Opening Ceremonies Held
The opening ceremonies were held on Wednesday evening for the Labatt Tankard Final Eight Provincial Men's Curling Championships. Those on hand to wish the curlers well included Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen, area MLA Ron MacKinley, Cornwall Mayor Patrick MacFadyen, Labatt representative David Mitchell, and PEI Curling Association President Chick Morrison.
Photo: Community and Cultural Affairs Minister Elmer MacFadyen (left) and PEI Curling Assoc. President Chick Morrison (right) look on as Labatt Rep. David Mitchell checks on the progress of the ceremonial first rock at the Labatt Tankard opening ceremonies
PEI Labatt Tankard moves to Round Robin for Final Eight
The PEI Curling Association is announcing a change to the playoff format for the 2007 Labatt Tankard Provincial Men's Curling Championships. In May 2005, the PEI Curling Association voted to change the playoff format for the 2006 Labatt Tankard Final Eight Championship from a round robin format to a triple knockout format. After consulting curlers, sponsors and fans, it was decided that the round robin format would return for the 2007 Final Eight playdown.
"We handed out a survey to last year's participants and they overwhelmingly voted for a return to the popular round robin format" says Jody Jackson, Marketing and Events Director for the PEI Curling Association. "This format is much better for fans who want to come out to watch their favorite team and also allows fans and sponsors the opportunity to plan around a 'set in stone' final game, which the triple knockout does not allow" adds Jackson.
Also new to this year's Final Eight playdown is the new four team Page playoff system. This system would have the first and second place teams playing off with the winner advancing directly to the final game. The loser of that game would have a second chance as they drop into a semi-final game against the winner of the third place versus fourth place playoff game. "This format is not new to curlers as it is the format used at the Tim Horton's Brier and other national events. In fact, Nova Scotia also adopted this playoff format for this season in hopes that it better prepares the winning team for the national event" adds Jackson.
Labatt Breweries, PEI Curling Association Celebrate Three Decades of Labatt Tankard
Posted Friday, December 1, 2006
Photo: From left to right: Labatt representative David Mitchell, PEICA President Chick Morrison, and PEICA Marketing and Events Director Jody Jackson
The PEI Curling Association and Labatt Breweries are very pleased to announce a new three year agreement for sponsorship of the Labatt Tankard Provincial Men's Curling Championship. This new agreement runs through the 2008-2009 curling season and will mark 30 years of Labatt's involvement in men's curling on Prince Edward Island. "We are extremely happy to continue this terrific partnership with Labatt Breweries" says Jody Jackson, Marketing and Events Director for the PEI Curling Association. "In an age where relationships are often short-lived, this thirty year milestone is a testament to the hard work and commitment of both parties over the past three decades" adds Jackson.