64 teams representing 11 different countries are set to compete in the weeklong HearingLife Tour Challenge as part of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
The best curlers from Canada and around the world are competing in the HearingLife Tour Challenge curling event at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls. The competition, which is part of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series, is a weeklong event from Oct. 17th to 22nd featuring two tiers of curling action.
The tiers are broken up based on World Curling Federation (WCF) standings as of Sept. 18th. The top 16 teams are placed in tier one, with teams ranked 17 to 32 in the second tier.
In tier one, the goliaths of curling will be battling it out for curling supremacy.
On the men’s side of the top tier, top-seeded Bruce Mouat and his team from Scotland will face tough competition, matched up against the third-ranked Italian squad, two-time WCF World Championship Gold Medalist Kevin Koe, Mouat’s Scottish counterparts Ross Whyte and co. and the feisty Minnesotan team led by John Shuster.
Fortunately for Mouat, they won’t be going up against the reigning HearingLife Tour Challenge Champion Niklas Edin and his powerhouse curling team as they’ll be looking to defend their throne and claim their third title at this event.
The marquee matchup for Edin is against Alberta’s Kevin Koe on Oct. 20th, the last draw of the round robin.
In their vehement rivalry dating back to 2009, the Canadians have won 23 of their 37 career head-to-head matchups. However, the Swede has been victorious in four of the last five, despite Koe winning their only matchup this year at April’s Princess Auto Player’s Championship, setting up an exciting finish to pool play.
In the other pool, Newfoundland & Labrador’s Brad Gushue is the favourite to advance to the knockout round. The two-time Olympic medalist – gold in 2006 and bronze in 2022 – won this event in the 2017-18 season and has an abundance of experience in the rink having played at many major international competitions. That experience could be advantageous against his less-experienced opponents.
On the women’s side of tier one, four teams standout – Team Einarson, Team Homan, Team Jones and Team Hasselborg.
Team Einarson, the top-ranked team in the WCF standings on Sept. 18th, is curling better than they ever have. After winning Tier Two of this competition in 2015-16 and 2017-18, the Manitobans have quickly pushed up the curling hierarchy. Einarson and her team have won four straight national championships at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts – 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 – and are a force to be reckoned with in Niagara Falls.
One of Einarson’s opponents in pool play is Team Homan, the three-time WCF World Championship medalist. The Ottawa squad edged out Einarson’s team 6-5 in May’s KIOTI Tractor Champions Cup to win their 13th Grand Slam title, setting up a thrilling rematch on Oct. 20th at 3:30 p.m.
Team Homan will also be matched up against Jennifer Jones’ team which includes Karlee Burgess, Emily Zacharias and Lauren Lenentine. Team Jones has a plethora of experience with the rocks representing Canada at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and will surely be a fun team to watch this week.
One of Jones’ competitors is Team Hasselborg from Sweden. Anna Hasselborg and her team have overcome Jones’ team in recent years, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to October of 2019, including a one-point win at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Despite the recent string of losses, Team Jones won the previous six matchups before Hasselborg’s hot streak, showcasing their capabilities of competing with one of the best curling teams in the world.
The competition gets underway bright and early with the opening draw at 8 a.m. on Oct. 17th, as pool play runs until Oct. 20th, with quarterfinals and semifinals on Oct. 21st. The women’s final is slated for 10 a.m. on Oct. 22nd with the men’s final following suit at 3 p.m.
The entire schedule can be found here, and head to tickets.niagaracurling.com for tickets.