Grand Slam of Curling 2013-14 season in review
The 2013-14 season has come to an end and it was a year filled with unforgettable moments and final meetings between some legendary teams.
Let’s take a look back at the four Grand Slam of Curling events and recap these thrilling games:
MASTERS
Oct. 29-Nov. 3, 2013 — Abbotsford, B.C.
A fitting name for an event where the final came down to two of the all-time greats, Kevin Martin and Glenn Howard. Like Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal in tennis, you’re in for a treat when Martin and Howard clash on the rink.
Howard continued his dominance over the event posting an undefeated 7-0 record to earn his sixth Masters title and he’s the only skip to win the tournament more than once. In the finale, the rink from Penetanguishene, Ont., broke a 2-2 tie with a score of four in the fifth end off of a raised takeout and held on to win 7-4.
The women’s division final saw a rivalry that’s on the rise between Ottawa’s Rachel Homan and Eve Muirhead from Scotland. Both teams won Grand Slam titles the previous season with Homan aiming to defend the Masters.
The game was all knotted up 2-2 after three ends but Homan pulled away in the fourth after Muirhead missed on her shot and Homan capitalized.
Homan held a one-point lead and the hammer in the final end and Muirhead was unable to grab a steal, giving the Scotties champions the 7-5 victory.
CANADIAN OPEN
Nov. 13-17, 2013 — Medicine Hat, Alberta
The second Grand Slam event of the season was the final testing ground for the men’s teams before the Canadian Olympic Trials and several rinks threw down the gauntlet in Medicine Hat to prove they were the favourites heading into the Roar of the Rings tournament.
Martin and Howard were again the favourites as both finished the round-robin with 4-1 records. Howard’s lone defeated was a 5-4 upset in the opening draw to Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson and halted Howard’s streak of consecutive wins at Grand Slam events at 14. Joining Martin and Howard at 4-1 were Toronto’s Mark Kean and Calgary’s Kevin Koe. Howard and Koe pushed through to the semifinals and faced off while Martin fell to Brad Gushue and Kean was eliminated by Jeff Stoughton.
Koe edged Howard 4-3 in the semifinals to prevent the $1 million bonus from being handed out this season while Gushue, from St. John’s, came out on top against Stoughton. It was a wild week for Gushue’s rink. They entered Medicine Hat after just missing the final berth for the Canadian Olympic Trials. They opened the Canadian Open with a 1-2 record but picked up steam to reach the final.
It was Koe who claimed the throne after rebounding from a missed opportunity in the fourth to nail a clutch final shot in the eighth that ricocheted right to the button for shot stone and the 5-4 victory.
NATIONAL
March 12-16 — Fort McMurray, Alberta
The Grand Slam of Curling series returned after a bit of a break that saw several teams represent their countries at the Olympics or compete for their national championships and prepare for the worlds.
The five-rock rule made a return that saw high-scoring ends. Look no further than Brad Jacobs’s match against Eriksson that saw the Olympic champion get bounced out in the round-robin. The Swedish rink scored a triple in the opening end, five in the third and that was enough for Team Jacobs who shook hands and lost 8-1.
The rule also proved no lead was safe. The round-robin game between Howard and Swiss Olympic skip Sven Michel saw Howard score four in the seventh to grab a 9-7 lead only for Michel to reply with a triple and win 10-9.
Howard’s loss to Michel was the team’s only misstep as they bounced back and went on a roll to earn their second Grand Slam title of the season. It was the third consecutive time the team won at least two of the four Slam trophies in a single season.
Gushue again reached the final and it also came down to the other team holding the hammer in the final end. Gushue didn’t make it easy as Howard was facing two and needed to draw right on the button to win. Howard’s final stone curled at just the right moment to miss his own guard and landed right on the tee.
PLAYERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP
April 15-20 — Summerside, P.E.I.
You couldn’t have written a better ending. It was the grand finale tournament for several teams who were shaking up their rosters for the fall while some were walking away from the game altogether.
Kevin Martin announced at the Players’ he would retire at the conclusion of the tournament and each game was a thriller as fans wondered every time if that was the final shot. Of course there were must-see games, and must-win games, as Martin defeated Howard and Koe en route to the playoff round.
In true storybook fashion, Martin’s last game came in the finale against Jacobs. If it was a passing of the torch match between the past two Olympic champions, Martin wasn’t giving up the torch without a fight. Martin held the hammer and the lead in the final end but was facing three and needed to land his favourite shot, an out-turn draw, to either score or run damage control and hold on for the win. He couldn’t get shot rock but settled for a steal of one to win his 18th career Grand Slam title 4-3 and cap his career at the top.
The women’s final saw Homan eyeing the $100,000 bonus prize for claiming both Grand Slam titles but her team faced Team Jennifer Jones.
It was a matchup between two Team Canadas as Homan defended her national championship at the Scotties and won silver at the worlds while Jones represented the red and white at the Olympics and took home the gold. In the end, Jones emerged victorious with a 5-2 win.
The championship title capped a dream season for Jones and it was a remarkable playoff run to boot. Jones stole two in the final end to beat Sochi bronze medallist Muirhead in the quarterfinals and grabbed a single in the extra end to lift her team past silver medallist Margaretha Sigfridsson in the semis.