The Masters has come to a close and Kevin and Warren share their thoughts about the thrilling first event to the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. The guys also look ahead to this week’s Americas Challenge, with Canada’s Team Bottcher taking on Mexico and Brazil for a spot in the men’s worlds, plus the U.S. mixed doubles Olympic trials. Speaking of the Olympics, stick around for Story Time at the end of the show as Warren tells the tale about how he helped get curling into the Winter Olympics.

Fresh off of a successful title defence at the Masters, Tracy Fleury joins the show (31:30) to talk about her team’s championship victory. Fleury also discusses how her team is gearing up for the Olympic Trials, training in Sudbury while her teammates live in Manitoba, plus her thoughts on the no-tick zone rule that was in effect at the Masters and more.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen & Jonathan Brazeau, mixed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the first Grand Slam event of the year in Oakville, Ontario. The guys recap (00:01) all the happenings from the Masters and give their favourites going into the weekend.

Plus, Kevin sits down with Anna Hasselborg and Agnes Knochenhauer (15:30) to talk about their training regimen going into the season, competing in an Olympic year, the potential rule changes proposed by the World Curling Federation and what their coach, Wayne Middaugh, brings to their team.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Amil Delic, mixed by Andrew Hollands, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

GSOC season is now upon us and Kevin gets us all set up providing his picks to win the Masters. Our segment taking aim at the Canadian Olympic Trials last week raised a few interesting questions amongst our fanbase and we take a look at some of your feedback in our Mailbag. Stick around until the end of the show for “Storytime” as Kevin and Warren reflect on 2001 when our co-hosts clashed during the formation of the GSOC and the Brier boycott.

Reigning Brier champion Brendan Bottcher is our special guest (29:00) to talk about how his team has been preparing for the upcoming Masters and Americas Challenge. Bottcher also shares his thoughts on what he likes — and doesn’t like — about the new rules the World Curling Federation will be testing at the men’s and women’s worlds later this season.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen & Jonathan Brazeau, mixed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional editing and production support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re back! Season two of the podcast kicks off with a roundup of the latest from the tour with all of the top teams in action including some surprising results at the prestigious Autumn Gold Curling Classic in Calgary. Our Hot Rocks and Mailbag topics tackle Canada’s confusing Olympic selection process for Beijing 2022 and Kevin and Warren discuss if the pre-trials and pre-pre-trials events are even necessary for ensuring the best teams end up going to the Winter Games.

The World Curling Federation announced recently they’ll be testing new rules at the men’s and women’s world championships later this season. Graham Prouse (24:00), WCF vice president of the Americas, joins us to talk about the decision process behind changing thinking time to a per end basis, banning tick shots when the five-rock rule is in effect and having draw-to-the-button shootouts rather than extra ends to break ties during round-robin play. Kevin and Warren also offer their thoughts and how these rules will alter the pace of play issues and could help make the game more appealing to newer audiences.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Jonathan Brazeau, edited and mixed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional production and editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We begin this week’s show discussing the news about the Tam Heather Curling Club in Toronto receiving funding from all three levels of government and how it brings hope for clubs that are struggling with finances. The 2021 world mixed curling championship was cancelled but not because of COVID-19 and Kevin and Warren wonder if the future of the event is in doubt. We also wrap up the season weighing in on our hottest topics one more time and answer your emails about players switching positions in mixed doubles and the effectiveness of carving.

Pete Steski was an integral part of the original players association and is now looking to restart the organization. We chat with Pete about the challenges with getting a new players association off the ground, the issues curlers are facing with regards to sponsorship cresting on uniforms and scheduling of events, trying to get all of the major stakeholders of the game together in one room plus changing the direction of the tour.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Jonathan Brazeau, mixed and sounded designed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen, and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kevin and Warren clear up some confusion from last week’s episode about the differences between touching running and stationary stones plus why ending games early in high-performance events is problematic compared to the recreational level. We also answer a few fan questions about players caught swearing on a hot mic, why teams still raise brooms after bad shots and more.

Goldline Curling president Erin Flowers joins to talk about her company’s new United We Curl broom series designed to promote diversity and inclusion in the sport. We discuss what sparked the initiative, the reaction from curlers and fans, and the importance of listening to the lived experiences of the racialized community. Flowers also shares how Goldline Curling has weathered the storm through the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the company’s future relies on the grassroots game.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Jonathan Brazeau, mixed and sounded designed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen, and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Curling clubs in Saskatoon are seeking financial relief due to sharp property tax increases and Kevin and Warren weigh in with potential solutions to increase revenue streams. We’re nine months away from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics yet Sweden has already selected their curling teams with Oskar Eriksson set to play men’s and mixed doubles. The guys share their thoughts on allowing Eriksson to compete in both disciplines as well as the advantages of picking teams now.

We dig into our mailbag to answer your burning questions about clearing up the rules regarding burned stones plus whether or not teams should be allowed to concede games early in major tournaments.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Jonathan Brazeau, mixed and sounded designed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen, and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off this week’s episode discussing the latest inductees into the World Curling Federation’s Hall of Fame and Warren provides a behind-the-scenes look at the selection process. Curling Canada has had a couple interesting departures from their board that raised some red flags with our guys. Kevin and Warren also offer their perspective on tennis star Naomi Osaka’s decision to not take part in press conferences due to mental health issues and how this can lead to discussions across all sports about the relationship between athletes and the media.

Abby Deschene is a rising star from Sudbury and part of the Northern Ontario Curling Association’s new Youth Advisory Committee. Deschene joins the show to chat about her role as well as her concerns with Curling Canada’s under-20 championships, ways to recruit newcomers, rebranding the image of the sport to appeal to Gen Z, remodelling junior programs, and more.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen and Jonathan Brazeau, mixed and sounded designed by Andrew Holland, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional sound engineering by Amil Delic.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are other countries improving on the world stage because they’re hiring Canadian coaches? Kevin and Warren weigh in on the hot topic as some curling fans believe it shouldn’t happen. We’ve also finally made it to the end of the curling season with the conclusion of the USA Curling national championships, the guys share their closing thoughts and offer insight into the summer routine for curlers.

Three-time world champion Wayne Middaugh is this week’s guest to chat about his remarkable return to the Brier, why he really liked this year’s format, the strategy behind his aggressive style of skipping, his way of putting aside bad performances, plus fitting in as coach of Sweden’s Team Hasselborg. Middaugh also answers some questions from our listeners and shares his funniest story from his playing days.

This podcast is produced by Warren Hansen, mixed and sounded designed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Kevin Martin, Warren Hansen and Jim Jerome. Additional editing support by Andrew Holland.

Audio Credits: Sportsnet.

The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.