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2018 Players' Championship
The 2018 Players' Championship was held from April 10 to 15, 2018 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, Ontario. It was the seventh men's and sixth women's Grand Slam event of the 2017–18 World Curling Tour. On the men's side, Calgary's Kevin Koe won his first Players' Championship as a skip (he had previously won in 2004 playing third for John Morris). On the women's side, Minnesota's Jamie Sinclair rink became the first American ever team to win a Grand Slam championship. Qualification The top 12 ranked men's and women's teams on the World Curling Tour's year to date ranking as of March 12 qualify: Men's Top men's teams as of March 12: # Niklas Edin # Brad Gushue # Kevin Koe # Mike McEwen # Peter de Cruz # Brad Jacobs # Brendan Bottcher # Reid Carruthers # Jason Gunnlaugson # Bruce Mouat # John Epping # John Shuster # Kim Chang-min # Thomas Ulsrud # Liu Rui # Kyle Smith (curler), Kyle Smith Women's Top 12 women's teams as of March 12: # Jennifer Jones (curler), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,765,188 people (as of 2021) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario, while the Greater Toronto Area proper had a 2021 population of 6,712,341. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. Indigenous peoples have travelled through and inhabited the Toronto area, located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Players' Championship
The Players' Championship is one of the final events on the World Curling Tour (WCT) and is a part of the Grand Slam of Curling. From 2016 to 2019, it was the penultimate slam of the curling season, and the last of the four "majors". The event was one of the original Grand Slam events when they were instituted in the 2001–02 season for men and for the 2006–07 season for women. History The event began as the "VO Cup" before the Grand Slam era in 1993, as part of the very first World Curling Tour season. The event was known as the VO Cup for two seasons before title sponsor Seagram's Distillery pulled out. With no sponsor, the 1995 event was saved at the last minute, and continued the next season thanks to a TV deal with TSN. A women's event was introduced in 2006. From 2007 to 2009, it was a qualifying tournament for the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials, and had barred foreign teams from entering (unlike the other Slams). Scotland's Eve Muirhead became the first non-Canad ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Epping
John Allan Epping (born March 20, 1983) is a Canadian curler from Toronto, Ontario. He currently skips his own team out of the Leaside Curling Club in East York, Toronto. Career Born in Peterborough, Ontario, Epping was a top junior curler, having won the Ontario Junior championship in 2004. At the 2004 Canadian Junior Curling Championships, his team finished with an 8-4 record, just out of the playoffs. He won the 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship with Julie Reddick, Scott Foster and Leigh Armstrong. He won the 2007 provincial mixed as well, but could not defend his national title. After Juniors, Epping played third for Nick Rizzo until switching positions with Rizzo in 2006, and thus skipping the team. However, in 2007 he was picked up to play third for Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris. He'd only play one season for Harris before joining Wayne Middaugh's rink at second in 2008. With the Middaugh rink Epping won the 2008 National, his first Grand Slam victory. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bruce Mouat
Bruce Mouat (; born 27 August 1994 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish curler. He is an Olympic silver medallist, having skipped Great Britain to a second place finish in the men's team event at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Career Mouat had a very successful junior career, winning two Scottish junior championships in 2015 and 2016. He skipped the Scottish team at the 2015 World Junior Curling Championships, where he led his team of Duncan Menzies, Derrick Sloan and Angus Dowell to a bronze medal. The team had a 6-3 round robin record, which was good enough for third place. They lost to Sweden in the 3 vs. 4 playoff game, but won in a re-match against the Swedes in the bronze medal game. Mouat would again skip Scotland at the 2016 World Junior Curling Championships, this time with teammates Bobby Lammie, Gregor Cannon along with Dowell again. The team posted a 7-2 record after the round robin, in second place. In the playoffs, they would beat the United States in the 1 vs. 2 game, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason Gunnlaugson
Jason Gunnlaugson is a Canadian curler currently living in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Gunnlaugson is known for having been hired by the Russian Curling Federation (RCF) to represent the country at the 2014 Winter Olympics. The deal which was announced in April 2010 fell through in November that year, when the Gunnlaugson team was fired by the RCF. Career Prior to his deal to play for Russia, Gunnlaugson had skipped his team out of Beausejour, Manitoba. In 2009, Gunnlaugson took over the reins of Daley Peters's team when Peters left the team to curl with his father Vic Peters. Gunnlaugson had been a member of the Peters team solely for the 2008-09 season, prior to that he had played third on the Reid Carruthers team. Gunnlaugson acquired a berth at the 2009 Olympic Pre-Trials through his CTRS ranking from September 2007 to April 2009, highest of teams not already qualified. Most of those points were acquired earlier as part of the Reid Carruthers team, the Gunnlaugson team was the la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reid Carruthers
Reid Carruthers (born December 30, 1984) is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Carruthers was the 2011 world champion—winning gold as a second on Jeff Stoughton's team—as well as a six-time provincial champion, the 2003 junior provincial champion, and the 2008 Manitoba provincial mixed champion. Carruthers currently skips a Winnipeg-based rink on the World Curling Tour. He also coaches the Kerri Einarson women's team. Career As a junior curler, Carruthers skipped Manitoba at the 2003 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. He would lead the team to a 4-8 round robin record. After juniors, he skipped a team with Jason Gunnlaugson, Derek Samagalski and Tyler Forrest to a provincial final against Jeff Stoughton in 2006. In 2008, he would play in his first Brier, playing as the alternate for the Kerry Burtnyk rink, finishing in 5th place. Carruthers would join the Stoughton rink as his second, in 2010. He won his first Manitoba provincial title playing for Stoughton ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brendan Bottcher
Brendan Michael Bottcher (born December 19, 1991) is a Canadian curler from Sherwood Park, Alberta. Bottcher is a three-time provincial men's champion, and was the skip of the 2021 Canadian men's championship team, having led Alberta to victory at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier. Born in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Bottcher enjoyed a successful junior career winning the 2012 Canadian Junior Curling Championships and the 2012 World Junior Curling Championships. He was also the 2010 Alberta junior men's champion and the 2007 Alberta juvenile provincial finalist. Bottcher skips his own team out of the Saville Sports Centre in Edmonton. Career Junior career In the 2009–2010 season, with Brad Thiessen at third, Landon Bucholz at second, Bryce Bucholz at lead, and Bernie Panich as their coach, they had much success winning four junior bonspiels and being a runner-up in another. In the Edmonton Men's Super-League, they posted a .500 record. In a few exhibition games throughout the seas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brad Jacobs
Bradley Robert Jacobs (born June 11, 1985) is a Canadian curler from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He is an Olympic champion skip, having led Canada to a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Jacobs is also the 2013 Tim Hortons Brier championship skip and the 2013 World Championship runner-up. He is an eight-time (as of 2017) Northern Ontario provincial champion, and one time provincial junior champion. Jacobs and his team are well known for their physical fitness. They have been described as "fitness freaks" and are "embracing curling's athletic evolution as much or more than any other team". Jacobs was born in Sault Ste. Marie, the son of Bob and Cynthia Jacobs ( Harnden). Career Junior career Jacobs began curling at age ten with a coach named Tom Coulterman in 1995. Coulterman saw potential in them and formed a team, Jacobs played third for Ryan Harnden and was also joined by Matt Premo and Scott Seabrook. As Jacobs entered high school, he entered competitive curling a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter De Cruz
Peter Vincent de Cruz (born 4 January 1990) is a Swiss curler. He is an Olympic bronze medallist for Switzerland, having skipped his Swiss rink to a third place finish at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. While de Cruz is the skip of his team, he throws second stones. As a junior, De Cruz skipped the Swiss team at both the 2010 and 2011 World Junior Curling Championships. He won the gold medal in 2010, defeating Scotland, skipped by Ally Fraser. In 2011, he took Switzerland to the finals once again, but this time lost to Sweden (skipped by Oskar Eriksson) in the final. De Cruz has won bronze medals at three World Curling Championship, in 2014, 2017 and 2019. He led Switzerland to a silver medal at the 2015 European Curling Championships and bronze medals at the 2017 and 2018 European Curling Championships. De Cruz has won eight World Curling Tour events in his career, the 2011 and 2018 Curling Masters Champéry, the 2012 Challenge Casino de Charlevoix, the 2016 Baden ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mike McEwen (curler)
Michael McEwen (born July 30, 1980 in Brandon, Manitoba) is a Canadian curler from Winnipeg, Manitoba, who grew up in Brandon, Manitoba. McEwen won six Grand Slams in his career before his team qualified for their first Brier, Canada's national championship in 2016. He is noted as one of the top curlers using the Manitoba tuck delivery today. Career Early career In 1998, McEwen won his first of two Manitoba Junior championships, sending him and his team of David Chalmers, Bryce Granger and Kevin Schmidt to the 1998 Canadian Junior Curling Championships. There, he led his Manitoba rink to 9-3 round robin record, in 2nd place. This put the team in a semifinal match up against Ontario's John Morris. McEwen would lose the match 8–4, settling for third place. Three years later, McEwen and his new team of Denni Neufeld, Geordie Hargreaves and Nolan Thiessen won the Manitoba junior championships again, qualifying them to represent Manitoba at the 2001 Canadian Juniors. There, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brad Gushue
Bradley Raymond Gushue, ONL ( ; born June 16, 1980) is a Canadian curler from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Gushue, along with teammates Russ Howard, Mark Nichols, Jamie Korab and Mike Adam, represented Canada in curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics, where they won the gold medal by defeating Finland 10–4. He also represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics, where he won a bronze medal. In addition to the Olympics, Gushue won the 2017 World Men's Curling Championship with teammates Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, and Geoff Walker. He is a four-time Brier champion, having won in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2022, all with Nichols, Gallant and Walker. Their win in 2017 was Newfoundland and Labrador's first Brier title in 41 years. At the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier, Gushue set a new record for Brier game wins as a skip, breaking a three-way tie with previous record-holders Russ Howard and Kevin Martin. Career Gushue is a six-time (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) provincia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World Curling Tour
The World Curling Tour (WCT) is a group of curling bonspiels featuring the best male, female, and mixed doubles curlers in the world. History The World Curling Tour was founded by former World Champion Ed Lukowich, with later assistance from John Kawaja. The World Curling Tour commenced in 1992, with men's events only at first. It replaced the "Canadian Curling Tour" held the previous season. The first season consisted of 48 events (with only one outside Canada), and was sponsored by Seagram's distillery. Teams earned points in every event with the top 30 qualifying for the season ending " V.O. Cup", today known as the Players' Championship. Its first president and CEO was Lukowich. The first two events were held on the first weekend of October 1992, the Red Carpet Classic in Regina, Saskatchewan and a qualifier for the Coca-Cola Classic in Winnipeg. In 2001, the WCT introduced a series of Grand Slam events for men which was later followed in 2006 by Grand Slam events for women ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
