ATHLETE LEGEND
Gilbert, Peter L.
1888 – 1960
SPORT | Curling
YEAR OF INDUCTION | 2013
Peter was born in 1882 and was raised in Ridgetown where he threw his first curling stone in 1899 at the age of 17. He went on to successfully curl competitively for 59 years up until 1958. From 1911 to 1931, he lived in Rosetown, Saskatchewan before returning to Chatham and founding Maple City Gas and Oil. Representing the Chatham Granite Club, he and his rink, comprised of Jim Harrington and sons, Gord and Bob Gilbert, won two Provincial Championships and competed in two Canadian Championships. During these competitions, Peter skipped the team, throwing lead rock while Gord threw last rock. In all, he competed in over 400 bonspiels in his career. Peter passed away in Chatham in 1960.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1948 - 1953
1948 – skipped his team and won the Ontario Senior Championship
1949 – skipped and won the Ontario Championship MacDonald’s Brier against 128 other rinks in a single knock-out format which qualified the team for the Dominion Brier Classic in Hamilton where they ended up in fourth place with a 5-4 record
1951 – skipped and won the Centennial Bonspiel in Portage, Wisconsin
1953 – team won second MacDonald’s Brier and again qualified for the Canadian Championship in Sudbury – at age 71, became, and remains today, the oldest player to ever compete in the Dominion Brier – team had a record of 4 wins and 6 loses for an eighth place finish – skipped and won the Hamilton Thistle Centennial Bonspiel which was his last victory in a competitive bonspiel
Accomplishments
While in Rosetown, Saskatchewan, he introduced curling to the community and was instrumental in building the curling arena. In Chatham in 1939, the present curling club which housed hockey and public skating was put up for sale by the city. Peter wrote his own personal cheque for the arena and ensured that it would be for curling only as it is today. Because of his lengthy and intense involvement in the sport, he was called “Mr. Curling” by Smoke Reynolds and he was recognized by the Ontario Curling Association when he received an Honourary Membership in that organization.