A look back to the last time Sask. made the Brier final

You could argue Curling is almost just as popular as football in Saskatchewan - a province where events like the Brier are appointment television at sports bars, retail stores, and in many households.

Most know a few players on the Riders and have run around on a football field.

But in Saskatchewan, you don’t have to know a single member of Team Saskatchewan, or even step on a curling sheet, to run into people asking ‘How are we doin so far... is this finally the year?’

However, although the sport is popular, Saskatchewan has not seen much in the way of winning at the Brier.

It’s been nearly 30 years since a Saskatchewan rink even made it to a Brier final. And more than 40 years since this province won.

The last time Saskatchewan was in a Brier final, NBA Jam was a must-have for Super Nintendo, and VCRs were at their peak.

In 1995, the team skipped by Brad Heidt along with Mark Dacey, Wayne Charteris, and Dam Ormsby, gave Saskatchewan something to cheer about.

That year, the Brier was held in Halifax where heavyweights like Kevin Martin, Ed Werenich, and Kerry Burtnyk were looking for a championship.

But the Saskatchewan rink proved they belonged going 8-3 in the round-robin, securing second place.

In the playoffs, Saskatchewan would face Manitoba, skipped by Kerry Burtnyk, in a strategic battle that would go to extra ends.

That’s when Heidt would make a draw to give Saskatchewan a 6-5 win and a bye to the final.

But it seemed it was destiny for these two rinks to meet again.

Burtnyk beat Alberta’s Kevin Martin in a semi-final playoff game, to set up a rematch between Saskatchewan and Manitoba in the final.

The game was a see-saw battle that saw the game tied at three after four ends.

But Manitoba would get two in the fifth end, and steal another two in the sixth end to grab a 7-3 lead.

Heidt would make a take-out shot to score three in the seventh to pull to within one and score another two in the ninth after Burtnyk got one with the hammer, and it was all tied up at eight.

In the final end, Burtnyk had the hammer, and he used it to score two and come away with a 10-8 win over Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan came so close, but yet so far.

1995 remains the last time Saskatchewan played in a Brier championship game.