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Saskatchewan curling superfan Madsen, 'Curling's Bearded Fan', passes away

Love of curling took Yorkton fan all over Canada to cheer for the sport he loved
Scotties crowd Sask guy
Hans Madsen keeps a close eye on the action during the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Tributes are pouring in from all over the curling world after Yorkton curling super fan Hans Madsen passed away recently after the lengthy battle with cancer.

Jason G. Antonio of MooseJawToday.com chatted with Hans as part of a fan feature when he was in the Friendly City to take in the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts at Mosaic Place.

Here's a look at what "Curling's Bearded Fan" had to say about his lifelong love and dedication to the sport.

The beard and the wig

Yorkton’s Hans Madsen is hard to miss: if one of his 700 colourful wigs doesn’t catch your eye, then perhaps his painted beard with curling-inspired designs will.

The curling superfan noted he and his wife enjoy the sport immensely. They enjoy meeting people and find the sport thrilling. His goal is to make fans and players smile when they see his outfits, which can also be good conversation starters. He will spend about $400 during the 11-day tournament painting his beard and face each day.

“It adds up, but … it’s worth it,” he said.

Madsen is one of the most recognizable curling fans in Canada. Fans and players alike come to him for photos, autographs or simply to talk. He has watched some of the best female curlers compete since they were young, such as Jennifer Jones, Chelsea Carey and Rachel Homan.

While he doesn’t have one favourite team, he wears outfits and paints his beard to support teams if they ask. For example, he painted his beard with Quebec’s fleur de lis, while he also drew a husky to support Team Yukon.

The Madsens had a busy few weeks. They were in Melville recently to watch both the men’s and women’s provincial championships. They drove to Rivers, Man., for one day to watch that province’s women’s provincial championship before driving back. He volunteered with the Grand Slam tournament in Yorkton, and while he attempted to do the same in Moose Jaw, was turned down since there were already enough helpers.

“It’s fun to be here and see this stuff,” he remarked.

Over the decades, the Madsens have racked up thousands of kilometres attending women’s curling tournaments in North America and across the world. This year they attended nearly all the Grand Slam tournaments in Canada. The next tournament after the Scotties is the women’s world championship in Prince George, British Columbia from March 14 to 22. The final tournament of the season for the Madsens will be Okotoks, Alta.

“It costs a lot of money to attend this stuff … ,” he added. “But it’s what we enjoy. It’s worth it all the way through.”

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