Annual Grand Slam of Curling event
The Players' Championship , currently known as the Princess Auto Players' Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the final event of the Grand Slam of Curling tour, and is formerly the championship of the World Curling Tour season.
From 2016 to 2019, it was the penultimate slam of the curling season, and the last of the four "majors".[1] 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.
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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.[2] The event was known as the VO Cup for two seasons before title sponsor Seagram's Distillery pulled out.[3] With no sponsor, the 1995 event was saved at the last minute, and continued the next season thanks to a TV deal with TSN .[4]
A women's event was introduced in 2006.[5]
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-Canadian skip to win the event in 2013, while Sweden's Niklas Edin became the first non Canadian skip to win the men's event in 2017.
To date, Edmonton's Kevin Martin has won the most Players' Championships with 8. On the women's side, Winnipeg 's Jennifer Jones (and her long-time second, Jill Officer ) have won the most championships with 6.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , both the 2020 Players' Championship and the 2020 Champions Cup were cancelled.[6]
Qualification
The top 12 teams on the men's and women's WCT year-to-date rankings respectively qualify for the event. Teams that decline their invitations are replaced by the next highest ranked team.[7]
Format
Since 2023, and from 2014 to 2021, the event featured 12 teams split into two pools of six which compete in a round robin, with the top six teams advancing to a single game elimination playoff. In 2021, the number of teams earning playoff berths was reduced from eight.[8] [9] The 2022 event was a triple knockout.
Past champions
Men
Year
Winning team
Runner-up team
Location
Purse
1993
Russ Howard , Glenn Howard , Wayne Middaugh , Peter Corner
Paul Savage , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Todd Tsukamoto[10]
Calgary , Alberta
$120,000[11]
1994
Kevin Martin , Kevin Park , James Pahl, Don Bartlett
Ed Werenich , John Kawaja , Pat Perroud , Neil Harrison
Calgary , Alberta
$100,000[12]
1995 (Apr.)
Murray McEachern, Rick Schneider, Daryl Nixon, Larry Schneider
Brad Heidt , Mark Dacey , Wayne Charteris, Dan Ormsby
Selkirk, Manitoba
$75,000[3]
1995 (Dec.)
Wayne Middaugh , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Scott Bailey
Dale Duguid, Dan Carey , Russ Hayes, Doug Armstrong
Jasper, Alberta
$106,000[4]
1997
Russ Howard , Glenn Howard , Scott Patterson , Phil Loevenmark
Randy Woytowich , Rick Schneider, Brian McCusker, John Grundy[13]
Winnipeg, Manitoba
$60,000[14]
1998
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Rudy Ramcharan , Marcel Rocque
Vic Peters , Dave Smith, Chris Neufeld , Don Harvey[15]
Fort McMurray , Alberta
$60,000[16]
1999
Wayne Middaugh , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Scott Bailey
Russ Howard , Glenn Howard , Peter Corner , Neil Harrison
Winnipeg, Manitoba
$150,000[17]
2000
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Carter Rycroft , Don Bartlett
Wayne Middaugh , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Scott Bailey
Winnipeg, Manitoba
$150,000[18]
2001
Wayne Middaugh , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Scott Bailey
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Carter Rycroft , Don Bartlett
Calgary, Alberta
$150,000[19]
2002
Wayne Middaugh , Graeme McCarrel , Ian Tetley , Scott Bailey
Vic Peters , Mark Olson , Chris Neufeld , Steve Gould
Strathroy, Ontario
$150,000
2003
Jeff Stoughton , Jon Mead , Gary Van Den Berghe , Jim Spencer
John Morris , Joe Frans , Brent Laing , Craig Savill
Leduc, Alberta
$150,000
2004
John Morris , Kevin Koe , Marc Kennedy , Paul Moffatt
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Carter Rycroft , Don Bartlett
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
$150,000
2005
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Carter Rycroft , Don Bartlett
Brad Gushue , Mark Nichols , Mike Adam , Jamie Korab
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
$150,000
2006
Randy Ferbey , David Nedohin , Scott Pfeifer , Marcel Rocque
Kevin Martin , Don Walchuk , Carter Rycroft , Adam Enright
Calgary, Alberta
$150,000[20]
2007
Kevin Martin , John Morris , Marc Kennedy , Ben Hebert
Blake MacDonald , Kevin Park , Carter Rycroft , Nolan Thiessen
Calgary, Alberta
$100,000
2008
Glenn Howard , Richard Hart , Brent Laing , Craig Savill
Kevin Martin , John Morris , Marc Kennedy , Ben Hebert
St. John's, Newfoundland
$100,000
2009
Randy Ferbey , David Nedohin , Scott Pfeifer , Marcel Rocque
Glenn Howard , Richard Hart , Brent Laing , Craig Savill
Grande Prairie, Alberta
$100,000
2010
Kevin Martin , John Morris , Marc Kennedy , Ben Hebert
Brad Gushue , Mark Nichols , Ryan Fry , Jamie Korab
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
$100,000
2011
Kevin Martin , John Morris , Marc Kennedy , Ben Hebert
Niklas Edin , Sebastian Kraupp , Fredrik Lindberg , Viktor Kjäll
Grande Prairie, Alberta
$100,000
2012
John Epping , Scott Bailey , Scott Howard , David Mathers
Glenn Howard , Wayne Middaugh , Brent Laing , Craig Savill
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
$100,000
2013
Glenn Howard , Wayne Middaugh , Brent Laing , Craig Savill
Mike McEwen , B. J. Neufeld , Matt Wozniak , Denni Neufeld
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2014
Kevin Martin , Marc Kennedy , David Nedohin , Ben Hebert
Brad Jacobs , Ryan Fry , E. J. Harnden , Ryan Harnden
Summerside , Prince Edward Island
$100,000
2015
Brad Jacobs , Ryan Fry , E. J. Harnden , Ryan Harnden
Mike McEwen , B. J. Neufeld , Matt Wozniak , Denni Neufeld
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2016
Brad Gushue , Mark Nichols , Brett Gallant , Geoff Walker
Brad Jacobs , Ryan Fry , E. J. Harnden , Ryan Harnden
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2017
Niklas Edin , Oskar Eriksson , Rasmus Wranå , Christoffer Sundgren
Mike McEwen , B. J. Neufeld , Matt Wozniak , Denni Neufeld
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2018
Kevin Koe , Marc Kennedy , Brent Laing , Ben Hebert
Niklas Edin , Oskar Eriksson , Rasmus Wranå , Christoffer Sundgren
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2019
Brendan Bottcher , Darren Moulding , Brad Thiessen , Karrick Martin
Kevin Koe , B. J. Neufeld , Colton Flasch , Ben Hebert
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2020
Cancelled [6]
2021
Bruce Mouat , Grant Hardie , Bobby Lammie , Hammy McMillan Jr.
Brad Gushue , Mark Nichols , Brett Gallant , Geoff Walker
Calgary , Alberta [21]
$175,000
2022
Bruce Mouat , Grant Hardie , Bobby Lammie , Hammy McMillan Jr.
Niklas Edin , Oskar Eriksson , Rasmus Wranå (3 player team)
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
2023
Kevin Koe , Tyler Tardi , Brad Thiessen , Karrick Martin
Yannick Schwaller , Benoît Schwarz , Sven Michel , Pablo Lachat
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
2024
Brad Gushue , Mark Nichols , E. J. Harnden , Geoff Walker
Joël Retornaz , Amos Mosaner , Sebastiano Arman , Mattia Giovanella
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
Women
Year
Winning team
Runner-up team
Location
Purse
2006
Jennifer Jones , Cathy Overton-Clapham , Jill Officer , Georgina Wheatcroft
Cheryl Bernard , Susan O'Connor , Carolyn Darbyshire , Cori Bartel
Calgary, Alberta
$100,000[20]
2007
Jennifer Jones , Cathy Overton-Clapham , Jill Officer , Dawn Askin
Kelly Scott , Jeanna Schraeder , Sasha Carter , Renee Simons
Calgary, Alberta
$100,000
2008
Amber Holland , Kim Schneider , Tammy Schneider , Heather Seeley
Krista McCarville , Tara George , Kari MacLean-Kraft , Lorraine Lang
St. John's, Newfoundland
$100,000
2009
Jennifer Jones , Cathy Overton-Clapham , Jill Officer , Dawn Askin
Shannon Kleibrink , Amy Nixon , Bronwen Webster , Chelsey Bell
Grande Prairie, Alberta
$100,000
2010
Cheryl Bernard , Susan O'Connor , Carolyn Darbyshire , Cori Bartel
Crystal Webster , Lori Olson-Johns , Samantha Preston , Stephanie Malekoff
Dawson Creek, British Columbia
$100,000
2011
Jennifer Jones , Kaitlyn Lawes , Jill Officer , Dawn Askin
Rachel Homan , Emma Miskew , Alison Kreviazuk , Lisa Weagle
Grande Prairie, Alberta
$100,000
2012
Stefanie Lawton , Sherry Anderson , Sherri Singler , Marliese Kasner
Cathy Overton-Clapham , Jenna Loder , Ashley Howard , Breanne Meakin
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
$100,000
2013
Eve Muirhead , Anna Sloan , Vicki Adams , Claire Hamilton
Margaretha Sigfridsson , Maria Prytz , Christina Bertrup , Maria Wennerström
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2014
Jennifer Jones , Kaitlyn Lawes , Jill Officer , Dawn McEwen
Rachel Homan , Emma Miskew , Alison Kreviazuk , Lisa Weagle
Summerside , Prince Edward Island
$100,000
2015
Eve Muirhead , Anna Sloan , Vicki Adams , Sarah Reid
Anna Sidorova , Margarita Fomina , Alexandra Saitova , Ekaterina Galkina
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2016
Eve Muirhead , Cathy Overton-Clapham , Vicki Adams , Sarah Reid
Jennifer Jones , Kaitlyn Lawes , Jill Officer , Dawn McEwen
Toronto , Ontario
$100,000
2017
Jennifer Jones , Kaitlyn Lawes , Jill Officer , Dawn McEwen
Val Sweeting , Lori Olson-Johns , Dana Ferguson , Rachelle Brown
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2018
Jamie Sinclair , Alex Carlson , Vicky Persinger , Monica Walker
Jennifer Jones , Kaitlyn Lawes , Jill Officer , Dawn McEwen
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2019
Kerri Einarson , Val Sweeting , Shannon Birchard , Briane Meilleur
Anna Hasselborg , Sara McManus , Agnes Knochenhauer , Sofia Mabergs
Toronto , Ontario
$150,000
2020
Cancelled [6]
2021
Kerri Einarson , Val Sweeting , Shannon Birchard , Briane Meilleur
Rachel Homan , Emma Miskew , Sarah Wilkes , Joanne Courtney
Calgary , Alberta [21]
$175,000
2022
Anna Hasselborg , Sara McManus , Agnes Knochenhauer , Sofia Mabergs
Kerri Einarson , Val Sweeting , Shannon Birchard , Briane Meilleur
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
2023
Isabella Wranå , Almida de Val , Maria Larsson , Linda Stenlund
Silvana Tirinzoni , Alina Pätz , Carole Howald , Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
2024
Silvana Tirinzoni , Alina Pätz , Selina Witschonke , Carole Howald
Isabella Wranå , Almida de Val , Maria Larsson , Linda Stenlund
Toronto , Ontario
$175,000
References
^ "Gushue, Homan headline field for Players' Championship" . www.thegrandslamofcurling.com . Archived from the original on 2017-03-23.
^ "8 Ends: Players' Championship set for special 25th anniversary" . www.thegrandslamofcurling.com . Archived from the original on 2017-04-15.
^ a b "WCT title 'spiel at crossroads" . Regina Leader-Post . March 30, 1995. p. C5. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ a b "World Curling Tour on verge of big break" . Edmonton Journal . December 9, 1995. p. D5. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "About the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling" . www.thegrandslamofcurling.com . Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
^ a b c "GSOC cancels remaining events of 2019–20 season" . Grand Slam of Curling . Grand Slam of Curling. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020 .
^ "Qualification for the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling" . www.thegrandslamofcurling.com . Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
^ "Format and Qualification" .
^ "Format for the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling" . www.thegrandslamofcurling.com . Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
^ "Savage en route again to championship battle" . Calgary Herald . February 21, 1993. p. F1. Retrieved March 1, 2020 .
^ "Icy Jackpot" . Calgary Herald . February 22, 1993. p. C1. Retrieved March 1, 2020 .
^ "Rivalry Takes Road" . Calgary Herald . March 26, 1994. p. C4. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "Howard heading off to Olympic trials" . Regina Leader-Post . March 24, 1997. p. F2. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "Local Scene" . Regina Leader-Post . March 21, 1997. p. C4. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "Peters positive" . Winnipeg Sun . March 30, 1998. p. 42. Retrieved April 10, 2022 .
^ "Martin wins World Tour championship" . Red Deer Advocate . March 30, 1998. p. A8. Retrieved March 1, 2020 .
^ "B.C.'s trio has just one win after four draws" . Vancouver Sun . March 18, 1999. p. F5. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "Top guns shot down at world curling tourney" . Edmonton Journal . March 18, 2000. p. D5. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ "In the hack..." Calgary Herald . March 21, 2001. p. E5. Retrieved April 20, 2021 .
^ a b "Players' Championship title toughest to get your hands on" . Calgary Herald . April 13, 2006. p. F3. Retrieved April 23, 2021 .
^ a b Brazeau, Jonathan (December 3, 2020). "GSOC looking to hold 2 events in proposed Calgary curling bubble" . Retrieved December 3, 2020 .
External links
This page was last edited on 14 April 2024, at 21:17