Scotties Tournament of Hearts: Why Canada's women's curling championship is called the Scotties

The term, "the Scotties" has become synonymous with curling in Canada for years. 

The annual women's curling championship begins today in Kamloops, as the 18 best teams in Canada compete for the right to be crowned Scotties champion. 

While the tournament has been around since 1961, it was not always referred to as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. In fact, the competition has gone through a number of name changes over the years. 

MORE: Scotties Tournament of Hearts 2023 scores, schedule

Here are more details on why it is called the Scotties. 

Why the Canadian women's curling championship is called the Scotties

The Canadian women's curling championship has gone through five different name variations in its over 60-year history.

The competition was first called the Diamond D Championship, sponsored by the Dominion Stores. In 1867, the company could reach a compromise with the organizers of the event, and they dropped its sponsorship. 

With no sponsor, the tournament was called the Canadian Ladies Curling Association Champions for four years before striking a deal with Macdonald Tobacco company. It was called the Macdonald Lassies Championship from 1972 to 1978 when the Canadian government began to put pressure about their anti-tobacco policies. 

It briefly went back to the Canadian Ladies Curling Association Championship for two years before Robin Wilson, who won the tournament in 1979, pushed for the Scott Paper Company to sponsor the event. It was successful, and the first Scott Tournament of Hearts was held in 1982.

After a merger with Kimberly-Clark, the Canadian part of the Scott Paper Company was sold to Kruger Inc. The company could not continue to license the Scott brand, however, Kruger did receive a long-term license for Scotties, a brand of facial tissues. 

As a result, the tournament was renamed after the tissue brand in 2007, now being known as the Scotties. 

When is the 2023 Scotties?

This tournament begins on Friday, Feb. 17 and is going to run until Sunday, Feb. 26. 

Pool play will be from the 17th to the 23rd. The playoff and page playoffs are taking place on the 24th and 25th before the semifinals and final wrap up the action on the 26th. 

What channel is the 2023 Scotties on?

The women's curling championship will be broadcast on TSN with live streaming available on TSN.ca and in the TSN app. 

Longtime curling announcer Vic Rauter is set to be in the booth, splitting play-by-play duties with Bryan Mudryk. Cathy Gauthier, Joanne Courtney and Russ Howard join the team as analysts. 

Where is the 2023 Scotties taking place?

The 42nd edition of the tournament is being played at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops, B.C.

This is the first time that Kamloops is hosting the Scotties and the first time the tournament is in British Columbia since 2018 when it was held in Penticton. 

What is the purse for the 2023 Scotties?

The 18 teams are competing for a combined purse of $300,000. 

Here is the breakdown of prize money for the event: 

1st: $100,000
2nd: $60,000
3rd: $40,000
Championship Pool (4th-8th): $15,000
Non-Championship Pool (9th-18th): $2,500

In addition to $100,000, the winner of the 2023 Scotties will represent Canada at the 2023 LGT World Women’s Curling Championship. That tournament will be played in mid-March and Sandviken, Sweden will host the event. 

2023 Scotties odds

Entering the tournament, Einarson's Team Canada are the favorites to win the Scotties yet again, according to Sports Interaction. The team sits at +135 to win it all. 

Here are the pre-tournament odds for all of the teams.