Scottish immigrants brought the game “across the pond” in the 18th century. Since then the roaring game has amassed its fair share of amusing and interesting stories, facts and anecdotes:

• The flamboyant curling character Paul Gowsell once ordered a pizza to ice level during a match, briefly earning him the nickname “Pizza Paul”

• Legendary Brier journalist Cactus Jack Wells turned down a Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play job in order to continue covering the Brier and Winnipeg Blue Bomber games

• In 1912, the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax served as a temporary morgue for recovered bodies in the aftermath of the Titanic disaster

• In cashspiels, curlers win money, but in bonspiels, they win things like cars, T-bone steaks or new curling stones

• Canada is said to be the only documented place where the iron curling “stone” was used

• Before the 1988 Olympic Trials, the Canadian Curling Association informed the “The Wrench,” Ed Werenich, that he would have to lose weight if he qualified for the Olympics

• Canada invited Scotland to tour Canada in a curling tournament in 1858, but didn’t end up making the overseas journey until 44 years later in 1902

• Curling did not become an official Olympic sport until 1998 in Nagano

• In 2009, NBC will host a curling reality show called Rockstar Curling to determine who will represent the United States at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

And much more…