Brier Predictions

The Brier begins tomorrow and a close friend reminded me I was running out of time to post my predictions. Two thoughts keep resonating in my mind. First, it's something Jon Mead said about the Safeway Championship - when you get perfect ice the best two teams should end up in the final. The other thought is that the two best teams have their Olympic Trials spot ticket punched already and the consensus third best team, Stoughton, needs to take advantage of playing in a bonspiel and competing for Trials points without Burtnyk and Ferbey in the same event. So here goes nothing....

12th - PEI - simply not good enough.
11th - Yukon/NWT - some early buzz about this team being an upset team but let's get real.
10th - NB -yes, it's Russ Howard but even the cagey veteran is no match for the big boys
9th - Quebec - with games against MB, Sask, and AB before Noon on Monday I say avoid 'em.
8th - British Columbia - another tough early schedule...I anticipate same results as Quebec.
7th - Northern Ontario - my curling insider says this team has prepared well for a Brier run.
6th - Nova Scotia - Dacey can play the big shot as good as any...will keep his head above water.
5th - Saskatchewan - should be good enough to be in the mix.
4th - Newfoundland - Gushue will finish with the most 4th place Brier finishes in history when his career as a Newfie skip is over
3rd - Ontario - I'm interested to see how much tank is in the gas for these guys.
2nd - Manitoba - on a roll and playing with determination..will make the final.
1st - Alberta - home crowd advantage, best shotmaker in the world, best ice = WINNER.