Boston Pizza Cup | |
---|---|
Established | 1928 |
2024 host city | Hinton, Alberta |
2024 arena | Bill Thomson Arena |
2024 champion | Aaron Sluchinski |
Current edition | |
The Boston Pizza Cup is the Alberta provincial championship for men's curling, run by Curling Alberta. The winner represents Team Alberta at the national men's championship, called the Montana's Brier. Currently sponsored by restaurant chain Boston Pizza, under former sponsors, the championship was known as the Alberta Kia Cup and the Safeway Select. Prior to obtaining a title sponsor, the tournament was called the Alberta Tankard.
In the current format, twelve teams compete in the provincial tournament. The following teams qualify:
Listed below are the provincial champion skips for each year. [1] Alberta did not participate in the 1927 Brier.
Starting in 2015, teams that win the previous year's Brier have been automatically entered into the national championship as "Team Canada." Any such Albertan-based teams do not participate in that year's provincial championship. Such teams have the right to enter as a "defending champion" in the year following any failed defence of their Brier title, although as of 2020 both teams eligible to qualify in this way so far have declined to enter - Simmons' team disbanded after failing to win the 2016 Brier, while Koe qualified for the Olympics after failing to win the 2017 Brier. Starting in 2018, the top two CTRS teams not otherwise qualified play a "Wild Card Game" for an additional main draw Brier entry.
In another change to the qualifying format, as of 2024, 2 teams (in addition to Team Canada) automatically pre-qualify for the Brier field based on the previous season's Canadian Team Ranking Standings (CTRS), which meant they bypassed the provincial qualifiers. As well, a fourth qualifying team will join the field as the top non-qualified team on the CTRS standings following provincial and territorial playdowns. [2]
* | Won Brier |
** | Won World Curling Championships (1959–present) |
No Brier that year |
John C. Morris is a Canadian curler, and two-time Olympic gold medallist from Canmore, Alberta. Morris played third for the Kevin Martin team until April 24, 2013. Morris, author of the book Fit to Curl, is the son of Maureen and Earle Morris, inventor of the "Stabilizer" curling broom. Morris grew up in Gloucester, Ontario and at the age of five began curling at the Navy Curling Club.
Kevin Koe is a Canadian curler. Koe is a two-time World champion and four-time Canadian champion. He was the skip of the Canadian men's team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
The 2010 Boston Pizza Cup was held February 3–7 at the Olds Sportsplex in Olds, Alberta. The winner, team Kevin Koe, represented Alberta at the 2010 Tim Hortons Brier in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Team Koe would eventually go on to win the Brier and capture the 2010 Capital One World Men's Curling Championship.
Brendan Michael Bottcher is a Canadian curler from Spruce Grove, Alberta. Bottcher is a three-time provincial men's champion, and was the skip of the 2021 Canadian men's championship team, having led Alberta to victory at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier.
Brendan "B. J." Neufeld is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Neufeld plays third for the Matt Dunstone rink. He started curling around the age of ten and, like older brother Denni Neufeld, cites the achievements of his father as leading his interest into the game of curling. His father is Chris Neufeld who was a three-time Manitoba curling champion and one time Labatt Brier champion in 1992 as part of the Vic Peters team.
Geoff Walker is a Canadian curler, currently living in Edmonton, Alberta. He currently plays lead for the Brad Gushue rink. He was the Men's World Champion in 2017 and won silver the following year in 2018. A six-time national champion, he won the Brier in 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Walker was a two-time World Junior Champion when he won gold in 2006 and 2007.
The 2013 Alberta Boston Pizza Cup, the men's provincial curling championship for Alberta, was held from February 6 to 10 at the Leduc Recreation Centre in Leduc, Alberta. The winner of the Boston Pizza Cup represented Alberta at the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier in Edmonton.
Qualification for the 2013 Boston Pizza Cup consisted of both direct and indirect qualification. The defending champion and the highest-ranked team on the Canadian Team Ranking System qualified directly, as do two teams from the Alberta Curling Federation based on their performance on the ̇World Curling Tour. Eight more teams qualified through qualification events hosted by the constituent associations of the Alberta Curling Federation.
The 2015 Boston Pizza Cup was held from February 4 to 8 at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright, Alberta. The winning Kevin Koe team represented Alberta at the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier in Calgary.
The 2016 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 5–13, 2016 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, Ontario.
The 2017 Boston Pizza Cup was held from February 8 to 12 at the Rotary Spirit Centre in Westlock, Alberta.
Darren Moulding is a Canadian curler from Lacombe, Alberta and curls out of the Saville Sports Centre and the Lacombe Curling Club. He is a former Canadian Junior Silver Medallist, a Canadian Mixed Champion, and represented Alberta in the 2017, 2018, 2020 and Team Wild Card in the 2019 Brier Canadian men's championship.
Bradley Thiessen is a Canadian curler. He was a long-time member of the Brendan Bottcher rink, throwing second stones for the team until 2022. With Bottcher, he won the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and represented Canada at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship.
Karrick Martin is a Canadian curler. He currently plays lead on Team Kevin Koe. He is the son of 2010 Olympic champion skip Kevin Martin.
The 2018 Boston Pizza Cup was held 31 January to 4 February at the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove, Alberta. The winning Brendan Bottcher rink represented Alberta at the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The 2021 Tim Hortons Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship, was held from March 5 to 14 at the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, Alberta.
Aaron Sluchinski is a Canadian curler from Airdrie, Alberta. He currently skips his own team out of Calgary.
Jeremy Harty is a Canadian curler from Calgary, Alberta. He currently plays third for Team Aaron Sluchinski.
Kyler Kleibrink is a Canadian curler from Calgary, Alberta. He currently is the second on the Brent Pierce rink out of New Westminster, British Columbia.
Kurtis Goller is a Canadian curler from Calgary, Alberta. He currently plays lead on Team Karsten Sturmay.