Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in the town of Pinerolo, Italy from February 13 to February 24. It proved to be the sleeper hit in terms of television ratings in Italy. According to a CBC feature, curling at the 2006 Winter Games drew 5 million viewers, eclipsing ice hockey and figure skating. This, and the success of the Italian men's curling team created a surge of interest in curling within Italy, where there was no previous tradition of the sport and only a few hundred players.

Curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
VenuePinerolo Palaghiaccio
Dates13–24 February 2006
Competitors100 from 13 nations
← 2002
2010 →
Men's curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Canada
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Finland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  United States
Women's curling
at the XX Olympic Winter Games
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Sweden
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Switzerland
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  Canada

Summary edit

Days before the 2006 Winter Games began, the IOC confirmed that the curling competition at the 1924 Winter Olympics was an official event, and not a demonstration event as many authoritative sources had previously claimed. However, the IOC itself had never done so. This official confirmation was the culmination of an investigative campaign begun by the Glasgow-based newspaper The Herald [1], on behalf of the families of the eight Scots who won the first curling Olympic gold medal in Chamonix, France in 1924. The winning team was selected by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club, Perth, the mother club of curling.

 
The curling arena of Pinerolo

Defending champion skips Rhona Martin of Great Britain & Northern Ireland and Pål Trulsen of Norway returned to defend their gold medals. Joining Martin on the women's side were 2005 World champion Anette Norberg of Sweden, 2002 World Junior champion Cassandra Johnson of the United States of America, two-time world champion Dordi Nordby of Norway, 1996 European champion Mirjam Ott of Switzerland, 2004 Canadian Mixed champion Shannon Kleibrink of Canada, 2005 European Junior Challenge champion Ludmila Privivkova of Russia, three time Pacific Curling champion Ayumi Onodera of Japan, 1994 European champion Dorthe Holm of Denmark, and for the host country, 2003 World Junior bronze medalist Diana Gaspari from Italy.

Joining Trulsen on the men's side was 2001 World Junior Champion Brad Gushue of Canada with the help of two-time World champion Russ Howard calling the shots, former World Junior champion and European champion David Murdoch of Great Britain, two-time European champion Andy Kapp of Germany, 2000 European champion and 2005 European mixed champion Markku Uusipaavalniemi of Finland, 1993 World Championship bronze medalist Pete Fenson of the United States of America, 1997 World Junior champion Ralph Stöckli of Switzerland, three-time Pacific Curling champion Sean Becker of New Zealand, three-time World Champion Peja Lindholm of Sweden, and the host Italian team skipped by Joel Retornaz.

Fixtures and results
Women's: Teams - Standings - Schedule - Percentages - Final standings
Draw 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Semi-finals - Bronze medal game - Gold medal game
Men's: Teams - Standings - Schedule - Percentages - Final standings
Draw 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Semi-finals - Bronze medal game - Gold medal game
Olympic qualifying
External links

Women's edit

Women's tournament edit

Medal Team
Gold Anette Norberg, Eva Lund, Cathrine Lindahl, Anna Svärd, and Ulrika Bergman
  Sweden
Silver Mirjam Ott, Binia Beeli, Valeria Spälty, Michèle Moser, and Manuela Kormann
  Switzerland
Bronze Shannon Kleibrink, Amy Nixon, Glenys Bakker, Christine Keshen, and Sandra Jenkins
  Canada

Teams edit

Nation Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club
  Canada Shannon Kleibrink Amy Nixon Glenys Bakker Christine Keshen Sandra Jenkins Calgary Winter Club, Calgary
  Denmark Dorthe Holm Denise Dupont Lene Nielsen Malene Krause Maria Poulsen Hvidovre CC, Hvidovre
  Great Britain Rhona Martin Jackie Lockhart Kelly Wood Lynn Cameron Deborah Knox Greenacres CC, Howwood
  Italy Diana Gaspari Giulia Lacedelli Rosa Pompanin Violetta Caldart Eleonora Alvera New Wave CC, Cortina d'Ampezzo
  Japan Ayumi Onodera Yumie Hayashi Mari Motohashi Moe Meguro Sakurako Terada Aomori CC, Aomori
  Norway Dordi Nordby Marianne Haslum Marianne Rørvik Camilla Holth Charlotte Hovring Snarøen CC, Bærum
  Russia Ludmila Privivkova Nkeiruka Ezekh Olga Jarkova Ekaterina Galkina Yana Nekrasova Сombined team
  Sweden Anette Norberg Eva Lund Cathrine Lindahl Anna Svärd Ulrika Bergman Härnösands CK Härnösand
  Switzerland Mirjam Ott Binia Beeli Valeria Spälty Michèle Moser Manuela Kormann Flims CC, Flims
  United States Cassandra Johnson Jamie Johnson Jessica Schultz Maureen Brunt Courtney George Bemidji CC, Bemidji

Standings edit

Nation Skip W L PF PA Ends
won
Ends
lost
Blank
ends
Stolen
ends
Shot
pct.
  Sweden Anette Norberg 7 2 61 54 41 36 14 11 79%
  Switzerland Mirjam Ott 7 2 74 44 37 32 11 10 75%
  Canada Shannon Kleibrink 6 3 68 51 39 32 16 10 75%
  Norway Dordi Nordby 6 3 73 54 45 32 5 16 73%
  Great Britain Rhona Martin 5 4 55 54 31 35 17 6 76%
  Russia Ludmila Privivkova 5 4 57 60 41 36 14 11 77%
  Japan Ayumi Onodera 4 5 53 59 36 35 16 11 72%
  United States Cassandra Johnson 2 7 58 66 34 38 11 9 73%
  Denmark Dorthe Holm 2 7 47 69 27 42 12 3 72%
  Italy Diana Gaspari 1 8 44 79 33 43 9 4 66%

Schedule edit

Draw 1 - Monday, February 13, 1400 edit

Note: hammers denote the team that had the last stone in the first end.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Nordby) 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 2 1 1 11
  United States (Johnson)   2 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
  Sweden (Norberg)   0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 4 0 2 0 3 2 X X 11
  Italy (Gaspari)   1 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 X X 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Martin)   0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3
  Denmark (Holm) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2

Draw 2 - Tuesday, February 14, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Russia (Privivkova)   1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 3 7
  Japan (Onodera) 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 4
  Great Britain (Martin)   0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Nordby)   0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 2 4 10
  Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Johnson) 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 0 X X 5
  Canada (Kleibrink)   5 1 0 1 0 3 0 1 X X 11

Draw 3 - Tuesday, February 14, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Gaspari) 0 3 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 7
  Denmark (Holm)   1 0 1 0 4 0 3 0 1 0 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  United States (Johnson)   2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 5
  Japan (Onodera) 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 1 6
  Russia (Privivkova)   0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Nordby) 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 X X X 2
  Switzerland (Ott)   2 0 1 1 1 0 4 X X X 9

Draw 4 - Wednesday, February 15, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Norberg)   1 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 8
  Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Gaspari)   1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 6
  Russia (Privivkova) 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Japan (Onodera)   0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 X 4
  Norway (Nordby) 1 0 0 3 1 0 2 0 2 X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3
  United States (Johnson)   0 1 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 8

Draw 5 - Thursday, February 16, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Kleibrink)   0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 5
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Japan (Onodera) 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 5
  Denmark (Holm)   1 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 2 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Russia (Privivkova) 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4
  Great Britain (Martin)   2 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 2 0 3 0 1 0 1 1 8
  Italy (Gaspari)   0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 4

Draw 6 - Thursday, February 16, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Sweden (Norberg)   0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 5
  United States (Johnson) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 X X X 2
  Switzerland (Ott)   0 3 0 0 1 3 3 X X X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Kleibrink) 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 3 2 0 10
  Norway (Nordby)   1 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 8

Draw 7 - Friday, February 17, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  United States (Johnson) 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 7
  Russia (Privivkova)   0 2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Norway (Nordby) 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 1 2 9
  Italy (Gaspari)   0 2 0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 X 3
  Canada (Kleibrink)   0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 4 X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott) 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 7
  Sweden (Norberg)   0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 4 0 9

Draw 8 - Saturday, February 18, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Martin)   0 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 1 9
  Italy (Gaspari) 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Russia (Privivkova) 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 4
  Switzerland (Ott)   1 2 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Norberg) 0 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 X X 10
  Denmark (Holm)   1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 X X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Japan (Onodera)   0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 5
  Canada (Kleibrink) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2

Draw 9 - Saturday, February 18, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Japan (Onodera)   1 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 7
  Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 X 4
  Norway (Nordby)   2 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Gaspari) 0 0 0 0 3 0 X X X X 3
  United States (Johnson)   0 2 3 2 0 4 X X X X 11

Draw 10 - Sunday, February 19, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 9
  United States (Johnson)   2 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 1 0 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Gaspari) 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 X 4
  Canada (Kleibrink)   1 2 2 0 2 0 0 2 2 X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Martin) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 X 5
  Japan (Onodera)   0 2 1 0 3 0 1 0 3 X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Russia (Privivkova)   1 1 0 2 1 0 1 2 0 1 9
  Denmark (Holm) 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 7

Draw 11 - Monday, February 20, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Norberg)   0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4
  Russia (Privivkova) 0 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Denmark (Holm) 0 0 1 0 0 0 X X X X 1
  Norway (Nordby)   3 1 0 1 1 2 X X X X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Gaspari)   1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 4
  Japan (Onodera) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 6

Draw 12 - Monday, February 20, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Denmark (Holm)   2 0 3 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 8
  Canada (Kleibrink) 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott)   1 2 0 4 0 0 0 4 X X 11
  Japan (Onodera) 0 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 X X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Nordby) 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 2 1 0 8
  Russia (Privivkova)   2 0 1 0 3 0 3 0 0 1 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Johnson) 0 1 0 3 0 0 X X X X 4
  Great Britain (Martin)   2 0 4 0 3 1 X X X X 10

Semi-finals - Wednesday, February 22, 1400 edit

1 vs. 4
In a close game, Sweden's Anette Norberg (1) edged out Norway's Dordi Nordby (4). The turning point of the game came in the eighth end when Sweden scored the only steal of the game. From this point on the Swedish team was ahead. Anette Norberg curled 85% while Dordi Nordby struggled, which was the difference in the game.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Norberg) 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 5
  Norway (Nordby)   1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 4
Player percentages
  Sweden   Norway
Anna Svärd 86% Camilla Holth 71%
Cathrine Lindahl 79% Marianne Rørvik 86%
Eva Lund 93% Marianne Haslum 79%
Anette Norberg 86% Dordi Nordby 68%
Total 86% Total 76%

2 vs. 3
In the other semi-final, Canada's Shannon Kleibrink team (3) faced off against Mirjam Ott of Switzerland (2). After Ott scored 3 in the third end getting a split off a rock in front of the house, Kleibrink was unable to mount a comeback. The Swiss team managed to keep in the lead for the rest of the game. Mirjam Ott curling 88% in the game ensured victory for the Swiss team, while Shannon Kleibrink struggled at 66%.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 7
  Canada (Kleibrink)   0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 5
Player percentages
  Switzerland   Canada
Michèle Moser 74% Christine Keshen 84%
Valeria Spälty 70% Glenys Bakker 61%
Binia Beeli 70% Amy Nixon 65%
Mirjam Ott 88% Shannon Kleibrink 66%
Total 75% Total 69%

Bronze medal game - Thursday, February 23, 1300 edit

Canada scored four in the first end after Dordi Nordby, the Norwegian skip flopped her rock over on a heavy freeze attempt and was removed by Shannon Kleibrink, the Canadian skip on her last rock. With three other Canadian rocks in the house, Canada scored four. Canada never looked back, scoring four more points in the fifth end en route to an 11-5 thrashing of Norway.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Nordby) 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 X X 5
  Canada (Kleibrink)   4 1 0 0 4 0 2 0 X X 11
Player percentages
  Canada   Norway
Christine Keshen 83% Camilla Holth 92%
Glenys Bakker 73% Marianne Rørvik 70%
Amy Nixon 80% Marianne Haslum 72%
Shannon Kleibrink 66% Dordi Nordby 56%
Total 75% Total 73%

Gold medal game - Thursday, February 23, 1730 edit

Sweden held the lead for much of the game, but saw the Swiss team start to claw back late in the game. In the 8th end, a decision by Swedish skip Anette Norberg to hit an unthreatening rock out of the house on her last rock instead of a guard was followed by a great raise of a Swiss rock on to a small corner of the button by Swiss skip Mirjam Ott. This brought the Swiss within one point of a tie. They continued to claw back, and after ten ends the game was tied, so they had to go to another. In the 11th end, the Swiss played a good end, leaving Anette Norberg a difficult double take-out on her last rock to win the gold medal. Norberg was successful, leaving her stone in the house to win the game, and the gold medal, 7–6.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Sweden (Norberg)   0 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 7
  Switzerland (Ott) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 6
Player percentages
  Sweden   Switzerland
Anna Svärd 61% Michèle Moser 83%
Cathrine Lindahl 82% Valeria Spälty 66%
Eva Lund 69% Binia Beeli 80%
Anette Norberg 83% Mirjam Ott 85%
Total 74% Total 78%

Round robin final player percentages edit

Minimum 6 games. Five best players from each position

Lead Nation %
Christine Keshen   Canada 81
Lynn Cameron   Great Britain 79
Malene Krause   Denmark 79
Ekaterina Galkina   Russia 78
Anna Svärd   Sweden 78
Second Nation %
Nkeirouka Ezekh   Russia 79
Valeria Spälty   Switzerland 79
Cathrine Lindahl   Sweden 78
Mari Motohashi   Japan 73
Lene Nielsen   Denmark 72
Marianne Rørvik   Norway 72
Kelly Wood   Great Britain 72
Third Nation %
Eva Lund   Sweden 80
Marianne Haslum   Norway 78
Binia Beeli   Switzerland 77
Yumie Hayashi   Japan 77
Olga Jarkova   Russia 75
Skip Nation %
Anette Norberg   Sweden 79
Shannon Kleibrink   Canada 76
Rhona Martin   Great Britain 75
Mirjam Ott   Switzerland 75
Dordi Nordby   Norway 72

Final standings edit

Rank Country Skip W L
    Sweden Anette Norberg 9 2
    Switzerland Mirjam Ott 8 3
    Canada Shannon Kleibrink 7 4
4   Norway Dordi Nordby 6 5
5   Great Britain Rhona Martin 5 4
5   Russia Ludmila Privivkova 5 4
7   Japan Ayumi Onodera 4 5
8   United States Cassandra Johnson 2 7
9   Denmark Dorthe Holm 2 7
10   Italy Diana Gaspari 1 8

Men's edit

Men's tournament edit

Medal Team
Gold Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Russ Howard, Jamie Korab, and Mike Adam
  Canada
Silver Markku Uusipaavalniemi, Wille Mäkelä, Kalle Kiiskinen, Teemu Salo, and Jani Sullanmaa
  Finland
Bronze Pete Fenson, Shawn Rojeski, Joseph Polo, John Shuster, and Scott Baird
  United States

Teams edit

Nation Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club
  Canada Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Russ Howard* Jamie Korab Mike Adam St. John's CC, St. John's
  Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi Wille Mäkelä Kalle Kiiskinen Teemu Salo Jani Sullanmaa Oulunkylä Curling, Helsinki
  Germany Andy Kapp Uli Kapp Oliver Axnick Holger Höhne Andreas Kempf CC Füssen, Füssen
  Great Britain David Murdoch Ewan MacDonald Warwick Smith Euan Byers Craig Wilson Lockerbie CC, Lockerbie
  Italy Joel Retornaz Fabio Alvera Gian Paolo Zandegiacomo Marco Mariani Antonio Menardi CC Dolomiti, Cortina d'Ampezzo
  New Zealand Sean Becker Hans Frauenlob Dan Mustapic Lorne De Pape Warren Dobson Ranfurly CC, Ranfurly
  Norway Pål Trulsen Lars Vågberg Flemming Davanger Bent Ånund Ramsfjell Torger Nergård Stabekk CC, Oslo
  Sweden Peja Lindholm Tomas Nordin Magnus Swartling Peter Narup Anders Kraupp Östersunds CK, Östersund
  Switzerland Ralph Stöckli Claudio Pescia Pascal Sieber Marco Battilana Simon Strübin St Galler Bär CC, Zürich
  United States Pete Fenson Shawn Rojeski Joseph Polo John Shuster Scott Baird Bemidji CC, Bemidji
* – Calls the game as a skip normally would
× – The Olympics have recorded the skip as Russ Howard, however the team internally considers that Brad Gushue is skip. It is a team formed by Brad Gushue.[1]

Standings edit

Locale Skip W L PF PA Ends
won
Ends
lost
Blank
ends
Stolen
ends
Shot
pct.
  Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi 7 2 53 40 32 31 23 9 78%
  Canada Brad Gushue 6 3 66 46 47 31 9 23 80%
  United States Pete Fenson 6 3 66 47 36 33 16 13 80%
  Great Britain David Murdoch 6 3 59 49 36 31 17 12 81%
  Norway Pål Trulsen 5 4 57 47 33 32 17 9 78%
  Switzerland Ralph Stöckli 5 4 56 45 31 34 18 10 76%
  Italy Joël Retornaz 4 5 47 66 37 38 10 7 70%
  Germany Andy Kapp 3 6 53 55 34 34 17 12 77%
  Sweden Peja Lindholm 3 6 45 68 31 40 12 4 78%
  New Zealand Sean Becker 0 9 37 76 28 41 12 6 69%

Schedule edit

Draw 1 - Monday, February 13, 0900 edit

Note: in the following, the hammers denote the team that has the last stone in the first end.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Zealand (Becker) 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 3
  Sweden (Lindholm)   0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Retornaz)   1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Trulsen) 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 X X 5
  United States (Fenson)   0 2 1 0 3 0 0 5 X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 2
  Switzerland (Stöckli)   2 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 X 7

Draw 2 - Monday, February 13, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Germany (Kapp) 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 X 5
  Canada (Gushue)   0 2 0 3 1 1 1 0 2 X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 4
  United States (Fenson)   0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Murdoch)   0 1 4 0 0 0 3 0 2 X 10
  New Zealand (Becker) 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Retornaz) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 1 5
  Sweden (Lindholm)   0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 7

Draw 3 - Tuesday, February 14, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 3 X 7
  Switzerland (Stöckli)   0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 X 2
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Canada (Gushue)   1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 0 7
  Sweden (Lindholm) 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 2 1 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Germany (Kapp) 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 8
  Italy (Retornaz)   1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 1 1 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Fenson) 0 2 2 0 2 1 0 3 X X 10
  New Zealand (Becker)   2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 X X 4

Draw 4 - Wednesday, February 15, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi)   0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 6
  New Zealand (Becker) 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Lindholm) 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 X X 4
  Norway (Trulsen)   0 4 0 0 2 0 2 1 X X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Gushue) 1 1 0 3 0 1 1 0 2 X 9
  Great Britain (Murdoch)   0 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 5

Draw 5 - Wednesday, February 15, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Fenson) 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 5
  Italy (Retornaz)   0 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 1 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 1 6
  Norway (Trulsen)   0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Gushue)   1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 7
  Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Germany (Kapp)   0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 5
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2

Draw 6 - Thursday, February 16, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 2 0 7
  Germany (Kapp)   0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Stöckli)   2 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 0 1 9
  New Zealand (Becker) 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Fenson) 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 2 2 10
  Sweden (Lindholm)   2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 5
  Canada (Gushue)   2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 6

Draw 7 - Friday, February 17, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Retornaz) 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 X X X 3
  Norway (Trulsen)   0 2 0 4 0 1 4 X X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Lindholm) 0 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 X X 4
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 3 0 2 0 0 1 3 2 X X 11
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Stöckli) 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 8
  Germany (Kapp)   0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 5

Draw 8 - Friday, February 17, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Lindholm) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 X X X 2
  Great Britain (Murdoch)   2 2 0 3 0 0 1 X X X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Fenson)   0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 7
  Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 3
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi)   0 0 3 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 8
  Canada (Gushue) 2 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  New Zealand (Becker) 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 5
  Italy (Retornaz)   0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 6

Draw 9 - Saturday, February 18, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Germany (Kapp) 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 X 5
  United States (Fenson)   2 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final
  Canada (Gushue) 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 6
  Italy (Retornaz)   2 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Stöckli)   2 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 5
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi)   1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 1 7
  Norway (Trulsen) 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3

Draw 10 - Sunday, February 19, 0900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Trulsen) 0 2 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 1 9
  New Zealand (Becker)   1 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 6
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Germany (Kapp) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 1 7
  Sweden (Lindholm)   0 1 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Italy (Retornaz)   0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 4
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 1 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 7
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 2 1 8
  United States (Fenson)   2 0 4 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 9

Draw 11 - Sunday, February 19, 1900 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Great Britain (Murdoch)   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 X 2
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi) 0 0 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 X 5
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Zealand (Becker)   0 0 0 0 1 0 0 X X X 1
  Canada (Gushue) 1 1 0 1 0 3 3 X X X 9
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Sweden (Lindholm)   0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 X 3
  Switzerland (Stöckli) 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 3 1 X 8
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Norway (Trulsen)   0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 5
  Germany (Kapp) 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2

Draw 12 - Monday, February 20, 1400 edit

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Switzerland (Stöckli)   4 0 1 0 3 2 X X X X 10
  Italy (Retornaz) 0 1 0 1 0 0 X X X X 2
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  New Zealand (Becker) 0 1 0 0 0 0 X X X X 1
  Germany (Kapp)   2 0 3 2 2 1 X X X X 10
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Gushue)   0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 1 6
  United States (Fenson) 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3

Semi-finals - Wednesday, February 22, 1900 edit

1 vs. 4

In a close game, where both teams played extremely well, the game came down to the last rock of the tenth end. Finland (1) had the hammer, and skip Markku Uusipaavalniemi had to put a rock right on the button to win the game. It was either that or a difficult hit and roll off a British (4) rock in the four-foot frozen to a Finnish rock. British skip David Murdoch had an excellent raise hit and roll to make the freeze on his last rock, but it was no match for Markku's draw—giving Finland the win.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi)   0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 4
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3
Player percentages
  Finland   Great Britain
Teemu Salo 84% Euan Byers 89%
Kalle Kiiskinen 94% Warwick Smith 89%
Wille Mäkelä 78% Ewan MacDonald 89%
Markku Uusipaavalniemi 88% David Murdoch 80%
Total 86% Total 87%

2 vs. 3

 
Semi-final USA vs. Canada

In the other semi-final, Canada (2) outplayed the Americans (3) for most of the game propelling them to victory. The Americans kept it close for most of the game, always within a few points until the ninth end. With Canada having the hammer, USA skip Pete Fenson had a difficult draw to beat out four Canadian stones and get buried but half of the rock was left out in the open. Canada's skip Brad Gushue peeled off Fenson's rock on his last, giving Gushue five points, at which point the American team conceded.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Canada (Gushue)   0 2 0 2 0 2 0 0 5 X 11
  United States (Fenson) 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 X 5
Player percentages
  Canada   United States
Jamie Korab 71% John Shuster 79%
Russ Howard 82% Joseph Polo 79%
Mark Nichols 94% Shawn Rojeski 63%
Brad Gushue 83% Pete Fenson 79%
Total 82% Total 75%

Bronze medal game - Friday, February 24, 1300 edit

US skip Pete Fenson got the victory after hitting a British stone in the open on his last shot of the game, giving him the only point he needed in the 8–6 victory. The momentum for the Americans began in the third end however, when the Americans scored a three-ender. David Murdoch, the British skip tried to draw to the button on top of two American stones, but was a few inches short, leaving the rock in the open. It was easily tapped out by Fenson giving the Americans three points, and they never trailed after that point, going on to win the country's first Olympic curling medal. The game was interrupted by a streaker wearing a rubber chicken, prompting one of the British players to joke, "Are you Scottish?"[2]


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  United States (Fenson)   1 0 3 0 0 2 0 1 0 1 8
  Great Britain (Murdoch) 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 1 0 6
Player percentages
  Great Britain   United States
Euan Byers 94% John Shuster 75%
Warwick Smith 85% Joseph Polo 95%
Ewan MacDonald 88% Shawn Rojeski 94%
David Murdoch 79% Pete Fenson 83%
Total 86% Total 87%

Gold medal game - Friday, February 24, 1730 edit

After Finland skip Markku Uusipaavalniemi missed an opportunity with the hammer in the 1st end, scoring only two points instead of three (0-2), Canada dominated and scored two points with the hammer in the 2nd end (2-2) before stealing the next two ends with a point in each (4-2). Finland finally won a point with the hammer in the 5th end to reduce the deficit (4-3), but numerous Finnish mistakes led to Canada's scoring six points in the 6th end (10-3), which effectively won the match and secured the gold medal. Brad Gushue of Canada actually had the chance to score an unusual seventh point with the hammer, but his draw shot had too much weight and together with some furious sweeping at the house by the Finland skip, it passed through the house. As it is, six is very unusual as well, and Gushue blamed the miss on nerves.

However, Gushue's miss was of little consequence due to Canada's lead. By this time, Finland wanted to concede, but had to carry on until the 8th end before being allowed to do so. They finished 10–4 with no points in the 7th end and one point in the 8th end. It was Canada's first gold medal in men's curling after winning silver at Nagano in 1998 and Salt Lake City in 2002. School children in Newfoundland and Labrador, where four of the five Canadians are from, had the afternoon off from school to watch the game. Those four Newfoundlanders were the first to ever win a gold medal at the Olympics. Mark Nichols, Canada's third, played phenomenally with a 97% shooting percentage. His raise-triple take-out in the sixth end was a major factor in Canada's scoring the six-point rarity.


Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Final
  Finland (Uusipaavalniemi)   2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 X X 4
  Canada (Gushue) 0 2 1 1 0 6 0 0 X X 10
Player percentages
  Canada   Finland
Jamie Korab 88% Teemu Salo 86%
Russ Howard 75% Kalle Kiiskinen 80%
Mark Nichols 97% Wille Mäkelä 53%
Brad Gushue 72% Markku Uusipaavalniemi 57%
Total 83% Total 69%

Round robin final player percentages edit

Minimum 6 games. Five best players from each position

Lead Nation %
Euan Byers   Great Britain 84
Holger Höhne   Germany 83
Jamie Korab   Canada 83
Bent Ånund Ramsfjell   Norway 83
Peter Narup   Sweden 82
Second Nation %
Warwick Smith   Great Britain 85
Magnus Swartling   Sweden 81
Joe Polo   United States 80
Russ Howard   Canada 79
Oliver Axnick   Germany 76
Flemming Davanger   Norway 76
Third Nation %
Shawn Rojeski   United States 83
Uli Kapp   Germany 80
Ewan MacDonald   Great Britain 78
Wille Mäkelä   Finland 78
Mark Nichols   Canada 77
Skip Nation %
Markku Uusipaavalniemi   Finland 81
Brad Gushue   Canada 77
Ralph Stöckli   Switzerland 77
Pål Trulsen   Norway 77
David Murdoch   Great Britain 76

Final standings edit

Rank Country Skip W L
    Canada Brad Gushue 8 3
    Finland Markku Uusipaavalniemi 8 3
    United States Pete Fenson 7 4
4   Great Britain David Murdoch 6 5
5   Norway Pål Trulsen 5 4
5   Switzerland Ralph Stöckli 5 4
7   Italy Joël Retornaz 4 5
8   Germany Andy Kapp 3 6
9   Sweden Peja Lindholm 3 6
10   New Zealand Sean Becker 0 9

Olympic qualifying edit

Canada edit

The Canadian Olympic trials took place December 3–11, 2005 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Women edit

Team W L
Kelly Scott 7 2
Shannon Kleibrink 6 3
Stefanie Lawton 6 3
Sherry Middaugh 6 3
Sherry Anderson 5 4
Jennifer Jones 5 4
Jan Betker 4 5
Colleen Jones 3 6
Jo-Ann Rizzo 2 7
Marie-France Larouche 1 8

Tie-Breaker

  • Lawton 9-4 Middaugh

Playoffs

  • Semi-Final: Kleibrink 5-4 Lawton
  • Final: Kleibrink 8-7 Scott

Men edit

Team W L
Brad Gushue 8 1
Jeff Stoughton 7 2
John Morris 6 3
Glenn Howard 5 4
Pat Ryan 5 4
Kevin Martin 4 5
Randy Ferbey 4 5
Shawn Adams 3 6
Mark Dacey 3 6
Jay Peachey 0 9

Playoffs

  • Semi-Final: Stoughton 8-6 Morris
  • Final: Gushue 8-7 Stoughton

Germany edit

The German Olympic trials were held on three weekends as part of a triple round-robin with no playoffs. The first weekend was played in Schwenningen on February 20–22 The second in Hamburg on March 3–6 and the third weekend was played in Baden-Hills on March 11–13. Only the men's teams qualified for the Olympics.

Final standings

Team W L
Andy Kapp 8 2
Andy Lang 6 5
Christopher Bartsch 5 5
Sebastian Stock 4 6
Christian Baumann 3 8

Switzerland edit

The Swiss Olympic trials were held March 3–6, 2005 in Bern.

Women edit

Team W L
Mirjam Ott 3 0
Luzia Ebnöther 2 1
Silvana Tirinzoni 1 2
Nicole Strausak 0 3

Playoffs

  • 1 vs. 2: (best of 3) Ott 9-3 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 4-5 Ott
  • 3 vs. 4: (best of 3) Trinzoni 5-11 Strausak; Strausak 2-8 Trinzoni; Trinzoni 8-9 Strausak
  • Semi-final: (best of 3) Ebnöther 3-7 Strausak; Strausak 4-8 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 10-5 Strausak
  • Final: (best of 3) Ott 7-4 Ebnöther; Ebnöther 9-3 Ott; Ott 8-7 Ebnöther (EE)

Men edit

Team W L
Ralph Stöckli 4 0
Andreas Schwaller 1 3
Bernhard Wethermann 1 3

Playoffs

  • Final: (best of 5) Stöckli 6-8 Schwaller; Schwaller 5-3 Stöckli; Stöckli 7-5 Schwaller; Schwaller 3-8 Stöckli; Stöckli 6-4 Schwaller

United States edit

The U.S. Olympic trials were held February 19–26, 2005 in McFarland, Wisconsin. They double as the qualifying tournament to the 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship and the 2005 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.
Results:

Women edit

Team W L
Cassandra Johnson 9 0
Debbie McCormick 8 1
Patti Lank 7 2
Aileen Sormunen 5 4
Amy Wright 5 4
Norma O'Leary 4 5
Caitlin Maroldo 3 6
Lori Karst 2 7
Nancy Richard 1 8
Katie Schmitt 1 8

Tie-breaker

  • Sormunen 13-10 Wright

Playoffs

  • 3 vs. 4: Lank (3) 9-4 Sormunen (4)
  • 1 vs. 2: McCormick (2) 8-6 Johnson (1)
  • Semi-final: Johnson 8-7 Lank
  • Final: Johnson 5-4 McCormick

Men edit

Team W L
Pete Fenson 7 2
Craig Brown 6 3
Scott Baird 6 3
Brady Clark 6 3
Rich Ruohonen 5 4
Craig Disher 5 4
Greg Eigner 3 6
Jason Larway 3 6
Ben Tucker 3 6
Wes Johnson 1 8

Tie-breaker

  • Brown 9-2 Clark
  • Brown 11-8 Baird

Playoffs

  • 3 vs. 4: Clark (4) 5-4 Baird (3)
  • 1 vs. 2: Fenson (1) 9-3 Brown (2)
  • Semi-final: Brown 7-6 Clark
  • Final: Fenson 7-3 Brown

Japan edit

The Japanese Olympic trials were held November 23, 2005 in Tokoro, Hokkaidō. Two teams, from Nagano (skipped by Yukako Tsuchiya) and Aomori (skipped by Ayumi Onodera) were eligible, with Aomori having the championship team. Therefore, Nagano had to win two games against Aomori to win, while Aomori needed to win either of the games.

Women edit

Playoffs

  • Game 1: Onodera 5-2 Tsuchiya
  • Game 2: Not needed

Other nations edit

The teams for most of the other nations were selected by a committee, usually by the governing body of the sport in that nation. The countries qualified based on a point system based on World Championship results. Note that these tables show the results of the Scotland team, at the Olympics, Scotland, as a country of the United Kingdom and a non-sovereign entity, competes under the name "Great Britain". The same point system of 12 points for the winner was used in 2005 World Championships even though the event was expanded to 12 teams from 10.

Men's

Nation 2003 2004 2005 Total
  Canada 12 8 12 32.0
  Norway 8 7 7 22.0
  Scotland 4.5 6 10 20.5
  Sweden 6 12 2 20.0
  Germany 1.5 10 8 19.5
  Switzerland 10 4.5 4 18.5
  Finland 7 - 5.5 12.5
  United States 3 2 5.5 10.5
  New Zealand - 4.5 3 7.5
  Italy (host) - - 0 0.0
  Denmark 4.5 2 0 6.5
  France - 2 - 2.0
  South Korea 1.5 - - 1.5
  Australia - - 1 1.0

Women's

Nation 2003 2004 2005 Total
  United States 12 7 10 29.0
  Canada 10 12 7 29.0
  Sweden 8 5 12 25.5
  Norway 7 10 8 25.0
  Switzerland 6 8 3.5 17.5
  Scotland 3 6 5 14.0
  Russia 3 - 6 9.0
  Japan 3 4 1.5 8.5
  Denmark 3 2.5 1.5 7.0
  Italy (host) 3 2.5 0 5.5
  China - - 3.5 3.5
  Finland - 1 0 1.0

References edit

  1. ^ Campigotto, Jesse (2006-02-13). "Gushue takes Howard's steady hand". CBC. Retrieved 2009-04-07.

External links edit