New-look Grand Slam of Curling series kicks off under new ownership

By The Canadian Press on October 1, 2024.

CHARLOTTETOWN – Canada’s Reid Carruthers opened the Grand Slam of Curling season with a 7-5 loss to Sweden’s Niklas Edin at the HearingLife Tour Challenge.

Carruthers, from Winnipeg, was the lone Canadian skip in action during the opening draw at Bell Aliant Centre. He missed an angle-raise in the eighth end for the win and was denied an extra end when a measure confirmed an Edin single.

It’s the first Grand Slam event since The Curling Group purchased the five-event series from Sportsnet last spring.

One noticeable change is the addition of live online streaming on all sheets in the Tier-1 competition. Organizers also plan to boost the in-venue experience this season.

Sportsnet remains the domestic rights holder with televised coverage slated to begin Thursday and continue through Sunday’s finals.

In other early action on a four-draw day, Bruce Mouat topped fellow Scot Cameron Bryce 6-2, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg dropped an 8-5 decision to Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa and Italy’s Joel Retornaz beat American Korey Dropkin 6-3.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.

8
-7