Curling – Winnipeg Free Press

Matt Packwood / The Brandon Sun files
Jordon McDonald’s team is one win away from a spot in the Canadian men’s Olympic trials.

Calvert and McDonald in showdown for Olympic trials berth

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Friday, Oct. 24, 2025

There will be two Manitoba men’s teams in the hunt for an Olympic berth.

While Matt Dunstone’s seat in the Canadian men’s curling trials is already secured, he found out Friday that he will be joined by another team from the Keystone Province.

Assiniboine’s Jordon McDonald and Braden Calvert of Fort Rouge are on the doorstep of the biggest win of their respective careers, facing off in the Canadian men’s pre-trials finals in Wolfville, N.S..

The winner advances to next month’s trials in Halifax, and the winner of that tournament will have earned the right to don the Maple Leaf at the Olympic Winter Games in Italy this winter.

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Chance meeting with Team Gim paved way for Lee’s Korea Curling Federation role

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Chance meeting with Team Gim paved way for Lee’s Korea Curling Federation role

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026

STEINBACH — Morris is a long ways away from South Korea.

So, when Team Eun-ji Gim checked into the Stampede Inn ahead of the 2018 DeKalb Superspiel at the Morris Curling Club, they weren’t expecting to see a fellow Korean behind the front desk in Min Lee.

“Usually, you see Koreans in bigger cities, but it was a really small town, and out of nowhere, there was a Korean guy at the hotel we happened to be staying in,” said Gim, through Lee’s translating, at the Players’ Championship in Steinbach at the Southeast Event Centre.

“So, it was really surprising. But we were glad someone who speaks the same language was there.”

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Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026

Taylor Allen / FREE PRESS
Skip Eun-ji Gim (right) praised Korea Curling Federation’s technical trainer Min Lee from Morris for his dependability when her team or other Korean teams compete in Canada.

Olympic-bound skip credits Carruthers reigniting his love for the game

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Olympic-bound skip credits Carruthers reigniting his love for the game

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

STEINBACH — The road back to the Olympics involved an important pit stop in Manitoba for Brad Jacobs.

The longtime Northern Ontario skip was burnt out and started the quadrennial by taking a break from the sport. In fact, when the 2021-22 Grand Slam season ended, Jacobs wasn’t so sure if he’d ever commit to a full-time schedule again.

Then, a few months later, he got a phone call from one of Manitoba’s most decorated curlers: Reid Carruthers.

After parting ways with third Jason Gunnlaugson, Carruthers was in a jam and called up Jacobs to see if he’d be open to sparing at the remaining Grand Slam events on the schedule.

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Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS
Brad Jacobs (centre) credits his time in the Buffalo jacket alongside decorated Manitoban curler Reid Carruthers for saving him from burnout.

Steinbach hits it out of the park as Grand Slam host

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Steinbach hits it out of the park as Grand Slam host

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026

STEINBACH —The Grand Slam of Curling hasn’t even left town yet and they’re already thinking about coming back to Steinbach.

“It’s got that wow factor walking in here,” said Jenni Cram, the GSOC’s communications director on Day 1 of the Players’ Championship inside the Southeast Event Centre.

Tuesday marked the GSOC’s return to Manitoba ice for the first time in eight years. With the $75-million arena opening in August and now being an option, the world’s best curlers might find themselves chowing down on Mennonite classics such as Vereniki and Schinka Fleisch a lot more frequently.

“We’ve been eager to come back to Manitoba. It’s been far too long, but it was a matter of finding the right venue,” said Cram.

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Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
Gimli’s Kerri Einarson lost her opening match Tuesday to Eun-ji Gim of South Korea.

Grand Slam of Curling returns to Manitoba Tuesday with Players’ Championship

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Grand Slam of Curling returns to Manitoba Tuesday with Players’ Championship

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

It’s a shame how rarely Manitoba’s elite curlers get to play in their home province.

Gimli’s Kerri Einarson hasn’t thrown a competitive rock around these parts since early 2020 when she bested Jennifer Jones in the provincial final in Rivers.

It’s also been far too long for Winnipeggers Mike McEwen (2022 provincials in Selkirk) and Matt Dunstone (2023 provincials in Neepawa) who have gotten used to travelling coast-to-coast annually without playing in the Keystone Province.

The good news is the drought ends this week with Steinbach hosting the Grand Slam of Curling’s (GSOC) Crown Royal Players’ Championship inside the Southeast Event Centre. The action kicks off Tuesday and runs through Sunday featuring the top 12 men’s and top 12 women’s teams in the world battling it out for a combined prize purse of $480,000.

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Monday, Jan. 5, 2026

Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Kerri Einarson is looking forward to being ‘a home-crowd favourite’ at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

World’s first professional curling league set to throw first stone in April

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Preview

World’s first professional curling league set to throw first stone in April

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

The world’s first professional curling league is hoping to change the future of the sport.

The Curling Group — the owners of the Grand Slam of Curling — announced back in the spring their intentions to start the Rock League and, on Tuesday, they revealed the 30 men and 30 women from around the globe who will make up the six teams of 10 (five men and five women) who will compete.

Curling legends and competition advisors Jennifer Jones and John Morris were tasked with selecting the 60 players and splitting them into their respective groups.

“It’s been over the course of a year where we’ve gone back and forth in trying to formulate the teams with new, energizing talent, and some names that have been around for a long time,” said Jones in an interview with the Free Press.

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Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Selkirk’s Kerri Einarson said she loves the idea of a professional league. The four-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts winner will be playing for the Shield Curling Club in April.

Winnipeg team advances to Olympic-qualifier final by prevailing in rematch with McEwen

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Winnipeg team advances to Olympic-qualifier final by prevailing in rematch with McEwen

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025

HALIFAX — Twenty-four hours earlier a dejected Matt Dunstone thought he blew it.

He had just lost his third consecutive game — a 9-5 loss to fellow Winnipegger Mike McEwen — which ripped his playoff hopes at the 2025 Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax out of his hands. It looked so dire he packed up his curling gear and took it back to the hotel to get it ready for the trip home.

Fortunately for Dunstone, he had to unpack.

Brad Gushue and Kevin Koe also closed out the round-robin on Wednesday with losses, which meant the 30-year-old from Winnipeg was able to squeak into Thursday night’s semifinal as the No. 3 seed in a rematch with McEwen. It was a second life and Dunstone made the most of it by bouncing back with a clutch 9-5 victory.

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Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025

Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Skip Matt Dunstone yells instructions to teammates Thursday during semifinal of the Canadian Olympic curling trials in Halifax.

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Dunstone sneaks into men’s semifinal at Olympic curling trials

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Preview

Dunstone sneaks into men’s semifinal at Olympic curling trials

Taylor Allen 8 minute read Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025

HALIFAX — Matt Dunstone missing the playoffs seemed unfathomable on Monday.

The Winnipeg skip had just outlasted Brad Gushue in a 9-7 nailbiter to become the only men’s team at the Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax to own a perfect 4-0 record.

“We put ourselves in the driver’s seat,” said Dunstone at the time.

They hit a speed bump Tuesday afternoon when Kevin Koe turned back the clock and made a triple takeout to steal a 5-4 win.

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Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025

Darren Calabrese / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Matt Dunstone will face Mike McEwen in the semifinal of the men’s olympic qualifier.

A young Team McDonald look to the future with changing of old guard

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Preview

A young Team McDonald look to the future with changing of old guard

Taylor Allen 5 minute read Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

The door is wide open for the next great men’s curling team to emerge out of Manitoba.

With Matt Dunstone pre-qualifying for the Brier on an annual basis, and Reid Carruthers gradually shifting his focus to coaching, the opportunity is there for a rising star out of the Keystone Province.

Enter Jordon McDonald.

Despite being just 22 and fresh out of junior ranks, McDonald and his Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club foursome are ranked ninth in the country.

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Friday, Oct. 3, 2025

Matt Packwood / The Brandon Sun Files
Skip Jordon McDonald said Friday he appreciates playing some of the country’s best teams because it’s a learning experience for his young team.

Team Einarson intact and aiming to bring their best

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Team Einarson intact and aiming to bring their best

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025

Kerri Einarson describes last season as the most stressful of her career.

The team that made history with four consecutive Scotties Tournament of Hearts crowns (2020-23) was no longer intact. Second Shannon Birchard was sidelined with a knee injury, and the group parted ways with former lead Briane Harris shortly after her provisional anti-doping ban was lifted. After rotating through several subs throughout the year, Einarson managed to add Karlee Burgess to the lineup which led to Harris joining forces with another national contender out of Manitoba in Kate Cameron.

Despite all the twists and turns, Einarson, Burgess, Val Sweeting and Krysten Karwacki rallied their way to the Scotties final where they were overmatched by Rachel Homan.

“I sure hope no other team has to go through the things we went through because it was so hard on us,” Einarson told the Free Press on Wednesday.

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Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025

JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Shannon Birchard is back on the sheet with Team Einarson after being sidelined by chronic inflammation in her sliding knee.

Team Dunstone off to a strong start with AMJ Masters win

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Preview

Team Dunstone off to a strong start with AMJ Masters win

Taylor Allen 6 minute read Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2025

You don’t have to remind Matt Dunstone how long his Grand Slam drought was.

“It was five years and 11 months,” said the skip in a chat with the Free Press on Monday.

“So, it’s been a long time coming, for sure.”

Dunstone managed to get the monkey off his back Sunday in London, Ont., with his Winnipeg-based team — third Colton Lott, second E.J. Harnden, and lead Ryan Harnden — by outlasting Scotland’s Ross Whyte 6-4 in extra ends to capture the AMJ Masters title.

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Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2025

Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Skip Matt Dunstone is thrilled his Grand Slam drought ended Sunday with an AMJ Masters title as his team prepares to capture an Olympic berth.

Jones details highs and lows, on and off the ice, in inspiring new memoir

Reviewed by Dave Williamson 6 minute read Preview

Jones details highs and lows, on and off the ice, in inspiring new memoir

Reviewed by Dave Williamson 6 minute read Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025

One of Canada’s most famous and most successful curlers, Jennifer Jones reflects on her action-packed life in the utterly readable and inspiring memoir Rock Star, with an assist by veteran Toronto journalist Bob Weeks, who helped her “shape the manuscript.”

The Winnipeg-born Jones, now 51, dominated the curling scene for many years, winning the national women’s title six times and the world championship twice. She credits her father Larry with teaching her the fundamentals of the game at an early age. Her mother Carol was always solidly behind Jennifer, and her older sister Heather became her No. 1 fan.

At age 12, Jones was already perfecting her game in late-night junior bonspiels. She was eventually asked to play third on Jill Staub’s rink, and the team went on to win the Manitoba junior championship in 1991, but were beaten in the Canadian final by New Brunswick. That caused Jones to break down crying, a reaction that became a lasting memory — it was an indication that showed not a weakness, but how deeply she felt about the sport of curling.

She vowed that, in the future, “I would certainly try my best to win, but I wouldn’t be scared to lose.”

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Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025

Andrew Vaughan / Canadian Press files
Jennifer Jones delivers a skip’s stone for Team Canada at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sydney, N.S., in 2019.

Curling Grand Slam will be ‘Neil Armstrong moment’ for SEC

Cassidy Dankochik 4 minute read Preview

Curling Grand Slam will be ‘Neil Armstrong moment’ for SEC

Cassidy Dankochik 4 minute read Wednesday, May. 14, 2025

The countdown is officially on for Steinbach to host the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

Organizers, politicians and curling stars were in attendance at the newly built Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in downtown Steinbach May 13 to promote and officially kick off the event, which will take place Jan. 6-11 in 2026.

Manitoba hasn’t hosted a Grand Slam since 2018.

The Centre’s general manager, Jeff Bannon, said the Players’ Championship will be the SEC’s chance to make a strong first impression on the national stage.

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Wednesday, May. 14, 2025

Cassidy Dankochik / The Carillon
Jennifer Jones speaks with young curlers following a promotional event for the 2026 Players’ Championship. Jones credited the Grand Slam for powering the growth of women’s curling around the globe.

Canada’s Rachel Homan on a roll as she looks to defend world women’s curling title

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Canada’s Rachel Homan on a roll as she looks to defend world women’s curling title

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025

Rachel Homan and her juggernaut Canadian championship team know their No. 1 world ranking doesn't guarantee success at the 2025 world women's curling championship.

But that doesn't mean Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes won't be full of confidence when they begin their title defence when the 13-country championship begins Saturday in Uijeongbu, South Korea.

The Homan team has been together for three years and has been dominant over the past 18 months, winning back-to-back Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles and the 2024 world championship in Sydney, N.S.

"We find the more experience we get playing together, the stronger we get," Fleury said. "We're all really comfortable with one another now."

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Thursday, Mar. 13, 2025

Team Canada skip Rachel Homan delivers a rock against Manitoba in her teams quarter final victory during the Scotties Tournament of Hearts action in Thunder Bay, Ont., Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Jackson

Neufeld rides roaring-game roller-coaster to Brier

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Preview

Neufeld rides roaring-game roller-coaster to Brier

Joshua Frey-Sam 7 minute read Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025

BJ Neufeld might be the newest member of his squad, but when it comes to this week’s Brier, he was always way ahead of his teammates.

When Reid Carruthers won the Manitoba men’s curling championship earlier this month, a scramble to reserve flights and hotels for the national championship ensued.

Everyone except the team’s third. Neufeld’s wife, Sarah, booked their trip last May.

Neufeld was playing for Matt Dunstone at the time, and their team had pre-qualified for the tournament owing to its standing in the Canadian Team Rankings System. In December, however, Team Dunstone parted ways with Neufeld, leaving his trip to a 10th Brier in doubt.

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Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025

JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS files
BJ Neufeld will be playing in his 10th Brier.

Einarson to face Nova Scotia in Scotties semifinal after loss to Homan

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Preview

Einarson to face Nova Scotia in Scotties semifinal after loss to Homan

Joshua Frey-Sam 4 minute read Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

It will be Rachel Homan against whoever dares to challenge her.

The superstar skip from Ontario, representing Team Canada, secured a spot in Sunday’s final at the national curling championship after a sensational effort on Saturday evening as she downed Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson 8-4 in nine ends in the 1-2 page playoff.

Homan has won 21 straight at the event, dating back to 2023.

Her foursome out of the Ottawa Curling Club, including third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes, collectively shot at a 90 per cent efficiency as they made life difficult on Einarson with and without the hammer.

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Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025

January 10, 2026

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