News General News

Reflecting on the 2014 Players’ Championship in P.E.I.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since the Grand Slam of Curling last held an event in P.E.I. but what an event it was.

The 2014 Players’ Championship in Summerside not only wrapped up the Grand Slam of Curling season but also the Olympic quadrennial. Canada captured double gold in Sochi with Brad Jacobs and Jennifer Jones skipping their teams to the top of the podium and both teams factored into how the Players’ Championship played out.

The end of every Olympic quadrennial also brings team changes and retirements and the big news during the Players’ Championship was Kevin Martin announcing he was stepping back from competitive curling. Martin already held the record for most Grand Slam titles won by a skip, but would the Ol’ Bear go out on top claiming one more championship or would he pass the torch?

I mean, the answer is obvious but let’s reminisce over how it played out.

The Edmonton-based team of Martin, third Marc Kennedy, second David Nedohin and lead Ben Hebert lost back-to-back games to fall to a 1-2 record during pool play. Martin was actually on the verge of early elimination until getting back on track with victories over David Murdoch and Kevin Koe to qualify for the playoffs. The wins kept coming as Martin eliminated John Epping in the quarterfinals and undefeated Mike McEwen during an extra end in the semifinals to reach the championship game once again.

While Martin had won the most Grand Slams, Jacobs was searching for his first title in the series. Jacobs and his Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., crew of third Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden also posted a 3-2 round-robin record — alternating wins and losses — then edged Koe in the quarterfinals and Brad Gushue in the semifinals.

Martin was locked in right from the start by scoring a deuce in the second, holding Jacobs to a single in the third and adding another pair of points in the fourth to lead 4-1 at the break. Jacobs blanked back-to-back ends but had to settle for another single in the seventh that gave Martin the hammer for the final frame.

Although Jacobs sat three rocks in the house, Martin just had to limit the damage and made an out-turn draw to the button to do just that. Martin, who shot a game-high 98 per cent, earned his 18th and final Grand Slam men’s title with the 4-3 victory.

“Eighteen Slams is just so difficult,” Martin said after the game. “I know when (Jack) Nicklaus did it in golf he was 46, which is very difficult and it took me an extra year. Geez, I wanted that bad so it was a big day.”

Jacobs would have to wait another year to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2015 Players’ Championship in Toronto. It was also the first of many as Jacobs now has seven to his name.

The 2014 Players’ Championship women’s final also came down to a matchup between two of the top teams in Canada with Jones taking on the then-reigning Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Rachel Homan.

It was the first tournament for the Winnipeg-based team of Jones, third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen since running the table at the Olympics.

Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Alison Kreviazuk and lead Lisa Weagle had won the Masters earlier in the season, and the Ottawa team was in the running for a $100,000 bonus if it swept the two Grand Slam women’s events. The Players’ Championship was also the end of an era for Team Homan as Kreviazuk was moving to Sweden with Joanne Courtney set to join the following season.

Coincidentally, both teams also qualified for the playoffs with 3-2 round-robin records. Jones went through a Sochi redux in the playoffs as she defeated bronze medallist Eve Muirhead in the quarterfinals and silver medallist Margaretha Sigfridsson in the semifinals with both games going into extra ends. Homan topped Stefanie Lawton in the quarterfinals and Silvana Tirinzoni in an extra end during the semifinals to advance.

Although Homan opened with the hammer, Jones got on the scoreboard first with a single steal in the first end. After holding Homan to a point in the second, Jones drew to score the game’s only deuce in the third to lead 3-1.

That proved to be the difference-maker. After the teams alternated singles in five and six, Homan blanked seven to take the hammer into the last end but needed to make a tricky double takeout with the final rock of the game. Homan hit and rolled under though as Jones’ second stone remained untouched to add a stolen point to the board and win 5-2.

“We’ve had just a dream season,” Jones said after earning her fifth Players’ Championship women’s title. “To end it by winning our favourite event on tour, it’s just unbelievable.”

Jones won five more Grand Slam of Curling women’s titles before stepping back from women’s curling earlier this year.

The Grand Slam of Curling returns to P.E.I. for the HearingLife Tour Challenge, Oct. 1-6, at Charlottetown’s Bell Aliant Centre. Tickets are now available for the event, visit tourchallenge.goigniter.com to purchase yours today.