win gave the former Steinbach Curling Club icemaker first place in the standings with a 9-2 record, and a bye into the Brier final.

Ontario defeated Alberta 7-4 in the semi-finals meeting the Peters foursome in the final.

The 36-year-old Peters, who has been the most consistent curler in Manitoba for a decade, told the crowd of 250 at the Steinbach Curling Club windup that it was a very special feeling for Chris and him to be honoured by friends and family in his hometown. He said he would always remember how the Steinbach fans stood by him as he lost the Tankard final three times before finally winning it this year.

Peters took the opportunity to encourage young people to get involved in the game of curling and for parents to get their kids involved in the sport. He said the beauty of curling is that people of all ages can get involved in the sport.

“Look at George Pauls, he still curls.”

The Canadian champion hoped that their success this winter would give the Steinbach Curling Club a boost by getting curlers to come back to the sport.

Neufeld, who got his chance at the mike after Vic, told an amused audience that he was used to “playing second fiddle” to his skip.

The owner of a Gimli bakery related a humorous story from the world championships at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Shortly after the Canadian champs had lost the semi-final match to Scotland, the Peters rink was sitting in the locker room trying to digest what had happened.

The final score had been 4-3 and it had ended on a stupendous shot by Scottish skip Hammie McMillan who had executed a perfect double-takeout on a shot that looked impossible.

Neufeld said it was at this time a number of curling officials came up to him in the dressing room and he thought he was getting an award or something.

But alas, it was not a curling award that Neufeld had been singled out for, but rather he had been selected for a random drug sampling. A test, which, by the way, he said he passed.

Peters said he felt good going into the semi-final against Scotland because the team had been curling so well all week. Taking responsibility for the loss, Peters said you cannot miss crucial draw shots at this calibre of curling..

But in spite of a disappointing end to the year, the Peters foursome had an incredible season. Leading up the final game in Germany, including a Gimli Cash Spiel before Christmas, the Tankard, the Brier, and the world championships, their record was 32 wins and only five losses.

With files from Terry Frey