Eight Ends: Dominoes continue to fall in Canadian men’s curling scene

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And you thought the off-season curling team shuffle was dramatic. That’s nothing compared to what’s transpired in the Canadian men’s scene over the past few weeks.

 

Let’s recap: Kevin Koe split with second Jacques Gauthier three weeks ago and played the PointsBet Invitational and HearingLife Tour Challenge events short-handed. Skip Aaron Sluchinski left his team this past Tuesday to join Koe at second. If that wasn’t enough, along came Thursday’s news that Brad Gushue had parted ways with second E.J. Harnden.

 

 

 

All teams have reasons to make changes, whether performance-based or an amicable breakup — yes, even those ranked No. 2 in the world and coming off a runner-up result in a Grand Slam of Curling tournament — but mere weeks into the season is certainly not the ideal time. Sure, the off-season would be preferred, but if things aren’t working out for both sides, it’s best to make a clean break sooner rather than later.

 

 

It happens in other sports, and for the small overlap of curling enthusiasts and F1 fans (there are dozens of us), look at all the in-season moves Red Bull has made over the years between its main team and younger sibling squad. This isn’t the NHL, where players have guaranteed contracts, and even those can be bought out or waived under certain circumstances, as curling can descend into a bit of a free-for-all.

 

Expect to hear an announcement soon as Gushue’s next event is this weekend’s Henderson Metal Fall Classic in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and business picks up quickly with the Pan Continental Curling Championships (Oct. 27 to Nov. 2) and Co-op Canadian Open (Nov. 5-10) tournaments on the horizon.

 

FIRST END: We’ve already explored some options for Team Gushue, and why they would/wouldn’t be a good fit, but the other side of the coin is where do Gauthier and Harnden land? It’ll be just as tough, if not tougher, for them to find new teams at this point in the season, but both are solid players who would be great assets to have.

 

Gauthier skipped B.C. at the Brier, before joining Team Koe, and the 25-year-old from Winnipeg has a bright future ahead of him in the sport.

 

Harnden has a resume that’s nearly unmatched with an Olympic gold medal, three Brier titles and nine Grand Slam of Curling championships. The 41-year-old from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., is also a beast when it comes to sweeping.

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