News Releases
Capital
One - Grand Slam of Curling Sponsorship
(Nov/07)
News Releases
Capital
One - Grand Slam of Curling Sponsorship
(Nov/07)
NEWS RELEASE
Capital One Grand Slam of Curling Announces Revised Section
Groupings and Draw for The National
PORT HAWEKESBURY, N.S., December 19, 2007 – The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling and Insight Sports Ltd. announced this evening the revised section groupings and draw schedule for The National. The second leg of the men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, The National will take place at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre in Port Hawkesbury, N.S. from December 20-23.
The National’s section groupings and draw schedule were revised following today’s announcement that Randy Ferbey’s rink had withdrawn from the tournament after the team’s skip was diagnosed with an injury to his left Achilles tendon. With Team Ferbey’s withdrawal, Mark Kehoe’s Falmouth, N.S.-based squad was added to the 18-team field.
The National will feature three sections of six teams. Teams are systematically allocated into sections based on their seeding in the Capital One Order of Merit Rankings as of November 12, 2007. Note: Number in bracket denotes Capital One Order of Merit seeding.
Section A Section B Section C
(1) Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) (4) Kevin Koe (Edmonton, Alta.) (5) Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.)
(8) Pat Simmons (Davidson, Sask.) (7) Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.) (6) Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.)
(9) Joel Jordison (Moose Jaw, Sask.) (10) Wayne Middaugh (Toronto, Ont.) (11) Peter Corner (Brampton, Ont.)
(15) Shawn Adams (Halifax, N.S.) (14) Jamie King (Edmonton, Alta.) (13) Brent MacDonald (Edmonton, Alta.)
(16) Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.) (17) Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg, Man.) (22) Russ Howard (Moncton, N.B.)
(86) Mark Kehoe (Falmouth, N.S) (39) Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minn., USA) (23) Tom Brewster (Aberdeen, Scotland)
The revised draw for The National is as follows. **All times local Atlantic standard time. Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, December 20
10:30 a.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 1 Koe vs. Middaugh Adams vs. Simmons Gushue vs. Brewster Fenson vs. Burtnyk Jordison vs. McAulay
1:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 2 Howard vs. Stoughton Martin vs. Kehoe Adams vs. Jordison King vs. Carruthers Corner vs. MacDonald
5:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 3 Martin vs. Simmons Koe vs. King Burtnyk vs. Middaugh Kehoe vs. McAulay Fenson vs. Carruthers
8:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 4 Gushue vs. MacDonald Burtnyk vs. Carruthers Corner vs. Stoughton Howard vs. Brewster Fenson vs. Middaugh
Friday, December 21
8:30 a.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 5 Martin vs. McAulay Stoughton vs. MacDonald Gushue vs. Howard Simmons vs. Jordison Adams vs. Kehoe
11:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 6 Koe vs. Fenson Middaugh vs. Carruthers Simmons vs. McAulay King vs. Burtnyk Corner vs. Brewster
2:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 7 Kehoe vs. Jordison Corner vs. Howard Adams vs. Martin MacDonald vs. Brewster Gushue vs. Stoughton
5:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 8 Howard vs. MacDonald Kehoe vs. Simmons Koe vs. Carruthers Adams vs. McAulay Middaugh vs. King
8:30 p.m. Sheet A Sheet B Sheet C Sheet D Sheet E
Draw 8 Stoughton vs. Brewster Gushue vs. Corner King vs. Fenson Koe vs. Burtnyk Martin vs. Jordison
Saturday, December 22
8:00 a.m. Tie-breaker, if necessary
11:00 a.m. Quarterfinals
4:00 p.m. Semi-finals
Sunday, December 23
11:00 a.m. Final
Individual and weekend ticket packages for The National are currently on sale. Tickets can be purchased by phoning (902) 625-2591 or by visiting the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre Box Office.
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading sports media and entertainment company which creates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, DVD, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand.
Insight Sports operates three specialty television networks: GOLTV Canada (www.goltv.ca), a 24-hour soccer network; WFN: World Fishing Network (www.wfn.tv), North America's only network devoted entirely to fishing; and GameTV (www.igametv.com), the only Canadian television network that gives viewers a chance to win great prizes every day, simply by tuning in. The company owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling, the most prestigious events on the World Curling Tour and Ford Major League Gaming Canada (www.mlgcanada.com), an affiliate of Major League Gaming and the largest organized league and international sanctioning body for professional video gaming. Insight Sports also manages Wayne Gretzky’s official website, www.gretzky.com and holds a significant interest in the NHL Network (www.nhlnetwork.ca), a 24-hour hockey channel.
Aquila Productions Inc., a leader in sports television production, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Insight Sports. Based in Toronto, the principal shareholders of Insight Sports include Larry Tanenbaum (Kilmer Enterprises Inc., a subsidiary of Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Limited) and MWI & Partners. For more information see www.insightsports.com.
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).
-30-
For additional information, please contact:
Eric Michalko
Communications Manager
Insight Sports Ltd.
Phone: 416.593.0915, ext. 253
Cell: 647.669.0900
Email:
emichalko@insightsports.com
Eric Michalko | Communications Manager
Insight Sports | GOLTV | WFN | NHL Network | Grand Slam of Curling | Major League Gaming | GameTV | Gretzky.com
184 Pearl St., Suite 302, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5H 1L5
w. 416.593.0915, ext. 253 | c. 647.669.0900 | emichalko@insightsports.com
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.
Please note that this is the final edition of story ideas for The National. To view a complete list of all the story ideas, click here.
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) Like Father, Like Son: Steven Howard’s Maturation Process Continues At The National
With a father who is the reigning Olympic champion and an uncle who is the reigning World Champion, Steven Howard never has to go far to seek advice on how to improve his curling game.
Heading into The National, Steven, 22, has been continuing to hone his skills as the lead on his father Russ’ squad.
Together they are the lone father-son tandem competing at The National.
In 2007-08, Russ, 51, and Steven combined to help lead their team to a victory at the Bern Open in Bern, Switzerland. The squad is also coming off an impressive semi-final appearance last weekend at the John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier in Ottawa.
In 2006, Russ became the oldest Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal after helping Brad Gushue’s rink win the title at the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He is also a two-time World Champion, winning in 1987 and 1993.
Russ’ brother Glenn will be unable to compete with his team at The National due to family and work commitments.
2) Kevin Koe’s Rink Looking to Take the Next Step At The National
Last season, Kevin Koe came within a hair of winning his first Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title as the Edmonton native advanced all the way to the finals of The National before losing to provincial rival Kevin Martin by a score of 6-5.
After
failing to advance to the quarterfinals at the 2007 BDO Classic
Canadian Open, Koe’s team appears to be rounding into form just
ahead of The National.
Last week, the foursome captured the championship at the John Shea
Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier in Ottawa. After opening the
tournament with a 2-2 mark, Koe curled his team to seven straight
victories on route to the championship.
One of the top skips in Canada, Koe’s rink is currently ranked fourth overall – behind Martin, Glenn Howard and Randy Ferbey – in the current Capital One Order of Merit rankings.
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.
Please note that this is the final edition of story ideas for The National. To view a complete list of all the story ideas, click here.
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) Like Father, Like Son: Steven Howard’s Maturation Process Continues At The National
With a father who is the reigning Olympic champion and an uncle who is the reigning World Champion, Steven Howard never has to go far to seek advice on how to improve his curling game.
Heading into The National, Steven, 22, has been continuing to hone his skills as the lead on his father Russ’ squad.
Together they are the lone father-son tandem competing at The National.
In 2007-08, Russ, 51, and Steven combined to help lead their team to a victory at the Bern Open in Bern, Switzerland. The squad is also coming off an impressive semi-final appearance last weekend at the John Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier in Ottawa.
In 2006, Russ became the oldest Canadian to win an Olympic gold medal after helping Brad Gushue’s rink win the title at the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy. He is also a two-time World Champion, winning in 1987 and 1993.
Russ’ brother Glenn will be unable to compete with his team at The National due to family and work commitments.
2) Kevin Koe’s Rink Looking to Take the Next Step At The National
Last season, Kevin Koe came within a hair of winning his first Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title as the Edmonton native advanced all the way to the finals of The National before losing to provincial rival Kevin Martin by a score of 6-5.
After failing to advance to the quarterfinals at the 2007 BDO
Classic Canadian Open, Koe’s team appears to be rounding into
form just ahead of The National.
Last week, the foursome captured the championship at the John
Shea Insurance Canada Cup Qualifier in Ottawa. After opening
the tournament with a 2-2 mark, Koe curled his team to seven
straight victories on route to the championship.
One of the top skips in Canada, Koe’s rink is currently ranked fourth overall – behind Martin, Glenn Howard and Randy Ferbey – in the current Capital One Order of Merit rankings.