'It was our word against theirs': 50th anniversary of infamous World Curling Championship win for Manitoba team

It was 50 years ago that one of curling’s most infamous moments took place and at the centre was a Manitoba team, led by skip Orest Meleschuk.

It led to what was dubbed the “Curse of LaBonte”. Real or imagined, previously dominant Canadian teams didn’t win another world crown for a number of years.

“I don’t believe in the ‘Labonte Curse,’ the only thing I believe in is making your shot,” said Dave Romano, who played third on the team.

The setting was the 1972 men’s world curling championship finals, known as the Air Canada Silver Broom, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, on March 21. The final pitted Canada against the United States skipped by Bob LaBonte.

“We hadn’t really travelled outside the country in that point in time in my life so going to Germany was one of the best places to ever go visit and we had a free trip to get there,” said Meleschuk.

Formed around 1965, Meleschuk’s team was based out of the Fort Rouge curling club in Winnipeg.

Source: Dave Romano

Joining him and Romano were lead Pat Hailley and John Hanesiak who played second.

Going into the final, Meleschuk’s rink had been on a bit of tear with a record of 30-1 through club, provincial, Canadian and world championship games. The lone loss came against a Quebec team in the Brier.

“I do remember we were three up coming home without the hammer and our lead man Pat Hailley says, ‘Dave we have to take it easy,’ cause with the sweeping our hands were blistered and that. Figured three up we’ll have no problems,” said Romano. “That was one of the best positions we were in and we lost the game.”

“There was few close games we had and, of course, the last one the last one we had against the Americans,” said Meleschuk.

Romano said the ice conditions were terrible compared to today’s standards, with multiple runs and falls on the sheet, but it served as a great equalizer.

The Americans were up by two in the tenth end of the final.

Meleschuk had to hit and stick for two to force an extra end but the rock rolled. It was too close to call so a measure was required, but before anything could happen, Labonte jumped in celebration but then fell to the ice nudging a rock.

“The chief referee came up to and he says, ‘Dave, did he touch that rock?’ and I was standing basically there and saw it and knew I that he had touched it,” said Romano.

“They (Americans) said, ‘We didn’t touch the rock, we didn’t hit.’ So at that point it was our word against theirs and we had to measure the rocks and we won the measurement.”

The Canadians went on to score in the eleventh and win the championship.

Going into the 1972 final, Canadian teams had won 11 of the previous 13 championships, losing to the U.S in 1965 and Scotland in 1967. Following the 1972 win, Canada would not win another until 1980, which resulted in some sports commentators joking about a curse Labonte had placed on the Canadian rinks.

Source: Dave Romano

The game, like these players, has changed over the years with new rules and equipment.

Romano said in 1972 the Swedish team were so impressed with the corn brooms once favoured by Meleschuk’s rink they even made the switch a year later. Nowadays, you would be hard pressed to find one.

Meleschuk doesn’t curl anymore. He stopped playing in his late seventies and credits rule changes as the reason why.

Romano is still going strong playing three times a week, but has resorted to using a push stick due to a bad knee. He is even back playing at the Fort Rouge Curling Club weekly where it all began.

CTV was unable to connect with Pat Hailley, and John Hanesiak passed away in 2002.

Source: Dave Romano

The team was inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame in 1985 as well as the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame.

“It was a great time, both the provincials, the Canadian and the worlds. It was a good three months of curling,” said Meleschuk.