2006 Tim Hortons Brier
The 2006 Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, was held from March 11 to 19 at the Brandt Centre in Regina, Saskatchewan.
| 2006 Tim Hortons Brier | |
|---|---|
| Host city | Regina, Saskatchewan |
| Arena | Brandt Centre |
| Dates | March 11–19 |
| Attendance | 125,971 |
| Winner | Quebec |
| Curling club | CC Victoria, Sainte-Foy CC Etchemin Saint-Romuald |
| Skip | Jean-Michel Ménard |
| Third | François Roberge |
| Second | Éric Sylvain |
| Lead | Maxime Elmaleh |
| Alternate | Jean Gagnon |
| Coach | Michel St-Onge |
| Finalist | Ontario (Glenn Howard) |
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In the final, Quebec's Jean-Michel Ménard rink became only the second Quebec team to win the Brier, the first since Jim Ursel won in 1977, defeating Ontario's Glenn Howard 8–7. Quebec started the game with a commanding lead, stealing one in the first, and three more in the second to take a 4–0 lead. Ahead 5–4, Ménard had a chance to score four and take a five point lead in the sixth, but missed a tap back, taking two instead. The teams traded singles until the 10th end. With Quebec up by two, Ontario needed a steal of two to tie the game in the last end. On his final shot, Ménard took out two Ontario stones in the eight-foot to win the championship. The Ménard rink became the first francophone team to win the Brier. Quebec was considered a longshot to win the Brier against teams like Howard, Kevin Martin (Alberta), Jeff Stoughton (Manitoba) and Mark Dacey (Nova Scotia). The team had won $28,000 on tour by that point, but only played in events they could reach by car, due to a lack of sponsors.