The Curling Hotline

John and Robbie are back to recap a busy couple of weeks in curling (at least for the Canadian teams) as we go back-to-back in London and Calgary for the AMJ Masters and PointsBet Invitational. And wouldn't you know it, the same teams won both, as Matt Dunstone and Rachel Homan plant an early flag in an important season. We discuss all the happenings at each event, where things stand with the new softer broom foams, and we tee up next week's Co-Op Tour Challenge in Nisku by giving fans the inside scoop on some new rules that will be in effect for that event, including one blank per team, per game.

It's a double dose of victory on the pod this week as John is joined by the two big winners at the AMJ Masters last week: Tier 1's winning skip Matt Dunstone and Tier 2's conqueror, Danny Casper.

With Matt, we hear about how things are starting to gel with EJ Harnden at the second stone and how his preternatural connection with Colton Lott has unlocked a new level for this team, how they're approaching the Olympic Trials, and what was going through his mind over the last six years as he tried to find Slam Win #2. He also tells us a great story about failing a trombone test.

Then, Danny joins the show to discuss his second Tier 2 victory and how this sets them up for the US Olympic Trials, plus whether or not they feel pressure to succeed despite being the dark horse to take it all and head to Milano with the US flag on their backs. He also tells us about his plans for the next quad, he details his battle with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, and we learn that he is a very, very slow eater.

Season 2 of the Broom Brothers is HERE and we have a brand-new weekly format we are rolling out starting NOW! One week, your faithful Broom Bros John and Robbie will sit down and discuss all the important curling news of the day and give our opinions on all the happenings of the curling world, and the next, John will sit down with an interview with someone from the game, be that a player, rulemaker, or mover and shaker.

It's a new year and a new look for the fellas and it all starts here with our first episode that already needed an emergency attachment as Brad Gushue announced his retirement from the competitive game after we had already recorded this entire episode. Whoops. But we cover that as well as all the happenings of the summer from broom controversies being put to bed to the Goldline acquisition of Hardline to the Olympic reps being named for many countries. We also take a look at the season ahead starting with the AMJ Masters coming up next week in London and give our usual bold predictions.

As promised on the John Morris draft episode, Brent Laing from the TCG Competition Committee joins the pod to tell us all about what the Competition Committee has been up to over the last few months. We discuss some potential rule and format changes on the horizon from finding ways to shorten the game to a tournament within a tournament to eliminating extra ends and blanks. In short, everything is being considered and everything is on the table. We also discuss where things might be going with Rock League formats, how curling can try to create stars, and why The Curling Group is trying to start a youth movement.

John is pleased to be joined by two curlers who will be playing in the upcoming GSOC Wheelchair Invitational and two Paralympic hopefuls, Jon Thurston and Chrissy Molnar. Coming from opposite ends of the spectrum with Jon being a 12-year veteran of the sport and Chrissy just getting into it within the last few years, the two discuss the upcoming Paralympics, the advancements that have been made in the wheelchair game in the last decade, and whether or not wheelchair curling should have sweepers (probably not) or specialized chairs (maybe). And of course, we dive into the GSOC Wheelchair Invitational itself, as Jon and Chrissy share their excitement for this historic inaugural event, how it will help their Paralympic prep, and what they're most looking forward to in London.

Tickets for the GSOC Wheelchair Invitational and the AMJ Masters are available now at thegrandslamofcurling.com.

John Morris teams up with John Cullen for the first-ever World Cup–style "pot draft" ahead of the AMJ Masters this September in London. Just like in soccer, the top 16 seeds are split into four pots, and names are drawn to decide who battles who at the season's opening Slam. Which group will become the dreaded Group of Death? How will the long-awaited return of China's men's and women's teams play out after nearly a decade away from GSOC? The two Johns break it all down in this special episode.

John sits down with Rachel Homan, the two-time defending world champ and captain of one of Canada's Rock League teams. There's lots to discuss after a busy summer as Rachel talks about preparing for an Olympic year, how Tracy Fleury has been such a great fit for her as a skip, and whether or not she wants to keep going after this quad, Olympic result or not. And of course there's room for a little summer silliness as Rachel recounts the story of an unfortunate text from John at the Players Championship, whether or not she's used the Key to the City of Ottawa, and Rachel's son Ryatt makes a guest appearance.

John sits down with the "Europe 1" captain Bruce Mouat for a chat about a home Rock League tie for his team in Scotland, preparing for the Olympics, how much longer he's intending to play, and how you improve on one of the best seasons of all-time. We also discuss whether or not the Scottish Nationals should be a play-in for the Worlds.

John sits down for the second of his series of interviews with Rock League captains, this time with six-time World Champion Alina Pätz. Alina discusses what's in the water in Swiss Curling, how famous she is in Switzerland, what the Olympic year means to her, women in sports, and how she is hoping to tackle the Rachel Homan of it all.