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The world's best curlers gathered in Saskatoon for the last Grand Slam of Curling tournament of the year.
The first edition of the 2025 HearingLife Canadian Open kicked off Tuesday at Merlis Belcher Place and concludes Sunday with the men's and women's finals.
It's a chance to watch Canada's Olympic curling teams play before they head to the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February, and may be the last time fans will see Brad Gushue compete in Saskatchewan as the curling veteran retires at the end of this season.
Team Brad Jacobs and Team Rachel Homan won the Canadian curling competition last month to secure a spot at the Olympics. Both are competing in Saskatoon this week.
“It's just more opportunity for us to get reps on the team and get more practice,” skip Rachel Homan told reporters before her first draw Tuesday afternoon.
“Every game here is as difficult as the Olympics, so it’s really good practice and preparation before heading to Italy.”
Homan won three World Championships and five Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and competed in three Olympic Games. She's eager to bring home the gold medal this time and feels confident in her team, which includes Sarah Wilkes, Emma Miskew and Tracey Fleury.
“We've only been together this cycle… but we've gone through some tough losses together,” Homan said. “They have so much experience and we know we will all be ready by February.”
Homan's team is currently ranked No. 1 in the women's national team rankings in the world, while Jacobs' team is ranked third in the men's rankings.
Skip Brad Jacobs won gold at the 2014 Sochi Olympics but returns with a new team behind him: Regina's Ben Hebert, Brett Gallant and Mark Kennedy. Gallant will also compete in mixed doubles at the Olympics with his wife Jocelyn Peterman.
“It's a pleasure to run these guys and they make my job as easy as possible,” Jacobs told reporters Tuesday.
“We've done a good job of taking a step back from the results and being present in the moment in important situations. And I think that's what has allowed us to perform the way we do.”
Jacobs is “40 years old and feels like he's probably the best player of his career” and wants to bring home another gold medal.
But for now, Jacobs' new team wants one thing.
“All the main things we wanted to achieve and the goals we set for ourselves [this year]we were able to achieve this… It’s quite difficult to do,” Jacobs said.
“However, our team still doesn’t have a Grand Slam, so we hope to compete for one.”
