Wikipedia

Players' Championship

For other uses, see Players Championship (disambiguation).

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.

Players' Championship
Established1993
2024 host cityToronto, Ontario
2024 arenaMattamy Athletic Centre
PurseCAD $175,000
Current champions (2024)
MenNewfoundland and Labrador Brad Gushue
WomenSwitzerland Silvana Tirinzoni
Current edition

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.

History edit

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 edit

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 edit

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 edit

Men edit

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 edit

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 edit

  1. ^ "Gushue, Homan headline field for Players' Championship". www.thegrandslamofcurling.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-23.
  2. ^ "8 Ends: Players' Championship set for special 25th anniversary". www.thegrandslamofcurling.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-15.
  3. ^ a b "WCT title 'spiel at crossroads". Regina Leader-Post. March 30, 1995. p. C5. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "World Curling Tour on verge of big break". Edmonton Journal. December 9, 1995. p. D5. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "About the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling". www.thegrandslamofcurling.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Qualification for the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling". www.thegrandslamofcurling.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
  8. ^ "Format and Qualification".
  9. ^ "Format for the Players' Championship - Grand Slam of Curling". www.thegrandslamofcurling.com. Archived from the original on 2014-09-11.
  10. ^ "Savage en route again to championship battle". Calgary Herald. February 21, 1993. p. F1. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Icy Jackpot". Calgary Herald. February 22, 1993. p. C1. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "Rivalry Takes Road". Calgary Herald. March 26, 1994. p. C4. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ^ "Howard heading off to Olympic trials". Regina Leader-Post. March 24, 1997. p. F2. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ^ "Local Scene". Regina Leader-Post. March 21, 1997. p. C4. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  15. ^ "Peters positive". Winnipeg Sun. March 30, 1998. p. 42. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "Martin wins World Tour championship". Red Deer Advocate. March 30, 1998. p. A8. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "B.C.'s trio has just one win after four draws". Vancouver Sun. March 18, 1999. p. F5. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  18. ^ "Top guns shot down at world curling tourney". Edmonton Journal. March 18, 2000. p. D5. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "In the hack..." Calgary Herald. March 21, 2001. p. E5. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  20. ^ a b "Players' Championship title toughest to get your hands on". Calgary Herald. April 13, 2006. p. F3. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  21. ^ a b Brazeau, Jonathan (December 3, 2020). "GSOC looking to hold 2 events in proposed Calgary curling bubble". Retrieved December 3, 2020.

External links edit

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