The National 2008/09

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NEWS RELEASE

Martin, Burtnyk and Stoughton Soar Ahead at The National

Howard in danger of missing the playoff round at the men’s second 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event

QUEBEC CITY, December 4, 2008 – Defending champion Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) and Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.) lead the field with perfect 3-0 records following the first five draws of the The National, the second leg of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series taking place at ExpoCité in Quebec City.

Martin remained on target for a third consecutive title at The National with a tight 5-3 victory over Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) this evening and a 6-3 decision over Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.) in the morning draw.

With Martin leading Simmons 4-3 in the final end, the Saskatchewan-based skip came up short on a triple takeout opportunity, giving the reigning World Champion a steal of one point and the win.

“He had a shot to win on that one,” said Martin. “It was a tough shot though, but there was a shot. Just missed it by an eighth of an inch or half an inch.”

Burtnyk remained undefeated at The National by posting a 6-3 victory over Shawn Adams (Halifax, N.S.) earlier in the day and edging Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) 6-5 in an extra end to close Draw 5.

After scoring a pair of points to open the game, Burtnyk executed a tough draw to the button in the third to score another pair of points for a 4-1 advantage.

Trailing 5-3 heading into the eighth frame, Howard forced an extra session with an open hit for two on his final rock.

In the extra end, Burtnyk sealed the victory with a tough draw through a port to the four-foot for a single point.

“It was a real interesting spot,” said Burtnyk referring to his game winning shot. “The hole looked pretty big but with draw weight it’s really not that big. Fortunately for us, Glenn got just behind the T-line so it allowed me to kind of play to come down to it which made that shot easier.”

With the loss, Howard’s bid to win a fourth consecutive Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title, and a seventh consecutive World Curling Tour event championship is in jeopardy as the 2007 World Champion has lost two straight to fall to 1-2.

In the afternoon draw, Howard’s 13-game winning streak on the World Curling Tour was snapped following a 5-4 loss to Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.).

Stoughton improved to 3-0 this afternoon after stealing a point in the extra end to upend Martin Ferland (Trois-Rivières, Que.) 6-5. In the morning draw, the former World Champion squeezed past Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.) 7-5.

In other action this evening, reigning Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.) defeated McAulay 6-3 to improve to 2-1. Joining Gushue at 2-1 through five draws are former World Champion Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.) and McEwen.

For a complete overview of this evening’s results, click here.

For a complete overview of The National standings following Draw 5, click here.

Featuring a total of 18 rinks, this evening’s round robin play at The National concludes tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET with Draw 6. A schedule for Draw 6 can be found by clicking here.

Friday’s draw times for The National are set for 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET respectively.

The top eight teams following the conclusion of round robin play qualify for the tournament’s quarterfinals on Saturday, December 6 at 11:00 a.m. ET.

The National features a total purse of $100,000. The tournament’s winning team will receive a maximum of $25,000.

Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.

The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association's qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.

About Capital One

Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard^® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard^® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).

About Insight Sports Ltd.

Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

NEWS RELEASE

Martin and Stoughton Move into the Quarterfinals at The National

Howard in danger of missing the playoff round at the men’s second 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event

QUEBEC CITY, December 4, 2008 – Two-time defending champion Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) and Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.) became the first two teams to secure a berth in the quarterfinals this evening following the first six draws of the The National, the second leg of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series taking place at ExpoCité in Quebec City.

Entering the day at 1-0, Martin and Stoughton each won three round robin games today to move atop of the standings with a perfect 4-0 record.

Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) is the only other undefeated team in the field at 3-0.

Martin remained on target for a third consecutive title at The National after posting a 6-3 victory over Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.), a tight 5-3 decision over Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) and a 6-4 result over Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.).

“We’ve got to find (the next gear),” said Martin, the reigning World Champion. “Right now we’re playing good enough to qualify (for the quarterfinals), but not good enough to compete in the playoff round. We’re going to have to step it up a little bit tomorrow.”

Stoughton’s run to the top of the leaderboard began with a 7-5 victory over Randy Ferbey, followed by a narrow 6-5 extra end victory over Martin Ferland (Trois-Rivières, Que.). Stoughton notched his third victory of the day in the evening after rallying from an early 3-0 deficit to defeat Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.) 8-6.

“It was a long day,” said Stoughton. “Every game was a battle right down to the last shot. We were tied up coming home with Ferbey, we stole one in an extra end against Ferland, and (against Koe) it was right down to the last shot.”

Burtnyk remained undefeated at The National by earning a pair of wins today. Earlier in the day, Burtnyk doubled Shawn Adams (Halifax, N.S.) 6-3 before edging Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) 6-5 in an extra end.

In the final frame, Burtnyk sealed the victory with a tough draw through a port to the four-foot for a single point.