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- When: Friday, February 16-25th
- What: 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
- Where: WinSport Event Centre at Canada Olympic Park
The 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts is here, returning to Calgary for the fourth time and marking the first in-person event since the memorable 2021 Scotties, held amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s height inside the WinSport Event Centre’s “bubble.”
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In that year’s final, Canada’s Team Kerri Einarson clinched victory over Ontario’s Team Rachel Homan, with Homan notably eight months pregnant, securing their second of four consecutive Scotties titles.
This year’s championship promises a markedly different atmosphere from the cardboard cutouts and audible toilet flushing of 2021.
Curling Canada reported brisk ticket sales last month, with the gold-medal game on Sunday, Feb. 25, nearly sold out, offering only standing-room tickets.
The anticipated full houses signal a welcome return to normalcy for players and fans alike.
The 10-day event (Feb. 16-25) will offer compelling storylines. Established contenders such as Einarson, Homan, Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, and Krista McCarville will vie for the title.
At the same time, newcomers like Danielle Inglis, Skylar Ackerman, and Selena Sturmay aim to leave their mark on the national stage.
All eyes will be on the 49-year-old Jones, set to make her 18th and final Scotties appearance in Calgary after announcing her retirement at the end of the season.
Olympic Gold Medalist Jennifer Jones announces that she will retire from women’s curling at the end of the season. https://t.co/zOERQUExR1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 13, 2024
Unlike Montana’s Brier Canadian men’s curling championship, Nunavut will not compete in this year’s Tournament of Hearts and has been replaced by a second CTRS team.
The 18-team field will be divided into two pools of nine, kicking off with an eight-game round-robin phase.
The top three teams from each pool will advance to the six-team playoff following round-robin play.
This year’s Scotties will feature no tiebreakers, with playoff spots determined by head-to-head results and Last-Shot Draw rankings if necessary.
In the playoffs, the first-place team in Pool A will face off against the second-place team in Pool B, and vice versa.
The winners of these matchups will advance to the page playoff 1 vs. 2 games, while the losers will compete against the third-place finishers for a spot in the 3 vs. 4 games.
From there, a standard page playoff format will determine the national champion.
The ultimate victor will represent Canada at the World Women’s Curling Championship, scheduled from March 16-24 at Centre 200 in Sydney, N.S.
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CANADA
Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., returns as the four-time defending champion. After tying Colleen Jones last year, Einarson now aims to become the first skip to win five consecutive Scotties Tournament of Hearts championships.
ALBERTA
Selena Sturmay will make her Scotties Tournament of Hearts debut this year. Sturmay, of Edmonton, stole two points in the 10th end to edge defending champion Kayla Skrlik 6-5 during the Alberta final Sunday in St. Paul.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Clancy Grandy will represent B.C. for the second consecutive season after defeating Corryn Brown 11-3 during Sunday’s final in Esquimalt.
Grandy’s team from Vancouver made it to the championship round of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts last year.
MANITOBA
Kaitlyn Lawes will represent Manitoba as a skip for the first time after her team held on to win 9-8 over Beth Peterson’s club Sunday in Morden.
Lawes, from Winnipeg, made 10 appearances at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts as the third for Jennifer Jones and skipped Wild Card One last year.
NEW BRUNSWICK
Melissa Adams captured her third New Brunswick Scotties title after defeating Sylvie Quillian 7-4 in the final last Sunday in Oromocto.
Adams, from Fredericton, will represent New Brunswick for a fifth time at the Scotties.
She made her debut in 2009 as an alternate, captured provincial titles in 2017 and 2018, and was selected in 2021 when playdowns were cancelled due to COVID-19.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Stacie Curtis of St. John’s will represent Newfoundland and Labrador title for the seventh time. Curtis defeated Brooke Godsland 13-5 during Sunday’s final in St. John’s.
Her team finished pool play in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts last year with a 2-6 record and did not advance to the championship round.
NORTHERN ONTARIO
Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay is heading to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the 11th time. McCarville’s team topped Sarah Burns 6-4 during Sunday’s final in Little Current.
It’ll be McCarville’s third consecutive appearance representing Northern Ontario.
NOVA SCOTIA
Heather Smith defeated Christina Black 5-4 during last Sunday’s final in Halifax.
Smith throws third on her team with Jill Brothers handling last rocks.
The Halifax-born Smith will make a seventh Scotties appearance after serving as the alternate for New Brunswick last season.
ONTARIO
Danielle Inglis won the Ontario title with an 8-7 victory over Carly Howard on Friday in Dorchester. Inglis, whose team is based in Ottawa, will play in her first Scotties Tournament of Hearts as a skip. She previously served as the alternate on Team Ontario in 2018 and 2021.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Jane DiCarlo will skip P.E.I. after scoring a 9-8 extra-end victory over Amanda Power during Sunday’s final on home ice in Crapaud.
DiCarlo, who skips while throwing third, will make her Scotties Tournament of Hearts debut.
QUEBEC
Laurie St-Georges will represent Quebec for a fourth consecutive time in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
St-Georges doubled up on Noemie Verreault 8-4 during Sunday’s final in Drummondville.
St-Georges’s Montreal-based team finished pool play last year in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with a 5-3 record but lost 8-3 to B.C., skipped by Clancy Grandy, in a tiebreaker and did not advance.
SASKATCHEWAN
Skylar Ackerman captured her first Saskatchewan title with a 10-9 extra-end victory over Nancy Martin during the final last Sunday in Tisdale.
The 22-year-old Ackerman, from Saskatoon, will make her second Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearance after serving as Saskatchewan’s alternate last year.
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Kerry Galusha won the Northwest Territories title with an 8-3 win over Sharon Cormier during the final last Sunday in Hay River.
Galusha of Yellowknife throws the lead, with Jo-Ann Rizzo handling the last rocks. It’ll be Galusha’s 17th appearance as a skip in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
YUKON
Bayly Scoffin claimed the Yukon title after beating Patty Wallingham in the final in Yellowknife. It’ll be the first Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearance for the 21-year-old Scoffin.
ONTARIO — HOMAN
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan received a pre-qualifier berth based on last season’s Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points.
It’ll be the 10th Scotties Tournament of Hearts appearance for Homan, who won the national title in 2013, 2014 and 2017.
MANITOBA — JONES
Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones received a pre-qualifier berth based on last season’s Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points.
It’ll be the 18th appearance for Jones, who has won a record-tying six Scotties Tournament of Hearts as a skip.
MANITOBA — CAMERON
Winnipeg’s Kate Cameron sealed a wild-card spot by being the highest team on the CTRS not having qualified.
Cameron will be making her seventh Scotties appearance, though first as a skip.
B.C. — BROWN
Corryn Brown of Kamloops, B.C. earned the final wild-card spot after playdowns on Sunday. Brown lost to Clancy Grandy in the B.C. final on Sunday. Brown will be making her third Scotties appearance.
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