The 2025 Brier in Kelowna, B.C. has brought a surprise crossover between curling and Canadian football. Two members of Mike McEwen’s Saskatchewan-based rink—Kevin Marsh (second) and his twin brother Dan (lead)—are wearing Saskatchewan Roughriders gloves on the ice. This is huge and has the CFL fans in a tizzy.
How It All Started: From Mosaic Stadium to the Ice
The Marsh brothers’ love for Roughriders gloves started last year at the Brier in Regina. While touring Mosaic Stadium they stumbled upon the team’s equipment area and saw the gloves used by the CFL players.
“We saw them there (in the equipment area) and we were like, ‘These would work really well for sweeping,’” Kevin Marsh told. “They work really well in terms of getting a good grip on the broom handle.”
Gordy Gilroy, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ equipment manager, hooked them up with more pairs for this year. They are a perfect fit for curling, sticky and grippy for sweeping.
Why Roughriders Gloves Work for Curling?
Curling Canada doesn’t have any rules on gloves so players can use what they want. Many curlers go bare handed or less sticky gloves but the Marsh boys swear by the Roughriders receiver gloves.
“For me, it’s about maximizing grip strength on the broom,” Kevin explained. “You don’t want the hand moving around on the broom because the whole idea of sweeping is getting the maximum pressure down to be the most effective sweeper.”
Other curlers use receiver gloves but the Marsh brothers are one of the few who proudly wear gloves branded to a specific CFL team. Their choice is not just practical but also Saskatchewan pride.
Saskatchewan Pride: Born and Raised Riders Fans
While Kevin Marsh isn’t a diehard CFL fan, being a Roughriders fan is in his blood since he was born and raised in Saskatchewan.
“It’s hard not to follow the Riders,” Marsh said. “I know they’ve been struggling a bit lately—they haven’t won the Grey Cup in a long time—but we’re definitely following along when they’re playing well.”
Despite their loyalty to the green and white, converting skip Mike McEwen to a Roughriders fan is still a work in progress.
“This is his second year playing out of Sask so we’re really trying to convert him to be more of a Sask guy,” Marsh joked. “He says he’s getting used to the green colour now but I think he’s still a Bombers fan unfortunately. We’ll have to keep working on that.”
From Football Dreams to Curling Glory
The Marsh twins never played organized football growing up but they weren’t total strangers to the sport. Their high school coach once tried to recruit them but at “maybe 100 pounds soaking wet” they opted for less physical activities like curling instead.
They’re not the only Brier participants with football backgrounds. Three players at this year’s tournament have gridiron experience:
- Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy , both curling under Brad Jacobs out of Alberta, played quarterback in the CJFL for the Regina Thunder and Edmonton Wildcats, respectively.
- Catlin Schneider , formerly part of McEwen’s rink and now playing third for Reid Carruthers, was a U Sports receiver for the Regina Rams, recording 38 career catches for 373 yards and one touchdown.
Team Saskatchewan’s Hot Start
McEwen’s team is 4-0 at the 2025 Brier and sitting top of Pool B. They have PEI, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec so far and are in great position to grab one of the three playoff spots.
“We knew it was gonna be tough to top last year when we were the home team in Regina,” said Marsh. “The fans were really behind us and we had a great week there, but Kelowna is doing a great job this year too.”
With so many Saskatchewan fans in Kelowna to cheer on the team, the atmosphere has been great. Add in the weather and it’s no wonder Team Saskatchewan is on fire.