Wild Card preview for the 2020 Brier

The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier officially gets underway tonight at the Leon’s Centre, with Ontario’s Glenn Howard battling Manitoba’s Mike McEwan in the Wild Card game.

The two teams enter tonight’s event as the top two rinks in the country who did not win their respective national championships.

Both rinks will look to put it all on the line in front of what is expected to be a packed Leon’s Centre. The winner of tonight’s game will become Team Wild Card, filling out the field at this year’s national championship.

McEwan’s team has been in this spot before, having won the Wild Card Game in 2018. At that year’s Brier, held in Regina Saskatchewan, McEwan carried Team Wild Card to a 7-4 record, missing the playoffs.

For Ontario’s Glenn Howard, the Wild Card Game is somewhat unfamiliar territory – the event didn’t even exist when Howard last competed in a Brier in 2017. However, the veteran skip certainly knows what it takes to win such a high-stakes, winner-take-all game. The Penetanguishene native has won the national championship four times.

Whoever does go-on to claim victory in tonight’s event should be well-positioned heading into the official tournament, which gets underway Saturday afternoon. 

The 2020 Tim Hortons Brier Wild card game begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 at the Leon’s Centre. The event is free to attend with donations being taken at the door. Kingston Transit will be providing free service to and from the Leon’s Centre.

For our guide to the 2020 Brier, click here.

Dylan Chenier is a busy student, writer and actor. When he’s not writing about his favourite sports like curling or auto racing, he can often be found on-stage or behind the scenes at the Domino Theatre. Follow him on Twitter for more 2020 Brier coverage at @DylanC98.