| 1976 Macdonald Brier | |
|---|---|
| Host city | Regina, Saskatchewan |
| Arena | Regina Exhibition Stadium |
| Dates | March 7–13 |
| Attendance | 61,110[1] |
| Winner |  Newfoundland |
| Curling club | St. John's CC, St. John's |
| Skip | Jack MacDuff |
| Third | Toby McDonald |
| Second | Doug Hudson |
| Lead | Ken Templeton |
| Coach | Sam Richardson (unofficial)[2] |
« 1975 1977 » | |
The 1976 Macdonald Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship was held from March 7 to 13, 1976 at Regina Exhibition Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.[3] The total attendance for the week was 61,110.[1] This was the final Brier in which regulation games were 12 ends in length.
Team Newfoundland, who was skipped by Jack MacDuff captured the Brier tankard as they finished round robin play with a 9–2 record. This was Newfoundland's first ever Brier title. MacDuff's rink were considered heavy underdogs in the event as their odds of winning the Brier had been put at 1,000 to 1, making the victory extraordinary.[2]
The MacDuff rink would go onto represent Canada in the 1976 Air Canada Silver Broom, the men's world curling championships in Duluth, Minnesota. They could not replicate the Brier success however, as they finished ninth out of ten teams with a 2–7 record, which at the time was the worst finish by a Canadian team in the world championships.
British Columbia's 6–5 victory over Alberta in Draw 11 was the fifth double extra end game in Brier history and the first since 1973. This game was one of eleven games in the tournament which went to an extra end, setting a record for most extra end games in one Brier. This would end up being a Macdonald era (until 1979) record and wouldn't be broken until 1981.[4][5]
This Brier also set a record for most blank ends in a single Brier as 199 ends were blanked. To date, this is the most blank ends in a single Brier. There were also two games (BC vs. Quebec in Draw 5 and Newfoundland vs. Saskatchewan in Draw 12) which tied a Brier record set in 1974 for most blank ends in one game with seven.[4] This record would not be broken until 1990.[5]
- ^ a b "2023 Tim Hortons Brier Media Guide" (PDF). Curling Canada. p. 79. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b Katherine Hobbs; Debbie Cooper (March 4, 2016). "Remembering the Jack MacDuff Brier triumph, 40 years later". CBC. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ Regina Leader-Post, 19 Feb 1976, pg 18, "Brier fever hits Moose Jaw"
- ^ a b "Macdonald Brier Records". Curling Canada Stats Archive. Curling Canada. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ a b "Brier Records". Curling Canada Stats Archive. Curling Canada. Retrieved 6 March 2023.