Five big takeaways from a topsy-turvy season of curling

Article content

The team curling schedule came to a rest Sunday with the conclusion of the Grand Slam of Curling’s AMJ Players’ Championship.

And, with that, it’s time to look back at what we learned from a season that was oh-so topsy-turvy.

Sure, there are a few more events on the schedule — such as the GSOC’s TCG All-Star 2025 gala on through Wednesday at Tee Line Nashville.

The unique gathering features 13 curling talents — Matt Dunstone, Colton Flasch, Brad Gushue, Brad Jacobs, Hammy McMillan Jr., Ross Whyte, Tyler Tardi, Kerri Einarson, Rachel Homan, Sofia Mabergs, Emma Miskew, Alina Paetz and Sarah Wilkes — competing in a pro-am, a skills competition and an all-star skins game.

Then there’s the 2025 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, beginning April 26 in Fredericton, N.B., with Calgary couple Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant vying for global supremacy and a spot for Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

But the team curling? That’s a wrap.

Here are 5 takeaways from another year that gave us plenty of thrills and spills.

1. DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHT

Rachel Homan’s two triumphs at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship easily proved to be the highlight of the curling schedule.

At least for Canadians.

The Ottawa rink’s double-double capped another season of sheer dominance — a monumental 69-6 mark through worlds after the 67-7 brilliance of the previous year.

“Last season was unbelievable,” said Tracy Fleury, Homan’s third, referring to the 2023-24 performance by herself, Homan, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes. “And I think heading into this season, we kind of tried to prepare ourselves like it’s OK if this season’s not quite as incredible as last season because obviously that would be hard to replicate.

“But we came out strong again this year and we (won) a lot of games but are still trying to find ways to make small improvements and raise the bar even more.”

Even more, you say?

Is a third consecutive juggernaut campaign truly possible for the Homan Empire?

Bring it on.

2. GREAT SCOTS

We’re not sure ‘great’ truly describes what the year was for Scotland’s Team Mouat.

Because some are hailing it as the best eight months of all-time, at least on the men’s side of the sport.

“Coming into this season, we had a lot of hopes and aspirations,” Bruce Mouat told Sportsnet after Sunday’s successful defence of the Players’ Championship in Toronto. “This has just blown it out of proportion for us. We can’t even believe that we’ve had this sort of a season.

“We obviously put in the hard work and it really just shows that it’s paying off.”

It paid off with another world championship — their second in three years — and four of the five GSOC titles captured on the calendar.

Super skip Mouat, third Grant Hardie, second Bobby Lammie and lead Hammy McMillan Jr. also bagged the most money from The Curling Group’s Rio Mare Battle of the Sexes, a first-ever such skins game for charity.

All that happened over 16 straight days, which is — quite likely — the most magnificent run seen from anyone ever in the sport.

What’s the next goal for terrific Team Mouat?

Olympic gold, of course, next February.

“That’s the main aim for this team is to go and win the gold now,” Mouat told Sportsnet. “We got the silver the last time. Yeah, that’s the ultimate dream for this team. We going to hopefully continue this momentum. And hopefully we continue it through February.”

3. OLYMPIC WORTHY

Despite their dominance over the past eight months, it’s not just Homan and Mouat in the mix for Olympic glory at the 2026 Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy.

Not a chance.

On the women’s side, Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni — who won the Players’ Championship on Sunday — is the obvious threat to derail Homan’s dreams. The two super rinks matched up in both the worlds and Players’ Championship finals — with Homan taking the global title and Tirinzoni defending her GSOC crown. So they are the clear faves for Games gold.

But there’s others, as well, with Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg leading the contenders charge, among others that include whichever teams represent Japan and South Korea. And we know the four-time queen of Canada from 2020-23, Kerri Einarson, will have a say in the gold rush, too.

With the men, there’s even more rinks in the medal hunt, with Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller — the runner-up at both worlds and the Players’ Championship — seven-time gold medallist and 2022 Olympic king Niklas Edin of Sweden, two-time world bronze medallist Joel Retornaz, who reps host Italy, at the top of that list. China also will send a strong club based on the year that was.

And, of course, there’s a litany of Canadians challenging, including Calgary’s Brad Jacobs — the Brier victor and worlds superstar — Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone, Saskatchewan’s Mike McEwen and 2006 Olympic champ Brad Gushue.

4. SOME ON-THE-CUSPERS

The talent is getting deeper around the world.

There’s Germany’s Marc Muskatewitz. Yes, the skip himself is 29, but he has a young crew of early 20-somethings, which put together some highlight moments on the year, including a shock victory at the 2024 European championships.

Scotland’s Ross Whyte won the GSOC’s WFG Masters and seems to be the only squad that can take down Mouat when it matters. Whyte is actually the two-time Scottish king, even though it’s Mouat who is getting the call to attend worlds for Scotland.

There are up-and-coming Canadian rinks expected to make noise moving forward, as well, including three that rocked the Brier with composure — Halifax’s Owen Purcell, Ontario’s Sam Mooibroek and Saskatoon’s Rylan Kleiter.

Same goes for the women, highlighted by two Alberta teams skipped by Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik and Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay.

World-wide on the women’s watch, Italy’s Stefania Constantini is likely to shake off a sub-par worlds to continue her rise next season, which includes competing for Olympic glory in her backyard. And Japan’s Momoha Tabata, a Masters quarterfinalist, is young and gaining valuable experience, as is Xenia Schwaller out of Switzerland.

5. THE CURLING THINK-TANK

As Curling Canada and World Curling continue to tinker with their events and the World Curling Tour keeps athletes in motion and teams building, there’s another body that’s come along to add a whole bunch of spice to the schedule.

That’s The Curling Group, which acquired the GSOC from Sportsnet in November and is throwing big weight and unique ideas at the calendar.

The players of The Curling Group — fronted by the faces of legends John Morris and Jennifer Jones — are doing right by the sport in adding even more high-level events to the agenda. The early returns saw them put together the popular Rio Mare Battle of the Sexes last Monday and the TCG All-Star 2025 event, which brought fan inclusion into the sport this week.

Word is there’s more to come from The Curling Group.

Stay tuned.

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

www.x.com/ToddSaelhofPM