TORONTO (October 24, 2014) Curling fans will be swept off their feet this season, as the Grand Slam of Curling returns for its best year yet with more events, more stars, and more prize money than ever before. The first event of the 2014-15 season, the Masters, hits the ice at the Selkirk Recreation Complex in Selkirk, MB from Tuesday, Oct. 28 to Sunday, Nov. 2.
2014-15 Grand Slam of Curling – Bigger and Better
New additions to the series this year include:
- Expansion to five events, with the Elite 10 joining the Masters, National, Canadian Open (which will now include women’s teams) and Players’ Championship. (See below for dates, venues and ticket information)
- Total prize money increases to a record $1 million purse
- Implementation of five rock rule: teams cannot hit a guard rock out of play until the sixth rock of the end. This will leave more rocks on the ice, making for better play
- Recently-retired skip Kevin Martin debuts as Sportsnet curling analyst and Grand Slam of Curling ambassador, following a historic career that included an Olympic gold medal, a World Curling Championship, four Brier titles and 18 Grand Slam wins
Masters – Key Details
- Kicking off the Grand Slam of Curling season, the Masters features 30 of the world’s most elite men’s and women’s curling teams competing in a round-robin style bonspiel for a combined purse of $200,000
- Competition field includes fan favourites and 2014 Sochi gold medallists Team Jones and Team Jacobs, as well as 2014 Masters champs Team Homan and Team Howard
- Sportsnet’s coverage begins Thursday, Oct. 30 at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific (full broadcast schedule is below)
- Rob Faulds calls play-by-play alongside 1998 Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris , 1998 Olympic gold medallist Joan McCusker, and curling icon Kevin Martin
- Sportsnet’s curling hosts and commentators are available for interviews to discuss the Masters and the Grand Slam of Curling
2014-15 Grand Slam of Curling Event Schedule
*Tickets for all events are available at thegrandslamofcurling.com
- Masters – Selkirk, MB (October 28 – November 2 at Selkirk Recreation Complex)
- National – Sault Ste. Marie, ON (November 19-23 at Essar Centre)
- Canadian Open – Yorkton, SK (December 9-14 at Gallagher Centre)
- Elite 10 – Fort McMurrary, AB (March 19-22, 2015 at MacDonald Island Park)
- Players’ Championship – Toronto (April 7-12, 2015 at Mattamy Athletic Centre)
Masters – Sportsnet Broadcast Schedule
Thursday, Oct. 30
- Round Robin, 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- Round Robin, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- Round Robin, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
Friday, Oct. 31
- Round Robin, 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- Round Robin, 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT (Sportsnet West and ONE)
- Round Robin, 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
Saturday, Nov. 1
- Women’s Quarter-Finals, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- Men’s Quarter-Finals, 4:30 p.m. ET/1:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
- Men’s and Women’s Semifinals, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West, Pacific and ONE)
Sunday, Nov. 2
- Women’s Final, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
- Men’s Final, 3 p.m. ET/Noon ET (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific)
Owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012, the Grand Slam of Curling is a premium series of men’s and women’s curling events which are part of the World Curling Tour and feature the best teams from across Canada and around the world. In 2014-15, Sportsnet will broadcast up to 200 hours of curling coverage, including all Grand Slam of Curling events, as well as the Alberta, B.C., Manitoba and Ontario Provincial Curling Championships.
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Sportsnet connects Canadian sports fans to their favourite teams and athletes, using five platforms: TV, Radio, Print, Online and Mobile. Sportsnet is Fuelled By Fans, and delivers storytelling on a local, regional, national and global level. The multiplatform brand consists of Sportsnet, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet 590 The FAN, Sportsnet 960 The FAN, Sportsnet magazine, Sportsnet Mobile and Sportsnet NOW. Sportsnet consists of four regional channels (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific), and the nationally-distributed Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet World, and Sportsnet 360. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national rights holder, and is also the official regional television broadcast rights holder for the Calgary Flames (including radio rights on Sportsnet 960 The FAN), Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs (including radio rights on Sportsnet 590 The FAN), Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens. Sportsnet is the Canadian leader in MLB television broadcasts and is home to 162 Toronto Blue Jays games, plus MLB Playoffs and the World Series. Sportsnet also offers an exciting sports lineup including the NFL, the Memorial Cup, CIS Vanier Cup, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Grand Slam of Curling, IndyCar, the Rogers Cup tennis tournament, and extensive soccer programming including Barclays Premier League, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, CONCACAF and Canadian national team matches for men and women. Sportsnet Central is the network’s nightly news program, providing regional and national coverage of the day’s events in the world of sports.