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The world’s top curlers are in Saskatoon for the last Grand Slam of Curling event of the year.
The first draw of the 2025 HearingLife Canadian Open kicked off Tuesday at Merlis Belsher Place and wraps up Sunday with the men’s and women’s finals.
It’s a chance to see Canada’s Olympic curling teams play before they head to the Milano-Cortina Winter Games in February, and possibly the last time fans will see Brad Gushue compete in Saskatchewan as the veteran curler is retiring at the end of this season.
Team Brad Jacobs and Team Rachel Homan won the Canadian curling trials last month to lock up their spots in the Olympics. Both are competing in Saskatoon this week.
“It’s just more opportunity for us to get reps in as a team and more practise,” skip Rachel Homan said to reporters ahead of her first draw Tuesday afternoon.
“Every game here is just as tough as we’re going to see at the Olympics, so it’s really good practise and prep before heading off to Italy.”
Homan has won three world championships and five Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and she has competed in three Olympics. She’s eager to bring home a gold medal this time and feels confident in her team, which includes Sarah Wilkes, Emma Miskew and Tracy Fleury.
“We’ve only been together for this cycle … but we’ve gone through some tough losses together,” Homan said. “They have so much experience and we know that we’re all going to be ready come February.”
Team Homan is currently No. 1 in the world women’s team rankings while Team Jacobs is ranked No. 3 in the men’s.
Skip Brad Jacobs won gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics but is returning with a new team behind him: Regina’s Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Marc Kennedy. Gallant will also be competing in the mixed doubles event at the Olympics with his wife Jocelyn Peterman.
“Skipping these guys is a pleasure and they make my job as easy as it can be,” Jacobs told reporters on Tuesday.
“We’ve done a good job detaching from results and being present and in the moment in big situations. And I think that’s what’s allowed us to perform the way that we have.”
Jacobs is “40 years old and feeling like I’m probably the best I’ve ever been in my career” — and he wants to bring another gold medal home.
But for now the new Team Jacobs wants one thing.
“All of the major things that we wanted to accomplish and the goals that we had set for ourselves [this year], we were able to accomplish.… That’s pretty hard to do,” Jacobs said.
“We still don’t have a Grand Slam, though, for this team, so we’re looking to battle hard for one of those.”
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