For many Canadians, hockey isn’t the only winter sport they hit the ice for. Curling has a long history in Canada and its grassroots are interwoven deep. Join us as we break down some of the basics with our friends from Curling Canada.
How did curling get started in Canada?
Scottish newcomers [pre-Confederation] … had some curling in their background, [and] there were others who wanted to help alleviate the long winters with some kind of sporting activity, and wondered if curling might be the way to do so.
Changes [as the sport developed] included the move from outdoor ice to covered rinks; the growth of friendly matches between adjacent towns; the advent of artificial ice; the building of roads and railway and the growth of communication; eventually regional and provincial competition and then national championships; world championships; and the Olympics.
Curling had become an essential element of grassroots Canada. Through its long history, it became a sport attractive to all levels of society and all ages of participants.
Get your history geek fill here and here.
The Big Leagues
Scotties Tournament of Hearts
We can trace this tournament to its roots in the 1950s, when the Western Canadian Women’s Championship was formed, with sponsorship by the Eaton’s department store chain. Learn more about the history of the Scotties Tournament.
The tournament took place Feb 15th to the 23rd in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Find out who took home the trophy!
Tim Horton’s Brier
Saturday, February 29th to Sunday, March 8
Fifteen teams, representing each of Curling Canada’s 14 Member Associations as well as the defending champion Team Canada, compete for the Brier Tankard, the refurbished silver trophy that was presented to the winners of the Brier during Macdonald Tobacco’s 50-year sponsorship.
The trophy was re-introduced in 2001 in Ottawa at the first Nokia Brier, when the famed Labatt Brier Tankard was retired after the 2000 Brier in Saskatoon.
The Canadian men’s curling championship began in 1927 in Toronto and has been contested each year since, with the exception of the war years (1943, 1944 and 1945). After being held in Toronto from 1927-1939, the Brier went ‘national’ in 1940, staged in Winnipeg.
Learn more here.
Don’t forget while you’re here to sign up for our Birthday Club and receive a $20 Gift Voucher for your Birthday!