News Masters

OKOTOKS, Alta. — The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season is set to kick off Tuesday night with the opening draw of the 2016 WFG Masters.

As the first major tournament of the season, this will be the first big test for the top teams going head-to-head in a key season on the road to next year’s Olympic Trials. A lot is at stake this year with every point counting towards qualification.

Here’s what you need to know before the first rock is thrown:

1st End: A brief history of the WFG Masters

The WFG Masters is one of the “original four” events of the Pinty’s GSOC series dating back to the inaugural 2001-02 season alongside the National, Canadian Open and Players’ Championship.

Glenn Howard, of Penetanguishene, Ont., has skipped his team to the most Masters titles winning six including a four-peat from 2006-09. Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen is the defending men’s champion.

A women’s division was added to the Masters in 2012, the first event under Sportsnet’s ownership. Ottawa’s Rachel Homan won the first two Masters women’s titles back-to-back and earned her third in four years last season.

The event also begins the chase for the Rogers Grand Slam Cup, awarded to the season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship. Homan rolled away to take the women’s Rogers Grand Slam Cup last season thanks to three Grand Slam championship victories while Brad Gushue of St. John’s claimed the men’s title.

2nd End: Watching the WFG Masters

The 2016 WFG Masters is being held at Pason Centennial Arena in Okotoks, Alta. The town has been anticipating this event for over a year and the wait will surely be worth it.

If you can’t make it to Okotoks, Sportsnet and CBC will have your back with TV coverage starting Thursday. For the full TV schedule, CLICK HERE.

3rd End: Brushing up on the new rules

Last year’s brush and sweeping controversy is hopefully a thing of the past with the World Curling Federation setting new rules in September. The Pinty’s GSOC will follow suit with the WFG Masters being the first major since the rule announcement.

Basically, all brush fabric will now come from the same source, players cannot change brush heads during a game and players will be disqualified if they are caught using an illegal brush. Sweeping can be done in any direction so long as debris isn’t deposited in front of the stone.

The new rules were the result of a sweeping summit conducted this past summer between major stakeholders of the game including officials, brush manufacturers, players as well as the National Research Council of Canada. The players we’ve talked to so far this season have been in favour of the new rules as making a shot is back in the hands of the thrower with sweeping back to creating only a marginal difference.

4th End: Familiar faces, new places

If this is your first time tuning in to curling this season you might be wondering what’s up with the line-up changes. Some teams made tweaks to their roster in the summer and here are the notables:

– Team Bottcher
Out: Tom Appelman (third)
In: Pat Simmons (third), Carter Rycroft (fifth/coach)

Brendan Bottcher recruited Simmons to play third after his own team split. The two-time Brier champ Simmons brings tons of experience and should give Team Bottcher that extra edge they’ve been missing. Bottcher also added former Team Simmons second Rycroft as a fifth and consultant/coach.

– Team Edin
Out: Kristian Lindstroem (second)
In: Rasmus Wrana (second)

Lindstroem required off-season shoulder surgery and with a lengthy timeline on the mend Edin opted to bring in Wrana to play second. Wrana has fit in well already with the team picking up three titles on tour.

– Team Morris
Out: Ryan Kuhn (third)
In: John Morris (third/skip)

Morris re-joined Team Cotter to skip while throwing third stones. Considering the success they had together in a short period of time the first go-round (Olympic Trials and Brier finalists) they’re ones to watch for sure at the WFG Masters.

– Team Howard
Out: Wayne Middaugh (third)
In: David Mathers (second)

Middaugh continues to recover from the broken leg he sustained last season. Richard Hart will play third while Mathers, formerly of Team Casey, is slotted in at second. Youth up front, veteran experience in the back; it could be the winning combo.

– Team Muirhead
Out: Sarah Reid (lead), David Hay (coach)
In: Lauren Gray (lead), Glenn Howard (tactical coach)

Howard makes a second appearance here joining Team Muirhead as a tactical coach. The team also changed leads and will welcome back third Anna Sloan, who missed the final stretch of last season due to a knee injury.

5th End: Men’s division preview

Team Gushue of St. John’s has maintained the top spot on the World Curling Tour’s Order of Merit despite missing skip Brad Gushue, who hasn’t played a game yet this season due to a hip/groin injury. Third Mark Nichols has moved up to skip with subs filling in along the way. They captured the Stu Sells Toronto Tankard earlier this month with “super spare” Adam Spencer.

Reigning world champ Team Koe has seemingly picked up where the squad left off. The Calgary crew won the Shorty Jenkins Classic in September featuring the greatest strength of field at a tournament so far this season.

Olympic gold medallists Team Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., got back into the win column in Saskatoon in September earning their first tour title since April 2015.

Defending Masters champ Team McEwen has been out of sorts lately missing the playoffs at three consecutive tour events. A return to the familiar Pinty’s GSOC setting could be the right remedy.

Toronto’s Team Epping is heating up on tour with a runner-up finish in Toronto and a title win in Gatineau, Que. We saw last year what happens when they’re on fire and it could happen at the WFG Masters. They’ve relied on subs too with second Pat Janssen out with a fractured zygoma (orbital bone). Craig Savill was the super spare this past weekend powering them to victory in Gatineau. Janssen is expected to return at the WFG Masters.

6th End: Women’s division preview

Team Homan had a tour season for the ages last year winning seven events including three consecutive Pinty’s GSOC championships. They’re already 2-for-2 so far this season picking up titles at the Shorty Jenkins Classic in Cornwall, Ont., and this past weekend at the Canad Inns Women’s Classic in Portage la Prairie, Man.

Team Jones counted on on spares early in the season with skip Jennifer Jones giving birth to daughter Skyla in August. Jones is back in the mix and hasn’t missed a beat.

Team Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., and Sweden’s Team Hasselborg have gained the most ground this season in the Order of Merit standings. Hasselborg has earned two titles on tour already. The WFG Masters will be an opportunity for both teams to really show they belong among the elite ranks.

7th End: Facebook Live and the GSOC Sick Shot Challenge

Our social media game will hopefully be strong during the WFG Masters.

We have two Facebook Live video chats lined up where you can ask Kaitlyn Lawes (Thursday, 10 p.m. ET) and Steve Laycock (Friday 6:30 p.m. ET) almost anything! Follow the Grand Slam of Curling on Facebook by clicking here.

Also on tap is the all-new GSOC Sick Shot Challenge, a season-long contest involving a checklist of scavenger hunt and trick shots for teams to accomplish with a winner-takes-all $5,000 prize. Here’s just a sample of what to expect.

8th End: Two weeks to the Tour Challenge

The Pinty’s GSOC season ventures down the road to Cranbrook, B.C., for the 2016 Tour Challenge.

The largest event on the Pinty’s GSOC schedule features 60 teams split into two tiers of action at Western Financial Place (all Tier 1 games and Tier 2 finals) and Memorial Arena (all Tier 2 games except for finals).

We hope you can continue to follow the Pinty’s GSOC season, click here for ticket information to the Tour Challenge.