Factor in a confidence to make tough shots in difficult situations and the courage to even make those hard calls, and you have the recipe for a champion.
In curling today, you can turn on TSN or Sportsnet and see top 10 or 20 lists of the best curling shots, and truly see that mental toughness, confidence and courage in action.
Back in the 1980s, when curling was rarely televised beyond national and world championships and, even then, only on weekends, a lot of great shots were seen only by those live in attendance. The best fans could get, was hearing about them by word of mouth.
One of the best shots I heard about was in the Alberta championship final where it took a 40-feet raise to win the game. I think it was in 1986, but I am not sure of the details because the game was not televised. Instead, announcers talked about that shot during their coverage of the Labatt’s Brier.
One thing was certain, that shot was made by one of the legends of the game, and my personal favourite – Ed Lukowich.
He twice won the Brier and, in 1986, won the Silver Broom, emblematic of the world curling championship.
I was at the Claresholm Curling Club last week covering the men’s final when Ed Lukowich came to mind.
I was telling some curlers that last year at the Calgary Expo, or Comic Con, I met Lukowich in person. I have to admit, I was a bit starstruck and felt like I was 16 years old all over again.
The years before
I am pretty sure the first time I heard the name Ed Lukowich was in the “CBC Curling Classic”. It may also have been on the CBC when they broadcast the 1978 Labatt’s Brier, the men’s national championship.
I am pretty sure the first time I heard the name Ed Lukowich was in the “CBC Curling Classic”. It may also have been on the CBC when they broadcast the 1978 Labatt’s Brier, the men’s national championship.
In any event, in 1978 he did win the Alberta championship and the Brier, with his team of Mike Chernoff, Dale Johnston and Ron Schindle. There was no playoff back in 1978, so Lukowich won the championship with a 9-2 record. His only losses were to New Brunswick, skipped by Pete Murray, who finished fifth overall, and Saskatchewan, skipped by Rick Folk, who finished second, one game behind Alberta with an 8-3 record.
Lukowich then represented Canada at the Air Canada Silver Broom, the men’s world curling championship, in Winnipeg. After the round robin, Canada finished in a tie for first place with the United States with a record of 7-2. Canada defeated Norway, Denmark, Germany, the United States, France, Sweden, and Italy, and lost to Switzerland and Scotland.
That result put Lukowich in a semi-final against Kristian Sorum of Norway, who defeated Canada by a score of 6-2, giving Lukowich the bronze. Bob Nichols of the United States defeated Tom Schaeffer in the other semi-final, then defeated Sorum in the final to win the Silver Broom, the fourth overall for the Americans.
Close to home
Another odd memory I have of that period occurred on the school bus. The driver always had the radio on. One day they were talking about Canadian champion Ed Lukowich curling out of Medicine Hat. That seemed to be a big deal.
Another odd memory I have of that period occurred on the school bus. The driver always had the radio on. One day they were talking about Canadian champion Ed Lukowich curling out of Medicine Hat. That seemed to be a big deal.
I later learned that’s where he actually lived.
He’s back
Lukowich returned to the Brier in 1983 in Sudbury, winning the Alberta championship. This time, he had a team with a new front end. Chernoff was back, but now Brent Syme threw lead and Neil Houston played second.
Lukowich returned to the Brier in 1983 in Sudbury, winning the Alberta championship. This time, he had a team with a new front end. Chernoff was back, but now Brent Syme threw lead and Neil Houston played second.
By this time, I had really got into curling, so I looked forward to the Brier playoffs on the weekend. Back then, in the three-channel universe before the dawn of all-sports channels, the only curling on TV was the playoffs on the weekend.
Lukowich was undefeated going into the final draw, including a win over Ed Werenich, the Ontario champion and one of the favourites. However, Lukowich lost his final game to Kirk Ziola of Saskatchewan to finish with a 10-1 record, tied with Werenich for first after round robin play. Lukowich finished first by virtue of defeating Werenich.
The top three teams made the playoffs. The Ontario champion would face Bernie Sparkes of B.C. in the semi-final who, coincidentally is from Claresholm, Alberta, the town I live in currently. Werenich defeated Sparkes by a score of 6-3 to set up a re-match with Lukowich in the final.
After a dream week, Lukowich could not cap it off with a win in the final. Werenich jumped out to a 2-0 lead and never relinquished it, winning by a score of 7-3, giving Lukowich the silver medal. Werenich would go on to defeat Keith Wendorf of Germany to win the Silver Broom a month later in Regina.
Repeat champion
Lukowich won the Alberta tankard again in 1984, qualifying for the Brier in Victoria. This time, his team consisted of John Ferguson at third, Houston at second, and Syme at lead. Again he finished in a first place tie, this time with Mike Riley of Manitoba, both with records of 8-3.
Lukowich won the Alberta tankard again in 1984, qualifying for the Brier in Victoria. This time, his team consisted of John Ferguson at third, Houston at second, and Syme at lead. Again he finished in a first place tie, this time with Mike Riley of Manitoba, both with records of 8-3.
Alberta’s losses came at the hands of Ed Werenich of Ontario; Bernie Sparkes of B.C.; and Riley of Manitoba. That loss gave Riley first place and a bye to the final, while Lukowich finished second.
He had to play Werenich, who had defeated Arnie Dobson of New Brunswick in a tiebreaker for third place. With that win, Werenich was in the playoffs and made the most of his chance, defeating Lukowich in the semi-final by a score of 6-3. That gave Lukowich a bronze to go with his silver in 1983 and his gold in 1978.
Werenich’s win gave him a chance to defend his Canadian championship, but Riley prevailed by a score of 7-4. He would represent Canada at the Silver Broom in Duluth, Minesota, taking bronze.
World champion
A different Alberta team, Pat Ryan’s of Edmonton competed at the Brier in 1985, losing in the final.
A different Alberta team, Pat Ryan’s of Edmonton competed at the Brier in 1985, losing in the final.
However, Ed Lukowich returned in 1986, winning his fourth Alberta championship, qualifying for the Brier in Kitchener-Waterloo. He returned with the same team of Ferguson, Houston and Syme.
He again finished in a tie for first with a record of 9-2, this time with Russ Howard of Ontario. Lukowich’s only two losses came to Lyle Muyres of Saskatchewan and Gordon Hess of Quebec. His victory over Howard by a score of 7-5 in the round robin earned first place and a bye to the final.
Muyres and Barry McPhee finished tied with records of 7-4 and played a tiebreaker for third, with McPhee winning by a score of 5-3. That set up a semi-final against Howard, which the Ontario rink won by a score of 6-5.
Howard would now face Lukowich in the Brier final and a chance to go to the world championship in Toronto.
After the teams blanked the first end, Lukowich scored one in the second end. Howard blanked the third end, scored once in the fourth with last rock, then stole one in the fifth end to lead 2-1 at the fifth-end break. Lukowich rebounded, counting one in the sixth and stealing one in the seventh to lead by a score of 3-2. Howard blanked the eighth end and scored one in the ninth to tie the game at 3-3, but giving Lukowich the hammer coming home.
Lukowich made no mistake scoring once to win the Brier by a score of 4-3 and advance to his second Silver Broom, and first since 1978.
The Canadian champion did not dominate in the round robin, but rather the opposite. He ended up in a tie for second with a record of 6-3 with Sweden, but finished third on a tiebreaker.
Lukowich defeated Denmark, the United States, Switzerland, Norway, France, and Germany, while losing to Italy, Sweden, and Scotland. He faced second-place Sweden, skipped by Stefan Hasselborg, in one semi-fianl, winning by a score of 6-3. Meanwhile, David Smith of Scotland defeated Steve Brown of the United States by a score of 3-1 in the other semi-final.
That set up a final between Lukowich and Smith who had gone 9-0 in the round robin. One of his victories was a 5-3 score over Lukowich.
Smith blanked the first end then scored once in the second to lead 1-0. Lukowich blanked the next four ends, then put up two in the seventh end to take a 2-1 lead. He stole one in the eighth, to lead 3-1, only to have Smith score a pair in the ninth to tie the game at 3-3. However, just like in the Brier final, Lukowich had the hammer going home in a tie game, and scored once to win by a score of 4-3.
Ed Lukowich was the world champion.
Interestingly, the day of the final, my parents decided to go visit my Uncle Ed and Aunt Johanna in Lethbridge. I thought I might miss the final, but ended up watching it in their den. My Dad liked curling too, and kept sneaking a peak and asking me how Canada was doing.
I was happy to report the good news.
Olympics
When Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988, they were able to choose some demonstration sports for possible inclusion in future Olympics. One of those demonstration sports was curling.
When Calgary hosted the Winter Olympics in 1988, they were able to choose some demonstration sports for possible inclusion in future Olympics. One of those demonstration sports was curling.
It gave Ed Lukowich one more chance at international success.
Canada held Olympic trials in 1987, where Pat Ryan of Edmonton finished at the top of the round robin standings with a record of 6-1. Lukowich, who was curling with the same team he won the worlds with a year earlier, finished tied with Ed Werenich, Russ Howard and Bernie Sparkes all with records of 4-3. Werenich defeated Howard in one tiebreaker while Lukowich beating Sparkes in the other. Lukowich beat Werenich in the semi-final by a score of 7-2, then upset Ryan in the final by a score of 6-3.
Ed Lukowich would again represent Canada on the international stage, this time at the 1988 Olympics.
Canada would finish tied for first with Switzerland after the round robin with a record of 5-2. Lukowich’s wins came against the United States, Norway, West Germany, Great Britain, and Denmark, while his losses were to Switzerland and Sweden. That loss to Switzerland gave them first and Canada second.
Lukowich faced Eigel Ramsfjell of Denmark, the 1984 world champion, in the semi-final, and lost to the Dane by a score of 8-5. That gave Lukowich the Olympic bronze medal, while Ramsfjell would beat Hans-Jürg Lipps of Switzerland in the final to take the gold medal.
Parting thoughts
Ed Lukowich is my favouite curler of all time. He was clutch and so cool under pressure.
Ed Lukowich is my favouite curler of all time. He was clutch and so cool under pressure.
I was so lucky and glad to finally meet him. However, I never thought it would be at a comic book, science fiction and fantasy convention.
The Calgary Herald had done a story on how Lukowich had become a science fiction writer, so that’s how he ended up at Calgary Expo in 2023.
It was one of the first times I not only got an autograph and a photograph with one of my sporting icons, but a chance to tell him what he meant to me as a fan. He was so kind and gracious.
It was so cool, just like Lukowich.
After all, one of his nicknames is “Cool Hand Luke”.
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