Call it a game of musical brooms.
As a new Olympic quadrennial begins, this curling off-season will see great lineup changes, both in number and in significance. While teams adding and dropping players is a reality in any sport, this time around may see many members of the sport’s old guard step aside, and change has already begun.
The biggest news in Manitoba curling so far has been the dissolution of the Jeff Stoughton team. After a season which saw them miss the playoffs at the Roar of the Rings and finish third at the Tim Hortons Brier, the team decided to go their separate ways. Their decision was also instigated by the announcement of team second Mark Nichols to return to his native Newfoundland.
Stoughton told the Winnipeg Free Press he would like to play next season, but “it’s got to be a good fit… And if nothing comes up, I won’t play next year.” Talking to the Winnipeg Sun, Stoughton stated that third Jon Mead might be considering leaving the sport, while lead Reid Carruthers is considering putting together his own team next season.
Meanwhile, Kevin Koe announced that he will skip an entirely new team consisting of Ben Hebert and Marc Kennedy, both formerly of Kevin Martin’s team, and former Glenn Howard second Brent Laing. The news comes at an odd time considering Koe recently won the Brier with his current team, securing a berth as Team Canada for next year’s Brier in the process. However, Koe’s berth into the Brier is now in doubt, as well as the curling futures of Martin and Howard.
Martin and Howard are 47 and 51, respectively, and the question remains whether or not they will continue to curl for another four years. Martin has said he will not announce his plans until May, but recurrent back injuries could be a factor in his decision. Howard has stated he wants to keep curling. Martin’s third, David Nedohin, will likely take next season off, while Wayne Middaugh’s future as Howard’s third is still unknown.
British Columbia’s John Morris, who skipped his team to the finals of the Roar of the Rings and the Brier, was rumoured to be returning to Alberta and skip the current Koe team, but instead has announced he is taking the season off to pursue studies in firefighting. The rest of his team has also stated they will have a lighter competition schedule next season.
Chelsea Carey surprised many by not only having a new team, but also changing provinces. The 2014 Manitoba women’s champion and third-place finisher at last year’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts will move to Edmonton and team up with Laura Crocker, Jen Gates, and another player to be determined. Carey’s former third Kristy McDonald will skip her own team next season.
Kelly Scott, who won the Scotties in 2006 and 2007, has announced her team has broken up. Their futures in curling are uncertain. Current national champion Rachel Homan will play with a new second, as teammate Alison Kreviazuk will move to Sweden. Her replacement will be Joanne Courtney, who was runner-up to Homan with the Val Sweeting team at the 2014 Scotties final.
It was speculated that Jennifer Jones may either step aside from curling after her Olympic gold medal victory or relocate to be closer to her partner Laing, but she told CBC’s Jian Ghomeshi that she “can’t imagine playing without these girls,” referring to her teammates. She continued to say, “I’d be surprised if we didn’t continue for at least a little while.”
