Cold hard cash on the line at Pinty's Skins Game

The 2016 Pinty's All-Star Curling Skins Game returns to beautiful Banff, Alta., from Jan 8-10 as Brad Jacobs and Rachel Homan look to defend their titles from last year.

TSN's signature curling event will feature four men's and four women's teams, each competing for $100,000 in cold, hard cash.

The men's side will feature Brad Gushue, the winner of six events this season, taking on two-time defending Brier champion Pat Simmons in one semi-final, while the other will see Olympic champion Jacobs battle Mike McEwen in a rematch of last year's semi where Jacobs won. The winners will battle in the final on Sunday, January 10 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

On the women's side, another chapter of the growing curling rivalry between Homan and Val Sweeting will be written in one semi-final, while young gun Kelsey Rocque and Olympic gold-medalist Jennifer Jones will battle in the other. The winners will face each other in the final on Sunday, Jan 10 at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. 

All games can be seen live on TSN.

Game 1 - Val Sweeting vs Rachel Homan 

Friday, January 8 @ 8pm ET/5pm PT on TSN1, 3, 4 and 5

Just a year after having solid results against Homan, including a win in the final of the Canada Cup, Sweeting has had her fair share of problems with the Ottawa-born skip. Homan has won each of the five matchups the two sides have had, including championship wins at the Canada Cup and Masters of Curling. Homan and her crew beat Sweeting at the 2015 Pinty's All-Star Curling Skins Game on her path to the title and $52,000 in winnings.

The 26-year-old Homan is having the best season of her curling career, winning seven events - three of those being Grand Slams. She's totaled $157,254 in money won, almost $90,000 more than Jennifer Jones, who has won the second most money.

Despite her lack of success against Homan, Sweeting has still put together a productive year. The 28-year-old and her Edmonton rink sits third with $65,428 in winnings, grabbing the HDF Insurance Shoot-Out and making two other championship games.   

It seems a good, competitive match usually unfolds when these two squads get together. It should be no different in Banff.

Game 2 - Pat Simmons vs Brad Gushue 

Saturday, January 9 @ 11am ET/8am PT on TSN1, 3, 4 and 5

Just like Homan on the women's side, Gushue of St. John's has dominated his combatants this curling season. The foursome has won six events this season, including the Grand Slams' The National in Oshawa. The 35-year-old fell to Simmons 6-4 at the Canada Cup in December, the only matchup the two rinks have had against each other this season. Both teams failed to make the playoffs in that tournament. With all of the victories this season, Gushue leads the money list by a wide margin with almost $130,000 in winnings. He also leads the CRTS ranking system. Team Gushue is replacing Team Kevin Koe at this year's event.

Simmons' squad, on the other hand, will look to capture the Brier for a third consecutive year (second with John Morris on their team) at the 2016 national championship in Ottawa. But first they'll look to right a few wrongs at the Pinty's All-Star Curling Skins Game as they lost last year's final to Jacobs with Morris throwing skip stones. Team Simmons has won one event this season over a limited schedule, taking the Prestige Hotels & Resorts Curling Classic in October. They also fell to Scotland's Dave Murdoch in the final of the Karuizawa International from Japan. The Calgary rink has played a lot better since Simmons took over as captain midway through the 2015 Brier and should give Gushue plenty to think about in this game.  

Game 3 - Kelsey Rocque vs Jennifer Jones  

Saturday, January 9 @ 4pm ET/1pm PT on TSN1, 3, 4 and 5

This pairing is a matchup of the current cream of the crop taking on the future.

Jones, 41, is coming off a memorable gold-medal performance at the Olympic Games in 2014 and a fifth career Scotties championship in Moose Jaw, Sask., in early 2015. The Winnipeg squad has won one event this season, the DEKALB Superspiel in Morris, Man., and sits second on both the money list and the CTRS rankings behind Homan. Jones lost to Homan in the final of the Grand Slams' Canadian Open and fell to Edmonton's Sweeting in the semi-final of the Canada Cup in Grande Prairie. 

Rocque, on the other hand, is making her professional debut this season at the age of 21 after skipping rinks to back-to-back world junior curling championships. The Edmonton curler is leading a foursome that played with Chelsea Carey last season. They took the Red Deer Classic in October and are sixth on the money list and CTRS rankings. Team Rocque struggled a bit at the Canada Cup, posting a 2-4 record, including substantial losses to Jones, Homan and Sweeting.

Jones will be the favourite, but curling fans would be wise to check this matchup out as Rocque's rink will be one to keep an eye on for years to come.    

Game 4 - Brad Jacobs vs Mike McEwen  

Saturday, January 9 @ 9pm ET/6pm PT on TSN1, 3, 4 and 5

Sault Ste. Marie's Jacobs won last year's Pinty's All-Star Curling Skins Game and took home $65,000 in cash. Team Jacobs has yet to win an event this season, but has made four semi-finals and sit seventh on the money list. The reigning Olympic champions have had some tough times at the Grand Slams this year and posted a 3-4 record at the Canada Cup, failing to make the playoff round.

Mike McEwen, who's beat Jacobs in all three matchups this season, is having another very solid year after tearing it up in 2014-15. The Winnipeg foursome have won three events including the Grand Slams' Masters of Curling in Truro, NS and have accumulated $84,500 in winnings, good enough for third place on the money list. They also secure the third position on the CTRS rankings.

Team Jacobs hasn't played to the level they're capable of this season, but when these two rinks get together a good game should be in store.

Women's Final - Sweeting/Homan vs Rocque/Jones

Sunday, January 10 @ 1pm ET/10am PT on TSN1, 4 and 5

Men's Final - Simmons/Gushue vs Jacobs/McEwen

Sunday, January 10 @ 8pm ET/5pm PT on TSN1, 3, 4 and 5

Pick A Winner

Which women's rink will win the Pinty's All-Star Curling Skins Game?

Results