| 1968 Macdonald Brier | |
| Host City: | Kelowna, British Columbia[1] |
| Arena: | Kelowna Arena[2] |
| Dates: | March 4–8[3] |
| Attendance: | 25,813[4] |
| Winner: | Alberta |
| Curling Club: | Calgary CC, Calgary |
| Skip: | Ron Northcott |
| Third: | Jim Shields |
| Second: | Bernie Sparkes |
| Lead: | Fred Storey |
The 1968 Macdonald Brier, Canada's national men's curling championship was held March 4 - 8 at the Kelowna Arena in Kelowna, British Columbia. A total of 25,813 fans attended the event.[5]
Team Alberta, who was skipped by Ron Northcott captured the Brier Tankard by finishing round robin play with a 9-1 record. This was Alberta's tenth Brier championship overall and the second one won by Northcott's rink, who also won the Brier two years prior in 1966. Northcott's rink would represent Canada in the 1968 Air Canada Silver Broom, which was the men's world curling championship.
Saskatchewan were runners-up, with an 8–2 record while Prince Edward Island finished in third with a 7-3 record, which at the time was PEI's best Brier finish.[6]
The teams are listed as follows:[7]
| British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calgary CC, CalgarySkip: Ron Northcott Third: Jim Shields Second: Bernie Sparkes Lead Fred Storey | Richmond WC, RichmondSkip: Bob McCubbin Third: Jack Tucker Second: Ed Trimble Lead: Keith Issac | Dauphin CC, DauphinSkip: Burke Parker Third: Lloyd Yerama Second: Roy Berry Lead: Jack Yuill | Fredericton CC, FrederictonSkip: Jim Ayer Third: Ron Ketch Second: Jim Anderson Lead: Frank Ayer |
| Newfoundland | Northern Ontario | Nova Scotia | Ontario |
| St. John's CC, St. John'sSkip: Bill Piercey Third: Frank M. Stent Second: Thomas A. Warren Lead: William C. Roy | Geraldton CC, GeraldtonSkip: Herbert Pile Third: Len Tremblay Second: Ross Davis Lead: D. Wayne Downey | Mayflower CC, HalifaxSkip: Don Flemming Third: Chuck Piper Jr. Second: Gregory Jeans Lead: David Conrad | St. Thomas CC, St. ThomasSkip: Don Gilbert Third: Al Zikman Second: Jimmy Waite Lead: Dick Donald |
| Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | |
| Charlottetown CC, CharlottetownSkip: Alan Smith Third: Doug Bell Second: Bob Dillon Lead: Merrill Wiggington | CFB Bagotville CC, ChicoutimiSkip: Bill Tracy Third: Earl Carson Second: Alan R. Sully Lead: Ed Wood | Avonlea CC, AvonleaSkip: Bob Pickering Third: Jack Keys Second: Garnet Campbell Lead: Gary Ford |
The final standings were as follows:[6]
| Province | Skip | W | L | PF | PA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | 1 | 119 | 70 | |||
| 8 | 2 | 98 | 67 | |||
| 7 | 3 | 96 | 84 | |||
| 6 | 4 | 89 | 77 | |||
| 6 | 4 | 80 | 78 | |||
| 5 | 5 | 85 | 88 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 95 | 92 | |||
| 4 | 6 | 74 | 85 | |||
| 3 | 7 | 79 | 97 | |||
| 2 | 8 | 75 | 118 | |||
| 1 | 9 | 71 | 105 |
Monday, March 4, 4:00pm[8]
Monday, March 4, 11:00pm[8]
Tuesday, March 5, 12:00pm[9]
Tuesday, March 5, 5:30pm[9]
Wednesday, March 6, 5:30pm[10] [11]
Wednesday, March 6, 11:00pm[10]
Thursday, March 7, 12:00pm[12]
Thursday, March 7, 5:30pm[12]
Thursday, March 7, 11:00pm[12]
Friday, March 8, 12:00pm[6] [13]
Friday, March 8, 5:30pm[6]
The media selected the following curlers as All-Stars:[14]
Bernie Sparkes became the first player to be selected to the all-star team three times as he was selected the two previous years as well.
| Position | Name | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skip | Ron Northcott (2) | Alberta | |
| Third | Saskatchewan | ||
| Second | Bernie Sparkes (3) | Alberta | |
| Lead | Fred Storey (2) | Alberta |
The Ross Harstone Award was presented to the player chosen by their fellow peers as the curler who best represented Harstone's high ideals of good sportsmanship, observance of the rules, exemplary conduct and curling ability.[15]
Prince Edward Island's 17-16 extra end victory over Newfoundland in Draw 11 tied the record for the highest scoring game in Brier history.[16] This was also matched in 1932 with Ontario's 17-16 win over New Brunswick and in 1957 with Saskatchewan's 30-3 victory over New Brunswick.