Men
Team Edin
2013 Masters: Lost to Howard in quarterfinals
2013 Canadian Open: Missed playoffs
2014 National: Lost to Koe in tiebreaker
The Sochi Olympic bronze medallists attempt to recreate the magic that took them to the Players’ Championship final in 2011. Edin will also look to rebound from a disappointing finish at the Syncrude National. Team Edin led 4-2 after five ends in the tiebreaker match against Team Koe but the Calgary rink rallied with a point in the sixth and single steals in the seventh and eighth ends to win 5-4.
Team Epping
2013 Masters: Lost to Koe in tiebreaker
2013 Canadian Open: Lost to Howard in quarterfinals
2014 National: Did not participate
Epping joins the former members of Team Kean for this tournament. That trio, along with Chad Allen, competed as Team Fanset at the Syncrude National last month. Epping is a two-time Grand Slam event winner and took home the Players’ Championship in 2012.
Team Gushue
2013 Masters: Did not participate
2013 Canadian Open: Finalist (lost to Koe)
2014 National: Finalist (lost to Howard)
Gushue, the 2006 Olympic gold medallist, received a surprising home-crowd ovation during his matches at the Syncrude National in Fort McMurray, Alberta, and he’ll once again be the fan favourite at the Players’ Championship in Summerside. Team Gushue members Gallant and Casey are both originally from P.E.I. The team has reached the final in the past two Grand Slam events, perhaps third time is the charm?
Team Howard
2013 Masters: Champions
2013 Canadian Open: Lost to Koe in semifinals
2014 National: Champions
Howard’s team has already won two Grand Slam titles this season and have claimed four of the past six overall, including last year’s Players’ Championship. Their lone defeat at the Syncrude National last month was a 10-9 loss to Team Michel in round-robin play. The Players’ Championship will be the last major event for this group as Laing heads west to join Team Koe next season.
Team Jacobs
2013 Masters: Did not participate
2013 Canadian Open: Did not participate
2014: National: Missed playoffs
Team Jacobs made their Grand Slam season debut at the Syncrude National but the Sochi Olympic gold medallists struggled in the tournament and finished with a 2-3 record. They’ll be recharged now and aim to rebound from that performance to try and capture their first Grand Slam title.
Team Koe
2013 Masters: Lost to Martin in quarterfinals
2013 Canadian Open: Champions
2014 National: Lost to Michel in quarterfinals
It’ll be the last hurrah for the reigning Brier champions with Koe linking up with Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert and Brent Laing next season. Team Koe returns from China after representing Canada in the world men’s curling championship where they finished fourth.
Team Laycock
2013 Masters: Did not participate
2013 Canadian Open: Missed playoffs
2014 National: Lost to Howard in semifinals
Team Laycock had an impressive run last month at the Syncrude National. They edged Team Stoughton 6-5 in their opening match and handed Team McEwen their first loss of the tournament in the quarterfinals 5-2. Laycock held his ground against Howard in the semifinals and tied the game 6-6 with a triple in the sixth end but Howard responded with a score of four in the seventh that was too much to overcome.
Team Martin
2013 Masters: Finalist (Lost to Howard)
2013 Canadian Open: Lost to Gushue in quarterfinals
2014 National: Lost to Howard in quarterfinals
A fond farewell to this edition of Team Martin. Kennedy and Hebert, who won gold with Martin at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, are moving on to join Team Koe in the fall. The team finished the Syncrude National round-robin with a 4-1 record (including an 8-2 win over Team Bottcher, featuring Kevin’s son Karrick Martin). It was another classic Martin-Howard match in the quarterfinals but Howard came out on top en route to the title. Martin has won a record 17 Grand Slam events, including seven Players’ Championship titles.
Team McEwen
2013 Masters: Missed playoffs
2013 Canadian Open: Lost to Rumfeldt in tiebreaker
2014 National: Lost to Laycock in quarterfinals
It’s safe to say when it comes to the five-rock rule, Mikey likes it. Team McEwen ran the table with a perfect 8-0 record to win the Canadian Open in December 2011 and were on a roll at last month’s Syncrude National finishing 5-0 in the round-robin until they lost to Team Laycock in the quarterfinals. Still, a 13-1 record in five-rock rule play isn’t too shabby. Now returning to the four-rock rule, Team McEwen is on the path to claim their first Players’ Championship title. They were finalists at last year’s tournament in Toronto but lost a close 4-3 battle after Team Howard nailed a double takeout to score the winning deuce in the final end.
Team Michel
2013 Masters: Lost to Edin in tiebreaker
2013 Canadian Open: Did not participate
2014 National: Lost to Gushue in semifinals
Team Michel was on fire to start the Syncrude National and topped Pool A with a 5-0 record in the round-robin including victories over favourites Koe and Howard. They defeated Team Koe again in the quarterfinals but ran into an equally red-hot Team Gushue in the semis. It came down to who had the hammer in the final end and unfortunately for Michel, it was Gushue who was able to score the winning point with last-rock advantage. Michel, who represented Switzerland at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, will look to build on his team’s best Grand Slam performance heading into the Players’ Championship.
Team Murdoch
2013 Masters: Lost to Stoughton in quarterfinals
2013 Canadian Open: Did not participate
2014 National: Did not participate
Team Murdoch missed the past two Grand Slam events but the Sochi Olympic silver medallists had a strong showing at the Masters. They finished second in Pool B with a 3-1 record in round-robin play including wins over McEwen and Michel. Murdoch is a two-time world champion (2006 and 2009) and has medalled in all six of his appearances at the world stage.
Team Stoughton
2013 Masters: Lost to Howard in semifinals
2013 Canadian Open: Lost to Gushue in semifinals
2014 National: Missed playoffs
Stoughton was stunned when his team fell short at the Syncrude National with a 2-3 record. They lost to fellow Winnipeg rink Team McEwen 6-4 and their playoff hopes were dashed after falling to Team Martin in another 6-4 defeat. Stoughton put the retirement rumours to rest when he told Sportsnet during the Syncrude National broadcast he plans to continue playing next season.
Women
Team Hastings
WCT Order of Merit rank: 39th
2013 Masters: Did not participate
Hastings made her Grand Slam debut at the Players’ Championship in 2010. The team has won two bonspiels this season: the KW Fall Classic in September and the Mount Lawn Gord Carroll Classic in November.
Team Homan
WCT Order of Merit rank: 2nd
2013 Masters: Champions
As winners of the Masters in November, Team Homan has a chance to take the $100,000 bonus should they also capture the Players’ Championship and sweep the two Grand Slam of Curling events this season. This will also be the final tournament for their current lineup as Kreviazuk is moving to Sweden. Homan successfully defended her Scotties title in February and earned silver at the women’s world curling championship in March.
Team Jaggi
WCT Order of Merit rank: 13th
2013 Masters: Did not participate
This is the second consecutive Players’ Championship appearance for the team. Jaggi scored a deuce in the final end to lift her squad to a 5-4 victory over Team Muirhead in their opening match of last year’s tournament in Toronto. The team earned a 2-2 record but lost to Jennifer Jones in a tiebreaker.
Team Jones
WCT Order of Merit rank: 1st
2013 Masters: Lost to Muirhead in semifinals
Team Jones is riding off of the momentum from the Sochi Games where they became the first women’s curling team to post an undefeated record and win the Olympic gold medal. Jones has had a lot of success at this particular tournament: in the eight years the Players’ has been held, Jones has won the event four times.
Team Lawton
WCT Order of Merit rank: 4th
2013 Masters: Lost to Jones in quarterfinals
Lawton won the Players’ Championship two years ago when Summerside, P.E.I., last hosted the event. Her team finished the Masters round-robin play with a 3-1 record including a big 8-3 win in seven ends over Team Muirhead. Lawton faced Jones in the quarterfinals but was edged out in an extra end.
Team Midduagh
WCT Order of Merit rank: 12th
2013 Masters: Missed playoffs
Middaugh finished the Masters with a 2-2 record but the team bounced back from that performance and came in second place at the Canadian Olympic trials, including a 10-4 win over Team Homan in the semifinal match.
Team Muirhead
WCT Order of Merit rank: 3rd
2013 Masters: Finalist lost to Homan
Muirhead won the Players’ Championship a year ago in Toronto, defeating Team Sigfridsson in the final to claim their first Grand Slam of Curling title. Muirhead won the Autumn Gold Curling Classic in October and earned a bronze medal at the Sochi Olympics.
Team Nedohin
WCT Order of Merit rank: 9th
2013 Masters: Lost to Homan in quarterfinals
Nedohin finished the Masters round-robin with a 3-1 record. They scored an impressive 8-2 rout over Team Homan in just five ends of play but fell 6-3 in the rematch during the quarterfinals.
Team Sigfridsson
WCT Order of Merit rank: 5th
2013 Masters: Lost to Muirhead in quarterfinals
The Sochi Olympic silver medallists reached the finals at last year’s Players’ Championship but fell to Team Muirhead. Sigfridsson was the only team to post an undefeated 4-0 record in round-robin play at the Masters and faced Muirhead again in the quarterfinals. Sigfridsson trailed 4-2 and rallied to score a single in the seventh and a steal of one in the eighth to tie it but Muirhead grabbed the game-winning point in the extra end to advance.
Team Sweeting
WCT Order of Merit rank: 11th
2013 Masters: Did not participate
Sweeting was the runner-up at this year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts falling to Team Homan in the final. This will be the final tournament for this group as Courtney will head east and join Homan’s squad next season.
Team Tirinzoni
WCT Order of Merit rank: 10th
2013 Masters: Did not participate
Tirinzoni is coming off of winning the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Prairie Showdown title, defeating Team Muirhead in the final last month. They finished last year’s Players’ Championship with a 2-2 record but fell to Renee Sonnenberg in the tiebreaker.
Team Webster
WCT Order of Merit rank: 20th
2013 Masters: Did not participate
Webster was a finalist at the Players’ Championship in 2010 while Overton-Clapham won two Players’ titles with Team Jones (2007 and 2009) and skipped her own team to the final in 2012. Team Webster won the Shoot-Out @ the Saville Centre in September.
