Curling Québec

The Gordon International is a 3-day event played alternately in Montreal (odd years) and the United States (even years) between the Grand National Curling Club of America and the Canadian Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. It is usually held each year during the third weekend of March.

When the Grand National visits Montreal they are asked to supply 20 rinks, playing two games for the Gordon International Curling Medal whilst the Branch supplies forty rinks who play only once. This is done to accommodate the large number of Canadian rinks who are interested in this popular event.

The competition is comprised of three ‘Friendly’ matches being played Thursday evening and Friday with the two Gordon International Curling Medal games played on Saturday during the day followed by a banquet and presentation of the different trophies to the winners in the evening.

(3) There will be 3 sets of prizes to be awarded to each country. The rink winning 3 Friendly games and having the most points will be winner of the 1st prize. The rink winning two of three games and having the most points will win 2nd prize. The team winning one game of three and having the most points will win 3rd prize.

(3) The winning team will be decided on the total number of stones counted. In the unlikely event of a tie, if ice is available, one stone will be thrown by any member of each rink accompanied by 2 sweepers from the same rink; the stone in play closer to the button will be the winner. If ice is not available, the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin at the Gordon International banquet.

Curling in Canada was soon followed by curling in the United States. Early reports show the first club with an 1832 founding date, and the establishment of the Grand National Curling Club of America in 1867. It was therefore natural that international contests should start and that a great trophy competition might follow.

Robert Gordon of New York City was elected the first patron of the Grand National at its inception in 1867. Through the Grand National, Mr. Gordon had presented "The Gordon Champion Rink Medal to the curlers of the United States" in 1869. Then on January 25th. 1884, Mr. Gordon gave “....... the Gordon International Curling Medal.... to the curlers of the United States and Canada.... to be played for at Montreal and the United States alternately under the direction of the officers of the Canadian Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club."

Curling matches had been played between the United States and Canada at various times, the first known instance being in 1865 when 23 rinks from Ontario visited Black Rock playing in the open air and Ontario winning by 180 shots. The return match was played 21 years later when 29 rinks from the States visited Ontario. 20 rinks played indoors and 9 rinks played outdoors. Ontario were the winners once again, this time by 289 shots.

On the 4th February 1884, the first match was played for the Gordon International Curling Medal, two rinks aside in the old St-Gabriel flour sheds on Ottawa Street in Montreal. These sheds were located between #1 and #2 basin on the south side of Ottawa Street a little west of McCord Street. The U.S.A. were the winners by 36 shots to 28. (The temperature outside was 20 below zero, Fahrenheit.) Since that date there have been twelve years when it was not played for, a smallpox epidemic in Montreal in 1885, wars and thaws that rendered the ice unfit to play on, are among the reasons given.

It was originally intended to hold the matches at the same time as the Montreal Carnivals which were held on the ice on the St. Lawrence River. However, these did not last long; so in 1889, at the request of Mr. Gordon and the Grand National, the Branch agreed that it should be played for at Montreal and the United States alternately. In 1890 the first match thus played was at the "fine new covered rink at Albany, New York" Canada winning by 43 shots to 31.

Another of the regulations governing play, was that there were to be two rinks per side. However, in 1909, being the 25th Anniversary of the donation of the Medal, it was mutually agreed to increase the number of rinks to three. Since then the number of rinks have varied, and at the present the number of Canadian rinks visiting the United States varies according to where the matches are to be played and how many rinks the Grand National can raise. (There were four sites available in the States, #1--St. Andrew's, Ardesley and Damien C.C.s. No longer available since the demise of St. Andrew's when Jack Nicklaus took over the Golf and Curling Club. *2--Utica, with only 5 sheets available, but this club burnt down in the spring of 1995 and soon after rebuilt with 6 sheets. *3-- Albany, Schenectady with 6 sheets available and *4-- the Greater Boston area with 13 sheets available at four clubs.) When the Grand National visits Montreal they are asked to supply 20 rinks, playing two games for the Gordon International Curling Medal whilst the Branch supplies forty rinks who play only once. This is done to accommodate the large number of Canadian rinks who are interested in this popular event.

From the beginning all matches were to be played with granites unless the United States agreed to the use of irons. (There is no record of irons ever being used.) The records do not state how many ends were played in 1884, but it appears that for the inaugural games and for some years thereafter it was 21 ends. It has now settled down to 10 end matches.

Until 1951, it was a one day affair, but on September 22nd of that year the Grand National requested that it become a two-day event, thus assuring all participants at least two matches. It has since been expanded to three days, with "Friendly' matches being played Thursday evening and Friday with the two Gordon International Curling Medal games being played on Saturday.

In honour of Canada's 100th birthday, the Grand National Curling Club presented "The Gordon International Bowl" to be awarded each year for the high plus single score on either side during the Gordon International Curling Medal matches, and in 1968, it was won by L.T.Ellyet of the Town of Mount Royal C.C. In 1975, at the request of the Grand National, its name was changed to "The Ad Hastings International Bowl"; Mr. Hastings was the original donor of this trophy, and the change was requested as a memorial to him, on his death. (Mr. Addison Hastings was a member of the Ardsley C.C. and President of the Grand National Curling Club of America 1949-1951.) The name of at least three skips appear on this trophy twice, Wes Millington of Schenectady C.C., Ian Monroe of Mount Bruno C.C. and Bob Bourget of Lachine C.C.

In 1988, another trophy was added to this competition, The James C. Stevens Shield. This was donated in memory of Jim Stevens, a long time member of the Branch organizing committee for the Gordon International. He was also a long time member of the Wentworth Curling Club. This Shield is awarded to the High Three Game winner in the Friendly Competition held in conjunction with the Gordon International Curling Medal and was first played for in 1988 and won by Ian Monroe of the Mount Bruno Curling Club.

In 1984, in commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the donation of the Gordon International Curling Medal, Dr. Maurice Campbell, a past President of the Canadian Branch, a well-known and much regarded member from Trois- Rivières, presented a wooden "plaque" in the shape of a curling stone to the Grand National C.C. on behalf of the Canadian Branch. It was suitably engraved and had a number of curling pins added around its perimeter. He also had a special "memorial" pin made for all those curling that day.

2004 was the 120th Anniversary of the donation of the Gordon International Curling Medal but only the 109th occasion of the play for this Medal. Canada has been the winner on 82 occasions and the U.S.A. on 27. These wins can be broken down into three "eras", from 1884 to 1934, Canada won on 30 occasions and the U.S. on 10, then from 1935 to 1969, it was 18-16 for Canada. But from 1970 to 2004, the results have been "bad news" for the U.S.A.: they have only managed to win once, in 1982 in Boston when they prevailed by 4 rocks, 357-353. However, this was not the closest win, that "honour" goes to Canada who defeated the U.S. in 1920 at Utica by TWO stones, 189-187. During the decade 1931-1940, the U.S. team won the match on four occasions but the total rock count was only 5 in favour of Canada, 2021-2016. The total rock count to date (end of 2004) is 31,992 to 27,873, and assuming a rock weighs 42lbs. Canada would be ahead by 672 tons to 585 tons. You can view the complete results here.

In 1919, after a three year break due to World War #1, the U.S. sent 16 rinks to Montreal, they lost by 132 shots, but it was reported that "A banquet was tendered for our American guests during the evening at the Windsor Hotel, three hundred and seventy being present".

The Trophies

It was first presented, for annual competition, to the curlers of the United States and Canada on January 25^th. 1884 by Robert Gordon of New York City. Robert Gordon was born in Dumfrieshire, Scotland, November 17, 1829 and emigrated to New York City when he was 20 years old. He was an avid curler, a member of the St. Andrew’s Curling Club, New York, and was the first Patron of the Grand National Curling Club of America.

The medal itself is worth examining. It is a pin which could be and was worn by the president of the winning association, and could still be worn. The inside is hollow with small circular doors at the back, within which are a series of thin gold hinged discs on which is engraved the name of the winners of the past competitions. It is maintained up-to-date each year.

The medal is awarded to the winning team (Canada or USA) on the total number of stones counted. In the unlikely event of a tie, if ice is available, one stone will be thrown by any member of each rink accompanied by 2 sweepers from the same rink; the stone in play closer to the button will be the winner. If ice is not available, the winner will be decided by the toss of a coin at the Gordon International banquet.

Originally called the Gordon International Bowl, it was presented to the Canadian Branch of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club on September 27, 1968 by Addison Hastings of Ardsley Curling Club and Past-President of the Grand National Curling Club of America. It is awarded to the rink on either side that has the largest plus score in any single Gordon International game.

RULE 1 The trophy shall be known as the Add Hastings International Bowl and shall be played for annually under the same terms and at the same time as the Gordon International Curling Medal except that the Bowl shall be awarded in the following manner.

RULE 2 The Add Hastings International Bowl (formerly the Gordon International Bowl) shall be awarded each year to the rink, on either side, having the largest plus score any single game. If a tie or ties shall exist, the Bowl shall be awarded to the rink having the largest gross score of those rinks being tied. If a tie or ties still exists, the Bowl shall be awarded to the rink having the most ends. In the event of further tie or ties, the Bowl shall be awarded to the President of the winning side.

RULE 3 The Bowl shall be in the custody of the President of the side winning the Bowl and it shall be his duty to present the Bowl each year for competition and to have the Bowl properly engraved with the year and name of the club winning the Bowl. The Bowl may be displayed at the home club of the winning rink.

Replicas of this shield will be presented annually to the members of the winning rink. The shield will be retained in the custody of the Association to which the winning team belongs, which association shall be responsible for having engraved on the shield the year and the name of the club only of which the winning rink is a member and delivering the shield to the next games.