Curse of LaBonte
Encyclopedia
The "Curse of LaBonte" is quite possibly one of the most famous curses
in curling
history. It was caused by an incident at the finals of the 1972 world men's curling championship
, the 1972 Air Canada Silver Broom
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
, Germany
.
The Canadian
team, skipped by Orest Meleschuk
was playing the American
team skipped by Robert LaBonte in the finals. Canada had been undefeated up until this point, but was down by two points in the last end. They needed two points to tie the game. Meleschuk had the "hammer", the final shot of the end. When it was time for him to shoot, the Americans had shot rock on the button while Canada was sitting second shot right next to it. The U.S. was sitting third rock too with a rock biting the 8-foot. To tie the game, Meleschuk had to hit the American rock and not roll further than this third rock.
Meleschuk's rock made the hit, and it proceeded to roll into the 8-foot. When it stopped, it was close to being second, but the Americans thought otherwise, and U.S. third Frank Aasand jumped in the air to celebrate. In the meantime, Canada's third Dave Romano was still investigating which rock was second rock, and thus whether or not Canada had scored two to tie, or just one for the loss. While Romano was looking, LaBonte jumped in the air to celebrate as well, but slipped and accidentally kicked the Canadian stone. Romano had still not agreed on who was shot, and since LaBonte had kicked the rock closer than the American rock, Canada was awarded two points in the end. Canada then won another point in the extra end to win the championship.
It was later said that LaBonte put a "curse" on Canada, because Canada did not win another World Championship until 1980
. Canadian journalist Larry Tucker is generally considered to have been given credit for inventing the hex in 1980 to describe Canada's victory that year.
A secondary "curse", if interpreted in this way, is that a North Dakotan rink did not represent the United States again in the World Curling Championships until 1997
, when Craig Disher of Langdon
represented the United States.
.
Curse
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity—one or more persons, a place, or an object...
in curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
history. It was caused by an incident at the finals of the 1972 world men's curling championship
World Curling Championships
The World Curling Championships are annual curling events which showcase the world's best curlers, organized by the World Curling Federation. There are men's, women's and mixed championships. The men's championship started in 1959, while the women's in 1979...
, the 1972 Air Canada Silver Broom
1972 Air Canada Silver Broom
-Draw 2:-Draw 3:-Draw 4:-Draw 5:-Draw 6:-Draw 7:-Tiebreaker:-Playoffs:-Semifinals:-Final:-The Curse of LaBonte:...
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a mountain resort town in Bavaria, southern Germany. It is the administrative centre of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region, and the district is on the border with Austria...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
The Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
team, skipped by Orest Meleschuk
Orest Meleschuk
Orest Meleschuk is a former Canadian curler. He was one of Manitoba's best curlers during the 1960s and 70's and has won a number of championships and major bonspiels...
was playing the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
team skipped by Robert LaBonte in the finals. Canada had been undefeated up until this point, but was down by two points in the last end. They needed two points to tie the game. Meleschuk had the "hammer", the final shot of the end. When it was time for him to shoot, the Americans had shot rock on the button while Canada was sitting second shot right next to it. The U.S. was sitting third rock too with a rock biting the 8-foot. To tie the game, Meleschuk had to hit the American rock and not roll further than this third rock.
Meleschuk's rock made the hit, and it proceeded to roll into the 8-foot. When it stopped, it was close to being second, but the Americans thought otherwise, and U.S. third Frank Aasand jumped in the air to celebrate. In the meantime, Canada's third Dave Romano was still investigating which rock was second rock, and thus whether or not Canada had scored two to tie, or just one for the loss. While Romano was looking, LaBonte jumped in the air to celebrate as well, but slipped and accidentally kicked the Canadian stone. Romano had still not agreed on who was shot, and since LaBonte had kicked the rock closer than the American rock, Canada was awarded two points in the end. Canada then won another point in the extra end to win the championship.
It was later said that LaBonte put a "curse" on Canada, because Canada did not win another World Championship until 1980
1980 Air Canada Silver Broom
The 1980 Air Canada Silver Broom, the men's world curling championship, was held from March 24-29 at the Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada.-Teams:-Round Robin Standings:-Draw 1:-Draw 2:-Draw 3:-Draw 4:-Draw 5:...
. Canadian journalist Larry Tucker is generally considered to have been given credit for inventing the hex in 1980 to describe Canada's victory that year.
A secondary "curse", if interpreted in this way, is that a North Dakotan rink did not represent the United States again in the World Curling Championships until 1997
1997 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
The 1997 Ford World Men's Curling Championship was held at Allmend Stadium in Bern, Switzerland from April 12-20, 1997.-Teams:-Standings:-Draw 1:-Draw 2:-Draw 3:-Draw 4:-Draw 5:-Draw 6:-Draw 7:-Draw 8:...
, when Craig Disher of Langdon
Langdon, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,101 people, 917 households, and 565 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,233.1 people per square mile . There were 1,178 housing units at an average density of 691.4 per square mile...
represented the United States.
Final Score
This is the final score of the final of the 1972 Air Canada Silver Broom1972 Air Canada Silver Broom
-Draw 2:-Draw 3:-Draw 4:-Draw 5:-Draw 6:-Draw 7:-Tiebreaker:-Playoffs:-Semifinals:-Final:-The Curse of LaBonte:...
.
Sources
- Canada Curls: The Illustrated History of Curling In Canada by Doug MaxwellDoug MaxwellDouglas Dean "Doug" Maxwell was a noted Canadian journalist and broadcaster, noted for his coverage in the sport of curling....
. Whitecap Books, 2002. - World Curling Federation: 1972 Air Canada Silver Broom
- The Curling News ad featuring the curse of LaBonte