The National / Capital One Grand Slam of Curling Story Ideas

Welcome to the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling Connection, your source for story ideas about Canada’s top curlers and The National. As part of the lead-up to The National, Insight Sports Ltd. will provide members of the media with a list of story ideas on a weekly basis.

The National is the second leg of the men’s 2007-08 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series. The event is scheduled to take place from December 20-23 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia.

Feedback and questions about the story bank ideas, The National or the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling are welcome by contacting Eric Michalko, Communications Manager at (416) 593-0915, ext. 253 or emichalko@insightsports.com.

1) Team Adams Looking To Feed Off The Crowd At The National

After reaching his first career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling final with a runner-up finish at the 2007 BDO Classic Canadian Open in Quebec City, Halifax’s Shawn Adams will try to keep his team’s momentum going to during the series’ second leg in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia.

As the lone rink from Nova Scotia scheduled to compete at the tournament, Adams is expected to be the overwhelming crowd favourite at the event.

At the 2007 BDO Classic Canadian Open in Quebec City, Martin Ferland’s local rink took full advantage of a decidedly pro-Quebec crowd to lead his 20th ranked team to an unexpected semi-final berth before falling to eventual champion Kevin Martin.

However, despite the advantages that can be gained by playing in front of hometown fans, only Jeff Stoughton (2005-06 BDO Classic Canadian Open, Winnipeg) and Glenn Howard (2006-07 Masters of Curling, Waterloo, Ont.) have managed to win a Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event in, or near, their hometown over the past three seasons.

2) Canada’s Curlers Love the Small Town Feel of Port Hawkesbury

For the third consecutive year, Canada’s top men’s rinks will travel to little known Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia to compete in The National, one of the four legs of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series.

Located on southwest end of Cape Breton Island, two hours northeast of Halifax, Port Hawkesbury continues to be a popular event location for Canada’s top curlers, despite its secluded location.

With a population just under 4,000, Port Hawkesbury takes great pride in hosting one of curling’s premier annual events. During the course of the tournament, members of the community go out of their way to make Canada’s top rinks feel welcome. This includes:

Hiring a local chef to prepare home cooked meals for the teams.

Organizing a first class welcome reception, hosted by the town’s mayor, Billy Joe MacLean.

Holding the event in a state of the art, and “environment friendly” Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. In 2006, Business Weekly placed the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre among the top 10 sports stadiums in the world. The arena was recognized for becoming the first in North America to use natural daylight to illuminate the ice surface.

Hiring dedicated volunteer drivers who are available to chauffer the teams anytime throughout the tournament.

Scheduling live bands in The Patch every night for the players’ enjoyment.

3) Team Martin’s Drive for Five Continues in Port Hawkesbury

Following their victory at the BDO Classic Canadian Open, Kevin Martin’s rink will aim for their fifth consecutive Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title next week when the team travels to Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia to compete in The National.

Team Martin will also be aiming for their second consecutive title at The National after defeating Kevin Koe’s squad 6-5 last season to complete a perfect 8-0 record at the event.

During the past two months, Martin’s rink has been nearly unstoppable, winning 24 of their past 26 games. During their recent streak, Martin’s rink average margin of victory has been 3.25 points per game.

With a strong performance at The National, Martin could begin to pull away from Glenn Howard in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings. The reigning World Champion, Howard’s squad will be unable to compete in the Port Hawkesbury event due to family and work commitments.

Martin currently leads Howard by 8.700 points in the race for the overall lead in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings.

4) Former Teammates and Past Tournament Champions Set To Face-Off at the The National

During the 2005-06 season, team skip Wayne Middaugh and third Peter Corner combined to help their team capture The National during its first year in Port Hawkesbury.

After electing not to defend their title at the 2006-07 The National, Middaugh and Corner are scheduled to return to the event for the first time since winning the fourth edition of the tournament.

However, this time Middaugh and Corner will be on opposing teams.

After departing Team Middaugh to start his own rink following the 2006-07 season, Corner has quickly established a formidable squad.

Both rinks are coming off strong performances at the BDO Classic Canadian Open as Middaugh’s team advanced to the semi-finals while Corner’s squad qualified for the quarterfinals.

In 2007-08, Middaugh and Corner have met only once – during the preliminary round of the AMJ Campbell Shorty Jenkins Classic in September. Middaugh won the game by a score of 8-1.

At The National, both rinks will compete in Section C. The two teams are scheduled to meet in the second draw of The National.