Boston Pizza Cup
The Boston Pizza Cup is the Alberta provincial championship for men's curling, run by Curling Alberta. The winner represents Team Alberta at the national men's championship, called the Tim Hortons Brier. Currently sponsored by restaurant chain Boston Pizza, under former sponsors the championship was known as the Alberta Kia Cup and the Safeway Select. Prior to obtaining a title sponsor, the tournament was called the Alberta Tankard.
Qualification
In the current format, twelve teams compete in the provincial tournament. The following teams qualify:- The defending champion automatically qualify - either or both the previous year's Boston Pizza Cup winner and/or an Albertan-based "Team Canada" that failed to defend a Brier title the previous year can be entered as a "defending champion." If for whatever reason no defending champion enters the tournament then an additional Alberta Tour team qualifies as described below;
- The top Albertan team as determined by the Canadian Team Ranking System qualifies - if this team is entered as the defending provincial champion and/or is the defending national champion then the next ranked team qualifies, if that team is also qualified then the next ranked team qualifies, and so on;
- The team with the most Alberta Tour points not already qualified also qualify - the number of teams that qualify by this method can be one, two or three depending on how many "defending champions" enter;
- The remaining eight spots are determined through the "traditional" route, that is, through zone and district playdowns. As of 2020, four teams qualify from the Southern Zone, three from the Northern Zone and one from Peace River Country.
Past Champions
Starting in 2015, teams that win the previous year's Brier been have automatically entered into the national championship as "Team Canada." Any such Albertan-based teams do not participate in that year's provincial championship. Such teams have the right to enter as a "defending champion" in the year following any failed defence of their Brier title, although as of 2020 both teams eligible to qualify in this way so far have declined to enter - Simmons' team disbanded after failing to win the 2016 Brier, while Koe qualified for the Olympics after failing to win the 2017 Brier.
Also, starting in 2018, the top two CTRS teams not otherwise qualified play a "Wild Card Game" for an additional main draw Brier entry.
* | Won Brier |
** | Won World Curling Championships |
No Brier that year |
Year | Skip | Winning Club | Other AB Brier Skips |
2020 | Brendan Bottcher | Saville Community Sports Centre | Kevin Koe |
2019 | Kevin Koe* | The Glencoe Club | Brendan Bottcher |
2018 | Brendan Bottcher | Saville Sports Centre | None |
2017 | Brendan Bottcher | Saville Sports Centre | Kevin Koe |
2016 | Kevin Koe** | Glencoe Curling Club | Pat Simmons |
2015 | Kevin Koe | Glencoe Curling Club | Pat Simmons* |
2014 | Kevin Koe* | Glencoe Curling Club | - |
2013 | Kevin Martin | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2012 | Kevin Koe | Glencoe Curling Club | - |
2011 | Kevin Martin | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2010 | Kevin Koe** | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2009 | Kevin Martin* | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2008 | Kevin Martin** | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2007 | Kevin Martin | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2006 | Kevin Martin | Saville Sports Centre | - |
2005 | Randy Ferbey** | Granite Curling Club | - |
2004 | Randy Ferbey | Avonair Curling Club | - |
2003 | Randy Ferbey** | Avonair Curling Club | - |
2002 | Randy Ferbey** | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
2001 | Randy Ferbey* | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
2000 | Kevin Martin | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1999 | Ken Hunka | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1998 | Tom Reed | Granite Curling Club | - |
1997 | Kevin Martin* | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1996 | Kevin Martin | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1995 | Kevin Martin | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1994 | Ed Lukowich | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1993 | Greg Ferster | Leduc Curling Club | - |
1992 | Kevin Martin | Avonair Curling Club | - |
1991 | Kevin Martin* | Avonair Curling Club | - |
1990 | Harold Breckenridge | North Hill Curling Club | - |
1989 | Pat Ryan** | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1988 | Pat Ryan* | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1987 | Pat Ryan | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1986 | Ed Lukowich** | Calgary Winter Club | - |
1985 | Pat Ryan | Ottewell Curling Club | - |
1984 | Ed Lukowich | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1983 | Ed Lukowich | North Hill Curling Club | - |
1982 | Gary Morken | Grande Prairie Curling Club | - |
1981 | Mel Watchorn | Fairview Curling Club | - |
1980 | Paul Gowsell | Calgary Winter Club | - |
1979 | Paul Devlin | Crestwood Curling Club | - |
1978 | Ed Lukowich* | Medicine Hat Curling Club | - |
1977 | Tom Reed | Crestwood Curling Club | - |
1976 | Wayne Sokolosky | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1975 | Tom Reed | St. Albert Curling Club | - |
1974 | Hec Gervais* | St. Albert Curling Club | - |
1973 | Mel Watchorn | Fairview Curling Club | - |
1972 | Mel Watchorn | Fairview Curling Club | - |
1971 | Matt Baldwin | Derrick Golf & Winter Club | - |
1970 | Hec Gervais | Granite Curling Club | - |
1969 | Ron Northcott** | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1968 | Ron Northcott** | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1967 | Ron Northcott | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1966 | Ron Northcott** | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1965 | Nick Lashuk | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1964 | Ron Northcott | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1963 | Jim Shields | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1962 | Hec Gervais | Alberta Avenue Curling Club | - |
1961 | Hec Gervais** | Alberta Avenue Curling Club | - |
1960 | Stu Beagle | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1959 | Herb Olsen | Edmonton Curling Club | - |
1958 | Matt Baldwin* | Granite Curling Club | - |
1957 | Matt Baldwin* | Granite Curling Club | - |
1956 | Matt Baldwin | Granite Curling Club | - |
1955 | Hugh Brown | Claresholm Curling Club | - |
1954 | Matt Baldwin* | Granite Curling Club | - |
1953 | Len Haw | Glencoe Curling Club | - |
1952 | Art Simpson | Bassano Curling Club | - |
1951 | Bill Gray | Granite Curling Club | - |
1950 | Cliff Manahan | Royal Curling Club | - |
1949 | Stu Beagle | Blackie Curling Club | - |
1948 | Walter McLaws | Glencoe Curling Club | - |
1947 | Howard Palmer | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1946 | Billy Rose* | Sedgewick Curling Club | - |
1945 | Cliff Manahan | Edmonton Royal Curling Club | - |
1944 | Cliff Manahan | Edmonton Royal Curling Club | - |
1943 | Cliff Manahan | Edmonton Royal Curling Club | - |
1942 | John Slavik | Viking Curling Club | - |
1941 | Howard Palmer* | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1940 | Cliff Manahan | Royal Curling Club | - |
1939 | Howard Baker | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1938 | Cliff Manahan | Royal Curling Club | - |
1937 | Cliff Manahan* | Royal Curling Club | - |
1936 | George Wanless | Granite Curling Club | - |
1935 | Robert Alexander | Calgary Curling Club | - |
1934 | Orwell Stewart | Macleod Curling Club | - |
1933 | Cliff Manahan* | Royal Curling Club | - |
1932 | Art Hallonquist | Three Hills Curling Club | - |
1931 | Robert Welliver | Red Deer Curling Club | - |
1930 | Bob Munro | Edmonton Curling Club | - |
1929 | Arnold Johnson | Edmonton Curling Club | - |
1928 | Joe Heartwell | Rosetown Curling Club | - |
;Notes
- Koe assembled a new team following his 2014 Brier win, and won the 2015 Boston Pizza Cup after re-qualifying with his new team. His former team, skipped by Pat Simmons, competed in the 2015 and 2016 Briers as Team Canada.
- Qualified for the Brier as Team Canada.
- Qualified for the Brier as Wild Card - a crossed out entry indicates the team lost the Wild Card Game and did not advance to the main draw.
- Due to World War II, the Brier was not held from 1943 through 1945.
- Since there was neither a Team Canada nor a Wild Card in the 2014 or prior Briers it was not possible for more than one Albertan team to play in those tournaments, therefore this column is left blank for 2014 and all prior years.