The last Grand Slam of Curling event of the season is already here.
Twelve teams on both the women’s and the men’s sides have one more chance to earn themselves a GSOC title this season at the Crown Royal Players’ Championship in Steinbach, Man.
For Canadian teams, however, it won’t be easy.
Canadian history was made at the last event, the HearingLife Canadian Open. Not the good kind of history, though. For the first time, no Canadian team was in the semifinals, not even Rachel Homan, who lost in the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, Switzerland’s curling program is coming off some history of its own following the HearingLife Canadian Open. They swept both sides for the first time, Yannick Schwaller on the men’s side and Silvana Tirinzoni for the women’s.
With the competition stronger than ever (especially since the Olympics are just around the corner), history could turn into a streak heading into next season.
Only five of the 24 teams at this year's Players’ Championship are Canadian, making the odds not great.
However, with Rachel Homan, Kerri Einarson, Brad Jacobs and Matt Dunstone all playing this week, those odds should probably double.
Teams to watch during the week
Canadians will be the hot topic at the fifth Slam event of the season, considering how poorly the last one went. So, here are two teams to pay attention to this week.
Rachel Homan
We could look at the positives and talk about Homan’s dominance this season on the GSOC tour, considering her team started the year winning the first three titles, but just like all great curlers, Homan probably doesn’t care about those three titles now.
Instead, Homan and her teammates are probably still disappointed with how the HearingLife Canadian Open ended. The quarterfinal loss was one thing (bad games happen, even to the best in the world), but the loss to Einarson heading into the playoffs was the killer.
It was the worst game Homan and her team played all season. They simply couldn’t read the ice and were stunned on multiple occasions. Not once did Einarson see the hammer in the game, stealing all five ends to route Homan 8-0.
This week, expect a completely different Homan squad. With the Olympics just a month away, it will be important for her team to make a statement, letting everyone know that it was only a one-off.
Matt Dunstone
Dunstone being listed as a team to watch really shouldn’t be a surprise considering how the HearingLife Canadian Open went for his team.
Dunstone is an emotional guy, and sometimes it plays into his favour, while other times it works against him. It was clear his emotions from losing the Canadian Olympic Trials back in November would play a factor in his team's week at the Slam event, but nobody saw a 0-4 week coming.
The week was a disaster, to say the least. Hopefully, it was a learning experience that Dunstone’s team can move past, as they have many important games coming up in 2026, including the Brier. The Players’ Championship is the perfect place to get back on track.
Another reason to really pay attention to Dunstone this week is that E.J. Harnden announced this would be his final year of competitive curling, making it the final GSOC event of his career.
The team will be looking to get Harnden his 11th GSOC title.
Key matches you can’t miss
When the schedule makers sat down for this one, they knew exactly what they were doing. Each day has so many big-name matches, but here are six that really pop off the page.
Draw 3 - Jan. 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT
Matt Dunstone vs. Mike McEwen
This game, despite being on the first day, is huge. Dunstone needs to show that the Christmas break was a reset. For McEwen, he’s yet to make a GSOC playoff appearance this season, and a major reason is his opening-day losses. He needs to turn that stat around.
Draw 6 - Jan. 7 at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT
Rachel Homan vs. Satsuki Fujisawa
Homan’s sweep of GSOC titles this season was ruined at the HearingLife Canadian Open quarterfinal by Fujisawa. Is she ready to dominate the rematch?
Draw 7 - Jan. 7 at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT
Sayaka Yoshimura vs. Momoha Tabata
Along with Fujisawa, both Yoshimura and Tabata made the semifinals at the HearingLife Canadian Open, marking the first time three Japanese teams have reached a GSOC semifinal in the same tournament. It will be interesting to see if they can all continue their great play in the new year.
Draw 11 - Jan 8. at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT
Matt Dunstone vs. Brad Jacobs
You just know Dunstone has had this game circled, considering Jacobs swept him in the Canadian Olympic Trials final best-of-three the last time they played.
Draw 13 - Jan 9. at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT
Daniel Casper vs. John Shuster
The last time these two teams met was to decide who would wear the American flag on their jackets at the Olympics. Casper edged out Shuster, so look for Shuster to seek revenge.
Draw 15 - Jan. 9 at 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT
Silvana Tirinzoni vs. Kerri Einarson
With how well these two teams have played this season, this very well could be for the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs.
The Crown Royal Players’ Championship will be available exclusively on Sportsnet+ starting Jan. 6 at 12:30 p.m. ET/ 9:30 a.m. PT with Draw 1 through Draw 8. Starting with Draw 9 on Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. ET/ 10 a.m. PT, the games will be available on both Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ through the finals on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT.
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