1980 Labatt Brier
The 1980 Labatt Brier was the Canadian men's curling championship held March 2–9 at the Stampede Corral in Calgary, Alberta. The event drew 93,185 spectators, a record at the time.
Labatt Brewing Company became the sponsor, replacing Macdonald Tobacco. With the change came fan-friendly updates: a ban on smoking, a baseball-style scoreboard, and official umpires. A new three-team playoff after the round robin determined the champion, with the top team earning a direct bye to the final. The Labatt Tankard trophy replaced the Macdonald Tankard.
Team Saskatchewan, skipped by Rick Folk (Ron Mills at third, Tom Wilson at second, Jim Wilson at lead), won the championship by defeating Northern Ontario, led by Al Hackner, 10–6 in the final. Northern Ontario had reached the final by beating Alberta 6–5 in the semifinal.
This was Saskatchewan’s seventh Brier title and, as of 2024, their most recent. It was Folk’s first Brier win (he would win a second in 1994 with British Columbia). The Folk rink later represented Canada at the 1980 Air Canada Silver Broom (the world championship) in Moncton, New Brunswick, where they won Canada’s first world title since 1972.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 04:39 (CET).