News Players' Championship

TORONTO — The world’s best teams take to the ice one more time to wrap up the Grand Slam of Curling season in the finals of the AMJ Players’ Championship.

Scotland’s Bruce Mouat and Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller battle for the men’s title, with Canada’s Rachel Homan and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni clashing on the women’s side.

The women’s final kicks off Championship Sunday at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT followed by the men’s final at 4:30 p.m. ET / 1:30 p.m. PT.

Watch both games live on Sportsnet 360 or Sportsnet+.

Live streaming is also available in free preview via HomeTeam.

Tickets are available at the box office and online at Ticketmaster.ca.

Here’s a deep dive into the fun facts and cool stats to know before the games begin.

• Both AMJ Players’ Championship finals are rematches from the world championship gold medal games for the first time in the history of the event. We’ve had rematches in one final — such as 2013 when Scotland’s Eve Muirhead defeated Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson — but never both.

• Mouat is looking to become the first to win four Grand Slam of Curling titles in a single season. Multiple teams have taken three in a year, but four has been the elusive number. Mouat kicked off the Grand Slam of Curling season by capturing three straight at the HearingLife Tour Challenge, Co-op Canadian Open and KIOTI National.

• Although Mouat’s title streak ended at the WFG Masters, with a loss to Canada’s Brad Jacobs in the semifinals, it was still a win for Scotland. Mouat’s compatriot Ross Whyte beat Jacobs in the final to capture his first career Grand Slam title. Teams from a country outside of Canada haven’t swept a full Grand Slam of Curling season in the history of the series. Emphasis on full season as we’re well aware Mouat took the pair of Grand Slams held in the Calgary bubble in 2021.

“The potential of all five going to Scotland too, that’s exciting for our country,” Mouat said. “It’s been what, in the last eight years that a European team had just won one of these things, so to potentially all five of them going to one country that’s outside of Canada, we’re all going to work hard for it.”

• One thing that’s for sure is non-Canadian teams will sweep the men’s division — again, something that hasn’t been done before in a full Grand Slam of Curling season in the history of the series.

• Mouat can crack double-digit title wins in the series as he currently holds nine. That puts him fourth on the all-time men’s skips wins list behind only Kevin Martin (18), Brad Gushue (15) and Glenn Howard (14).

• A win for Mouat would mark Scotland’s 15th Grand Slam of Curling title victory. On top of Mouat’s tally of nine, Muirhead won four while Whyte and Ross Paterson have one each. Scotland still has a way to go to catch Canada’s record total of 143 (and counting).

• As Mouat seeks double-digits, Schwaller is aiming for his first to become the 26th different men’s skip to hold a title in the series.

“It’s definitely on the bucket list,” Schwaller said. “Growing up in a curling family, it’s something you dream of your whole life as well. Not only representing Switzerland, the Grand Slams are definitely up there. Every guy on our team wants to do that and reach the next level.”

• Schwaller is a one-time finalist in the series, and in this event, as he finished runner-up to Canada’s Kevin Koe in 2023. Although Schwaller held a two-point lead in the eighth end, Koe had the hammer and pulled off a last-second shot to score three to win 5-4.

“It’s only the second time the team has made it this Olympic cycle, so it feels great,” Schwaller said. “I’m very proud of the boys for how they battled after an exhausting worlds to still make the final. It’s just great to be out there right now and to play with these guys.”

• Switzerland enters the day with five Grand Slam titles: four for Tirinzoni and one for Peter de Cruz. The Swiss could add two more and become the first non-Canadian country to win both finals in a single Grand Slam event.

• While Schwaller, second Sven Michel and lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin seek their first, fourth Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel won the 2018 Canadian Open on De Cruz’s team.

• Mouat and Schwaller have faced each other 30 times in their careers, dating back to a decade ago in the World Junior Curling Championships. They also met in the 2016 world juniors, along with Canada’s Matt Dunstone, who Schwaller defeated Saturday night in the AMJ Players’ Championship semifinals. Mouat captured gold at those world juniors, besting Korey Dropkin of the United States in the final, while Dunstone beat Schwaller for bronze. Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell and Sweden’s Rasmus Wrana also skipped their countries in the event. An impressive class of juniors, for sure.

• This is the fourth meeting between Mouat and Schwaller in past week and a half. Schwaller was victorious 11-7 during the round-robin of the World Men’s Curling Championship, and Mouat won 5-4 in the gold medal game exactly one week ago. Mouat also topped Schwaller 7-5 when they faced in pool play Wednesday.

• Mouat holds the overall advantage 20-10 in head-to-head meetings, including 6-3 this season, but don’t tell Schwaller that. Besides, he has his lucky Toronto Blue Jays hat this week.

“We saw last week how much it takes to get by them and just fewer mistakes, maybe get a break more, then we’ll be right there, so I like our chances,” Schwaller said. “I hope we can pull off a very good performance and then things can fall our way.”

• Let’s not forget Mouat hasn’t had a day off as he also faced Homan in a charity skins game at the first Rio Mare Battle of the Sexes presented by The Curling Group last Monday. Mouat raised $10,000 for Charlie Boy’s Cancer Fundraiser and Homan collected $2,000 for the Sandra Schmirler Foundation.

“We’re all tired, obviously. I think this is maybe day 15 or 16 in a row,” Mouat said. “We’re struggling a wee bit, but we’re playing well enough to hopefully go and win this thing.”

• Homan has won a record 17 Grand Slam of Curling women’s titles, but the AMJ Players’ Championship has remained elusive. She has finished runner-up in the event three times: 2011, 2014 and 2021.

• Homan could become the second women’s skip to complete a career Grand Slam (win all four majors) and claim every active title in the series. Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg was the first women’s skip to complete a career Grand Slam when she won the Players’ Championship in 2022. Hasselborg also retroactively became the first in the latter category after the Champions Cup was put on hiatus in 2023.

• Homan and second Emma Miskew could tie Martin (18) for the most Grand Slam titles among all men’s and women’s players. Marc Kennedy, who plays third for Jacobs, is also tied for second with Homan and Miskew at 17.

• A Homan win would be a 45th Grand Slam women’s title for Canadian teams and 144th across both divisions.

• Homan enters the final with an incredible 75-7 record on the season, having reached the final in all 10 events her team has played and with seven championships so far. That includes back-to-back Grand Slam title victories at the Co-op Canadian Open and KIOTI National.

• Homan became the first to reach five consecutive finals in a single Grand Slam season. Canada’s Kerri Einarson reached five total in the 2022-23, however, that was when there were six events and she missed the Players’ Championship final. Canada’s Brad Gushue also made it to five in the 2015-16 season, but there were seven events in the men’s division that season.

• This is Homan’s eighth Grand Slam final over the past nine events in the series. The outlier? Last year’s Players’ Championship.

• Tirinzoni has made it to a third consecutive AMJ Players’ Championship final. Her team loss to Sweden’s Isabella Wranå in 2023 and took the rematch last year. Jennifer Jones (2016, 2017 and 2018) and Einarson (2019, 2021 and 2022) have also competed in three straight Players’ Championship women’s finals. No event was held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Tirinzoni looks to become the fourth to win back-to-back AMJ Players’ Championship women’s titles, joining Jones (2006, 2007), Muirhead (2015, 2016) and Einarson (2019, 2021).

• Tirinzoni will aim to take sole possession of fifth place on the all-time women’s skips wins list. She’s currently tied with Muirhead at four titles each.

• Homan and Tirinzoni have faced 38 times in their careers. Homan holds the all-time advantage at 29-9, including 5-0 this season.

• Only twice has a world champion also won the Players’ Championship in the same season. Muirhead did it on the women’s side in 2013. Russ Howard won both in 1993, the inaugural season for the Players’ Championship, when it was known as the V.O. Cup. However, the event was held in February, before Howard even won the Brier to earn the right to represent Canada at the men’s worlds.