The TSN All-Star Curling Skins Game has returned to the curling calendar.

TSN’s signature curling event took a year off in 2018 due to the Olympics, but will return to the Fenlands Recreation Centre in beautiful Banff, Alta., from Feb 1-3 this season.

Four men’s and four women’s rinks will compete for $100,000 in cold, hard cash playing with the always entertaining and unpredictable skins rules.

On the men’s side, two-time defending Brier champion Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s will battle Team Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton, the rink they took down in the 2018 Canadian final, while the new-look foursome led by Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers battles Calgary’s Kevin Koe and his reshaped rink in the other men’s semi-final.

In the women’s draw, Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson and her rink comprised of former skips will go head-to-head against Einarson’s old squad in Team Tracy Fleury of Sudbury while defending Scotties champ Team Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg faces off with Edmonton’s Team Casey Scheidegger.

The winners move on to Sunday’s final.

You can watch all the games throughout the weekend on TSN and TSN Direct.

 

Game 1 – Brad Gushue vs. Brendan Bottcher
Friday, February 1 at 8pm ET/6pm MT on TSN 1/3 and TSN Direct

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Team Gushue                                                                                                                   

Record: 35-15
Record vs. Opponent: 0-2
Event Wins: 1
Playoff Appearances: 8/8

Team Bottcher

Record: 40-11
Record vs. Opponent: 2-0
Event Wins: 2
Playoff Appearances: 7/8

The 2019 TSN All-Star Curling Skins Game kicks off with a bang on Friday night with a rematch of last year’s Brier final.

Brad Gushue, 38, won his second straight national championship last March with a 6-4 victory over 27-year-old Brendan Bottcher who was playing in his first Brier final.

Now the Alberta and Newfoundland squads will go head-to-head for the third time this season following a pair slim of victories by Bottcher over Gushue. The 2012 world junior champ edged Gushue 9-8 at the Canada Cup in December and 6-5 earlier this month at the Canadian Open. Team Bottcher went 6-0 at that event in North Battleford, Sask., capping it off with a victory over Toronto’s John Epping in the final for the first Grand Slam title of their careers.

Another first will be crossed off the list for Team Bottcher in Banff as this will be their inaugural appearance at the TSN Skins Game while Gushue looks for his first skins title in his third time at the event.

Team Gushue lost to Team Brad Jacobs in the 2016 final.

 

Game 2 – Kerri Einarson vs. Tracey Fleury
Saturday, February 2 at 11am ET/9am MT on TSN and TSN Direct

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Team Einarson

Record: 62-21
Record vs. Opponent: 1-3
Event Wins: 4
Playoff Appearances: 9/12

Team Fleury

Record: 39-26
Record vs. Opponent: 3-1
Event Wins: 1
Playoff Appearances: 5/11

Saturday morning’s action begins with another intriguing match as Kerri Einarson takes on the team she led to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final last season. 

Following that final loss to Team Jennifer Jones in Penticton, B.C., Einarson took an opportunity to helm a new rink of former skips while former Northern Ontario skipper Tracey Fleury took over Einarson’s old squad.

Team Einarson got off to a red-hot start this season, winning four events by early October. However, they haven’t captured one since despite qualifying for a couple of prestigious finals in the Canada Cup and National.

Team Fleury hasn’t found their best chemistry this season as they’ve qualified for less than half of their events, but has had the best of Einarson, winning three of four games.

Both rinks have been very busy this season with a combined 148 games played.

Their most recent clash was one of the strangest games of the season so far. The pair squared off in the Manitoba Scotties final and the game seemed to be over early after Einarson ran out to a 5-1 lead after two ends. Fleury stormed back however, eventually punching her ticket to the Canadian championship with a 13-7 victory.

It should be interesting to see what the rematch has in store.

 

Game 3 – Kevin Koe vs. Reid Carruthers
Saturday, February 2 at 3pm ET/1pm MT on TSN and TSN Direct

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Team Koe

Record: 39-17
Record vs. Opponent: 1-1
Event Wins: 1
Playoff Appearances: 9/9

Team Carruthers

Record: 33-27
Record vs. Opponent: 1-1
Event Wins: 3
Playoff Appearances: 5/12

The matinee matchup on Saturday pits two teams who shook up their respective lineups this past off-season.

Following their disappointing Olympic result, Team Koe brought in second Colton Flasch and third B.J. Neufeld to replace Brent Laing and Marc Kennedy while Team Carruthers added former Manitoba rival Mike McEwen to the fold.  

Koe and company has been the better rink this season as they’ve qualified for all nine of their events, including appearing in four finals (1-3 record).

Team Carruthers have struggled at the major events with a combined record of 10-19 at the Grand Slams and Canada Cup. However, they've been playing better as of late with victories at the Karuizawa International in Japan and Ed Werenich Golden Wrench Classic in Arizona. 

This should be a solid tune-up as both rinks will be battling for their Brier lives at provincial playdowns next week.

Koe is a two-time TSN Skins champ after beating Jacobs in the 2017 final.

 

Game 4 – Jennifer Jones vs. Casey Scheidegger
Saturday, February 2 at 7pm ET/5pm MT on TSN 1/3/4 and TSN Direct

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Team Jones

Record: 39-21
Record vs. Opponent: 1-1
Event Wins: 1
Playoff Appearances: 8/9

Team Scheidegger

Record: 27-26
Record vs. Opponent: 1-1
Event Wins: 1
Playoff Appearances: 5/10

Jennifer Jones and her Winnipeg rink are looking to win their third consecutive TSN Skins Game which will be a women’s record at this event.

They’ll first have to get by Casey Scheidegger’s Lethbridge team, competing for the first time in the special TSN event.

Jones already broke a record earlier this season by winning the fourth Canada Cup of her career, the most by any women’s curler in history.

Scheidegger topped Jones 8-4 earlier this month at the Canadian Open, payback for a 9-6 defeat by Jones at the Canada Cup. 

This will be the second TSN Skins Game for Jocelyn Peterman, who is replacing longtime second Jill Officer on Team Jones this season.

Scheidegger had a rough week at the Alberta playdowns, but will still qualify for the Scotties Wild Card Game if Rachel Homan captures Ontario.

Jones defeated Val Sweeting in both the 2016 and 2017 finals.

 

Game 5 – Women’s Final
Sunday, February 3 at 11am ET/9am MT on TSN 1/3 and TSN Direct

 

Game 6 – Men’s Final
Sunday, February 3 at 3pm ET/1pm MT on TSN and TSN Direct