Watch: Top Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling plays of 2014
We’ve seen some exciting action and incredible shots during 2014 in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series.
Before we say goodbye to the year and flip over the calendar to 2015, let’s take a look back at the best plays and highlights from each event.
“It should be curling any time” — National, March 16, Fort McMurray, Alta.
Glenn Howard just needed to draw to the button to score the winning single against Brad Gushue and claim the National championship.
Of course, that’s easier said than done but Howard was able to get the job done and take home the title with the 7-6 victory.
“I liked my weight but it was hanging on that corner guard for the longest way down and I was thinking, ‘I didn’t overthrow it, it should be curling any time,'” Howard told Sportsnet’s Joan McCusker after the game. “All-in-all it came up nice on the button and we won.”
Jones caps dream season with Grand Slam win — Players’ Championship, April 20, Summerside, P.E.I.
Sochi Olympics gold medallist Jennifer Jones took on Scotties champion Rachel Homan during the Players’ Championship final.
Homan came close to winning it but her double takeout attempt came up short and Jones stole a single in the eighth end to seal the victory and complete a remarkable run for her team.
“We’ve had just a dream season,” Jones said. “To end it by winning our favourite event on tour, it’s just unbelievable.”
Watch the highlights in the battle of two Team Canadas:
The Last Shot — Players’ Championship, April 20, Summerside, P.E.I.
Curling legend Kevin Martin ended his career winning his 18th Grand Slam title and he had to make a difficult shot in order to hold on for the win over Brad Jacobs.
“If I’m a little heavy and it slides out of the house, it’s my last shot and we don’t win,” Martin said. “So it was more important to focus on staying in the moment but over the last few years, being an Olympian and things, it teaches you to do that, stay focused on the job at hand and when it works out then you can breathe and let it go.”
Emotional win for Sweeting — Masters, Nov. 2, Selkirk, Man.
No gimmicks were needed here as the Team Sweeting “tripod” of Val Sweeting, Dana Ferguson and Rachelle Brown overcame a difficult week losing third Andrea Crawford — and picking up super spare Cathy Overton-Clapham — in order to capture their first career Grand Slam title at the Masters. It came down to the wire in the final against Sochi Olympics silver medallist Margaretha Sigfridsson as Sweeting called a timeout with just 15 seconds left on the clock to set up the winning shot.
“I’m still shaking,” Ferguson said following the victory. “I didn’t realize I reacted as I did. I was pretty calm throughout the whole thing and the end was a little emotional. I kind of got my adrenaline going. It was just a really exciting feeling.”
Curling’s “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” — Masters, Nov. 2, Selkirk, Man.
Brad Gushue won the Masters but it was Mike McEwen’s shot to score four in the sixth end that became a viral sensation worldwide and was featured on the front page of ESPN.com and in a Swedish newspaper.
Calling it a triple takeout is selling it short, it’s best to just watch the clip.
Close call gives Jacobs 2 points — National, Nov. 22, Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Hometown hero Jacobs was looking for every possible point during the semifinals against Brendan Bottcher. With the hammer in the second end and trailing 1-0, Jacobs knew he had an easy shot to the button to score one but the second shot was a bit of a toss-up and may have required a change in strategy.
Eagle-eye lead Ryan Harnden — who had laser-eye surgery during the summer — gave the vote of confidence that Jacobs had it and after a close measurement, it turned out he was correct.
“He’s the token line-caller for those judgments for sure,” third Ryan Fry said after the match. “We were fairly confident that we were shot but it was so close that it was hard to be 100 percent sure, but it worked out and we got the deuce.”
Deja vu for Cotter — Canadian Open, Dec. 11 and 12, Yorkton, Sask.
Jim Cotter broke a 3-3 tie against Sven Michel with a five-ender to win during B-side action at the Canadian Open.
We couldn’t help but feel deja vu when the exact same scenario happened to Cotter the following day against Bottcher in order to qualify.
“They were going for it a bit there and our guys just kept plugging away making their shots and we just stayed patient and just got fortunate,” Cotter said. “They’re a great up-and-coming team so it was a good win for us.”
Here are both five-enders.
Feltscher nails tricky angle raise to qualify — Canadian Open, Dec. 13, Yorkton, Sask.
Reigning world champion Binia Feltscher was in trouble with Nina Roth lying three stones and a chance to qualify for the Canadian Open playoffs on the line.
Feltscher went for the angle raise to grab the winning point and move on.
Gushue scores Grand Slam winner — Canadian Open, Dec. 14, Yorkton, Sask.
Usually it’s the other way around and Gushue’s opponent is the one making the circus shot in order try and beat him. This time, Gushue had to rely on his own clutch manoeuvres — first with a double takeout followed by a nifty come-around to grab second shot — in order to defeat Steve Laycock and capture his second Grand Slam title of the season.
“I’ve won a couple Slams, I’ve won some World Curling Tour events and obviously the Olympics and the (Canadian Olympic) trials but the excitement after that last shot, with the exception of probably the trials, that was probably the most excited I’ve gotten after a curling shot,” Gushue said after the game. “It just didn’t feel like we deserved a win but we had a shot to win and it was a really, really tough shot and to pull it off and for the guys to sweep it in as perfectly as they did, wow, it was pretty cool.”