Ryan Horne, TSN.ca
The NHL, NBA and WNBA got it done in the summer. Then the World Juniors followed suit over the holidays. The Australian Open is finding its way as well. Now, it’s curling’s turn to enter the bubble.
Some of the greatest granite throwers in Canada will call Calgary their home for the next few months as the Season of Champions is set to take place inside the fan-less hub city environment.
In an unprecedented move, Curling Canada made the bold decision to host the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Tim Hortons Brier, Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship as well as World Men’s Curling Championship all in one location – the Markin MacPhail Centre at Canada Olympic Park – to keep everyone as safe as possible amid the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Curlers need a negative COVID-19 test prior to departure for Calgary and will be tested again upon arrival. Competitors are only permitted to be inside their hotel rooms and the rink in an effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
First up is the Scotties taking place from Feb. 19-28. The opening draw is Friday night at 8:30pm et/5:30pm pt on TSN1 and streaming on TSN.ca, the TSN App and TSN Direct.
It’s safe to say just about every team will be rusty coming in. A small handful of events were played in the fall before the second wave of the pandemic hit. Once cases began to rise across much of Canada, the curling season came to an abrupt standstill.
Most curling associations weren’t even able to host their provincial playdowns, meaning last year’s winners got automatic entries to the national championships in some cases. As a result, this year’s field at both the Scotties and Brier will have 18 teams, including three Wild Card rinks determined by the Canadian Team Ranking System. Teams that didn’t have at least three returning players from last season are not eligible to qualify as a Wild Card team, meaning Robyn Silvernagle and Kelsey Rocque will be watching the Scotties from home this season. Furthermore, a whopping five teams from Manitoba will compete at the Calgary Scotties, including 2020 world junior champion Mackenzie Zacharias and 12th-ranked Beth Peterson.
The teams will be split into two pools of nine where an eight-game round robin will occur. From there, the top four teams in each pool will carry their records to the championship pool where they will play more four games against teams in the opposing pool.
The most notable change to this year's Scotties format is that there will be no page playoff. Instead, the top three teams following championship pool play will advance to the playoffs with the top ranked team getting an automatic entry to the championship game. The other two squads will battle in the semifinals.
Check out the broadcast schedule, HERE.
A grand prize of $100,000 goes to the last rink standing with the winners (if not already qualified) also earning a spot in the 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials. They will also represent Team Canada at next year's Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay.
This year’s Season of Champions will surely have a different look and feel, but most fans and players are simply happy that there’s curling to be played at all.
Let’s check out who will be competing at the 2021 Canadian women’s curling championship.
*NOTE: Skip Apps - Numbers of career Scotties appearances for the skip heading into this year's event.