TEAM SIMMONS – Canada

Patrick Simmons “Pat Simms” played on the 2014 and 2015 Canadian champion rink, the latter year as skip. As a skip, he has also represented Saskatchewan in four straight Briers from 2005 to 2008 and again in 2011. He has also represented Alberta twice at the Brier.

Simmons made it to his first Brier in 2005 after winning his first provincial championship. He skipped Saskatchewan to a 6-5 finish, in a four-way tie for fifth place, out of the playoffs.

In 2006 Simmons skipped Saskatchewan to a 5-6 finish at the Brier, tied for eighth place and out of the playoffs.

Simmons had a much better record in 2007, finishing 7-4, but narrowly missed the playoffs once again, finishing in fifth place. In 2008, Simmons finally skipped Saskatchewan to a playoff spot at the Brier, finishing the round robin in second place with a 9-2 record. However, he lost in the semi-final in an extra end to Ontario, skipped by Glenn Howard. Simmons’ rink qualified for the 2009 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, but finished the round robin with a 2-5 record, in 7th place. Simmons would return to the Brier in 2011, throwing fourth stones for Steve Laycock. The team finished with a 4-7 record.

The next season, Simmons joined the Kevin Koe rink out of Calgary, Alberta replacing Blake MacDonald. [1] The team represented Alberta in the 2012 Brier, where they finished second. They played in the 2013 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, going 2-5. The team made won another provincial championship in 2014. At the 2014 Brier the Koe rink defeated John Morris’ B.C. rink 10-5 in the final, giving Simmons his first Brier title. The team finished in 4th place at the 2014 World Men’s Curling Championship. It was the first time Simmons represented Canada internationally.

Koe left the team in 2014; the rest of the rink decided to stick together to compete as Team Canada at the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier, drafting John Morris to replace Koe as skip. During the 2015 Brier after Morris’s Team Canada started off 2-3 Morris approached Simmons with an idea that Simmons skip and Morris move to vice. The move paid off as the rink went on to win the competition. They finished in third place (bronze medal) at the 2015 world championships in Halifax.