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Curling legend Kevin Martin says he’s very excited for the next chapter in his career.

Martin, along with fellow Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones, joined Prime Time Sports on Wednesday while in town for the Grand Slam of Curling’s players summit.

Kevin Martin and Jennifer Jones on Prime Time Sports (32:45 mark).

The Edmonton native retired after winning his record 18th Grand Slam title at the Players’ Championship in April and will now serve as a broadcaster and ambassador for the events. Martin shared one interesting anecdote that fans can come to expect to hear often during the season.

“Kaitlyn (Lawes), in the Vancouver Olympics, actually looked after our kids, stayed at our house. Now one Olympics later, guess what? She’s winning Olympic gold,” Martin said. “There’s some stories that can be told because so many of the players like Jennifer are such good friends that there’s a lot of inside information that you can talk about and some of the stuff that I can’t talk about, well, I just don’t, we’ll leave that alone.”

The two gave a little insight into what was discussed during the players summit.

“It was amazing they flew a bunch of the players in and they wanted our input, they wanted to ask us how they could make it bigger and better and grow it,” Jones said. “We talked format, we talked about even just the in-venue experience and trying to make it different and more enjoyable. We as players said we’re up for anything, just give it a try and we’re more than willing to participate.”

Martin added: “It’s a very exciting thing for me being involved in it. This week having the players come and just getting the ideas from the young players coming up, the ones that are going to be around for the next 20 years, it really does set the path.”

Martin said the Olympic process has taken over the sport with teams focusing on the four-year cycle but that global mentality is driving the rise of the Grand Slam tournaments.

“That’s why events like the Grand Slams are becoming so popular and why they’re expanding and growing is because the teams from around the world are trying very, very hard to get as good as the Canadians,” he said. “That’s what’s going on: they’re chasing.

“The Slams will give that possibility to all those teams around the world because you’re playing on perfect ice conditions, arena settings, the best teams in the world banging heads many, many weeks of the year like the Olympic Games.”

Jones agreed with Martin and said her team discussed their future before deciding to stick together for four more years to attempt to defend their Olympic gold medal.

“Even for us we just won the Olympic gold medal and we sat down and said, ‘look are we in for another four years?'” Jones said. “It wasn’t are we going to play for one year or two years it’s are we going to try to do this again? Because if not, if you’re not all on board then some of the players might have wanted to do four years.

“It’s all about the Olympics right now and it’s all about trying to get those points to qualify and to compete in the Grand Slam events so you can improve and become an Olympic gold medallist.”

Jones reflected on her time in Sochi and how competing at the world championships doesn’t quite compare to it.

“There’s this passion and patriotism that goes along with the Olympics,” she said. “I love the Olympics, it was so amazing to me to be a spectator and then to actually compete you realize even how much bigger it is. … When you’re going to the world championships and representing Canada it’s the biggest honour in the world but the Olympics just takes it to that new level that you didn’t even know existed.”