HAMILTON, September 21, 2005SThe 2007 Tim Hortons Brier will be played at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton, Ontario, March 3-11, it was announced today by the Canadian Curling Association (CCA).

It will be the third time that the city has hosted the Canadian mens curling championship, which will celebrate its 78th edition in 2007.  The last time the Brier was held in Hamilton was in 1991 and before that, 1949.

“It is my pleasure to officially announce that Hamilton has been selected as the site for the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier,” said Fran Todd, CCA Board Member and liaison to the 2007 event.  The 1991 Brier in Hamilton was a great success so we are thrilled that the Canadian mens curling championship is returning to the Steel City.

“I would like to thank Tim Hortons for its continued support of curling and its sponsorship of the Brier.   I also want to wish Dwayne Pyper and his host committee, Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities and Tourism Hamilton good luck in all of their promotion and preparation for the event. The CCA will offer its support as well during the next 18 months to help ensure the success of the Tim Hortons Brier”.

The Brier began in 1927 in Toronto and has been played in 31 different cities across Canada, from Victoria to St. Johns.  Manitoba has won a record 26 Briers, while Alberta is next with 22. New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Yukon/Northwest Territories have yet to win.

“As Chair of the host committee for the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier, I’m  thrilled to be involved in the first Brier to be held in Hamilton since 1991,” said Dwayne Pyper. “Our host committee has been working closely with the CCA over the past few months and plans, although in the early stages, are already shaping up to allow us to put on one of the best Briers ever.  We know the local community will get behind this event, and when they do, participants and spectators alike will be treated to the greatest show on ice!”

“Hamilton Entertainment and Convention Facilities Inc. (HECFI) and Copps Coliseum are delighted to be a partner in the excitement surrounding the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier in Hamilton,” added Duncan Gillespie, Chief Executive Officer of HECFI.    “The Brier is a nationally-recognized, first class sports and entertainment event that will bring Canada’s premier athletes to Hamilton to compete in one of the country’s most coveted sporting events.The significance of this event to the host city in sports, cultural and economic terms cannot be over emphasized and HECFI is pleased that the Canadian Curling Association has chosen Hamilton as their host city for 2007.  We are eagerly awaiting the curling community’s arrival in Hamilton and look forward to providing a memorable Brier.”

The seating capacity at Copps Coliseum for the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier will be approximately 16,500.   Tickets are expected to go on sale in February of 2006.   The famed Brier Patch, now known as the Keith’s Brier Patch, will be  located in the Convention Centre.   Unlike 1991, only four sheets of ice will be used during the round robin in 2007, meaning there will be a minimum of 21 draws (including morning draws).

In 1991, there were only 14 draws (including playoffs), because, for the first and only time in Brier history, six sheets of ice were used, thus eliminating morning draws.   Alberta¹s Kevin Martin won the Brier that year in his first appearance. Total attendance was 88,894.

In addition, a different playoff format was used, whereby the first place team at the conclusion of the round robin advanced to the final, while the second and third place teams met in a semi-final. The Brier playoff format now involves four of the 12 participating teams, after the round robin has concluded, in the Page System (1 vs 2, winner to final, loser to semi-final; 3 vs 4, winner to semi-final, loser eliminated).

“Hamilton’s tourism industry is delighted that Hamilton will be the host city for the 2007 Tim Hortons Brier,” stated Sue Vattay, President of Tourism Hamilton.  “Our hospitality partners, including accommodations, restaurants, attractions, and transportation companies are looking forward with great anticipation to welcoming and hosting participants and spectators from across the country.”

Ontario (excluding Northern Ontario) has won eight Briers in 76 years, the last by Wayne Middaugh of Victoria Harbour, Ontario, in 1998.  Other victories came in 1935, 1939, 1967, 1983, 1987, 1990 and 1993.   It will also be the 29th time that the province has staged the Brier, with Toronto hosting it a total of 14 times, all during the early years of the championship, from 1927-39 and 1941.   The last Brier held in Ontario was the 2001 Nokia Brier in Ottawa.

Since 1980, when the first Labatt Brier was held in Calgary and a playoff format was introduced, 17 of 26 Brier winners have also gone on to win the mens world curling championship.  The latest was Edmonton¹s Randy Ferbey, who captured the 2005 Tim Hortons Brier in Edmonton and the Ford Worlds in Victoria, B.C.

The 2006 Tim Hortons Brier will be staged at the Agridome in Regina, March 11-19.

For further information:
Warren Hansen
Manager of Event Operations and Media
Canadian Curling Association
warrenhansen@telus.net
(cell): 604-329-9850

Dwayne Pyper
Chairman, Hamilton Host Committee
2007 Tim Hortons Brier
dpyper@djb.com
(bus)    905-945-5439
(cell)    289-237-4911

Jeff Timson
Media Canadian Curling Association
Tel/fax: 905-881-8322
jeff@curling.ca or jtimson5213@rogers.com