The 1940 Macdonald Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held from March 4 to 7, 1940 at the Winnipeg Amphitheatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This was the first Brier to be held outside The Granite Club in Toronto, as the Brier became more of a national event as it travelled around the country. Winnipeg was chosen to host the event after an invitation from the Manitoba Curling Association, and due to Manitoba's dominance at the Brier up to that point.The Brier, by Bob Weeks, pg 461940 MacDonald Brier - Curlingzone
Team Manitoba, skipped by Howard "Pappy" Wood, captured the Brier Tankard in their hometown by finishing undefeated in round robin play with a 9-0 record. Wood had only assembled the team prior to deadline for entries for that year's MCA Bonspiel, which they ended up winning.Weeks, pg 47
The final draw attracted 5,000 fans, the largest attendance for a curling match up to that point.Weeks, pg 47
This was Manitoba's ninth Brier championship overall and the second time that Wood's rink won the Brier with their first coming in 1930 in a tiebreaker. This was also the fourth time that a Brier champion finished unbeaten.
In addition to being the first Brier outside Toronto, the Winnipeg Brier was the first to ban curlers from bringing their own stones to compete with. Stones also had coloured tops for the first time, to aid spectators in the arena to determine which team's rocks were which.Weeks, ppg 46-47 Also for the first time in Brier history, every team at the Brier had qualified via a provincial championship. At the time, every provincial championship except for New Brunswick was sponsored by Macdonald Tobacco's British Consols product. The New Brunswick championship was sponsored by Ganong Bros.Weeks, pg 51
Teams The teams are listed as follows: British ColumbiaManitobaNorthern OntarioRoyal CC, Edmonton Skip: Cliff Manahan Third: Wesley Robinson Second: Ross Manahan Lead: Robert ManahanVancouver CC, Vancouver Skip: William Finlay Third: Frederick Tinling Second: Norman Williams Lead: William LeSageGranite CC, Winnipeg Skip: Howard Wood Sr. Third: Ernest Pollard Second: Howard Wood Jr. Lead: Roy EnmanBathurst CC, Bathurst Skip: Nicholas Thibodeau Third: Harper Kent Second: Allen Doucet Lead: Leo ThibodeauKirkland Lake CC, Kirkland Lake Skip: James Davis Third: Albert Sackrider Second: Harry McNabb Lead: James MacDonaldOntarioPrince Edward IslandBridgewater CC, Bridgewater Skip: Stanley Rafuse Third: Irving Hebb Second: Warner Bickle Lead: Frank CookKitchener Granite CC, Kitchener Skip: Bert Hall Third: Perry Hall Second: Ernie Parkes Lead: Campbell SeagramCharlottetown CC, Charlottetown Skip: Rankine McLaine Third: Gordon Hughes Second: Reginald Bell Lead: John FraserVictoria CC, Quebec City Skip: Archibald Bell Third: James Elliott Second: Hugh Weyman Lead: George WarnerKinley CC, Kinley Skip: William Dunbar Third: James McMahon Second: James Beckett Lead: Ronald Eaton
Round-robin standings KeyBrier champion ProvinceSkipWLPFPA Howard Wood Sr. 9 0 119 63 Saskatchewan William Dunbar 8 1 108 59 New Brunswick Nicholas Thibodeau 6 3 103 91 Alberta Cliff Manahan 6 3 105 77 Ontario Bert Hall 4 5 82 93 British Columbia William Finlay 4 5 96 78 Northern Ontario James Davis 4 5 88 91 Quebec Archibald Bell 2 7 79 124 Prince Edward Island Rankine McLaine 1 8 67 116 Stanley Rafuse 1 8 63 119
Round-robin results Draw 1
Draw 2
Draw 3
Draw 4
Draw 5
Draw 6
Draw 7
Draw 8
Draw 9
References