HALIFAX -- The night before, Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc heard the shout from the stands.
"Hey Fitz! You're the @&%#s!"
It was, he admitted, not uncalled for.
"We've played so poorly, we've deserved some jeers," said the skip of the Nova Scotia team that looked like he was going for the record for fewest wins by a team at a Brier in the province where the event was being held.
He felt like Pat Ryan at the 1987 Brier in Edmonton, where the crowd was all over him. Ryan, who does a great Elvis Presley, went to the Brier Patch, got on the stage and sang Don't Be Cruel.
It's been a long time since a team from a host province soiled the sheets like Fitzner-LaBlanc was in the process of doing until he took the ice against Kevin Koe of Alberta Tuesday.
You have to go back to Jack Bergmann, who went 0-10 back in 1959 in Quebec City.
In fact, you have to go back to 1987 to find the last time something like this happened.
"I'm pretty sure it happened to us that year," said Randy Ferbey from Las Vegas, where news of Alberta giving up a six-ender to go down 11-2 had reached him.
Indeed. Al Delmage of the Territories turned the trick against Ryan in a 9-6 upset of the Albertans back when Ferbey was Ryan's third.
In all there have only been six six-enders -- and one seven ender -- since 1977 when the Brier games were reduced from 12 ends to 10.
On Tuesday, Fitzner-Le-Blanc didn't have to make like Ryan and sing a song to finally be able to hear some big applause.
What we saw was one of the most remarkable games in the 81-year history of the event.
"That was an exciting game on the next sheet," said Ontario's Glenn Howard.
"We were watching, too, like everybody else," said Brad Gushue.
"It was interesting over there. First you get to see a six-ender. You look at the scoreboard and it's 11-2. Then you wonder if you're going to watch one of the biggest collapses in Brier history."
It was curling's version of the Halifax Explosion.
If it had been Alberta jumping all over Nova Scotia 11-2, nobody would have taken much notice. Dog bites man.
Alberta had a 29-game winning streak busted at the event just the day before. And Nova Scotia hadn't won a game.
But this was the other way around. It was the previously unheard of Fitzner-LeBlanc who hadn't been able to beat anybody.
The Bluenosers were up 3-0 after the first end, stole two to make it 5-0 after the second, then they cracked a six-ender to take an 11-2 lead to the fifth end break.
A six ender!
How did this happen?
"Brutal play," said Koe. "Realistically you are never going to come back from that. When you are down 5-0 you have to gamble. That's what led to the six-ender."
Not only that, but third Blake MacDonald had one of the most spectacular wipeouts you'll ever see.
In the end, Nova Scotia, despite giving away a steal of three in trying toput the upset away and having the lead whittled away to 11-8 going into the 10th end, escaped with an 13-8 win.
For one glorious afternoon, Fitz wasn't the @%$#s here.
TERRY.JONES@SUNMEDIA.CA
