After nine days of competition, the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts closes on Sunday, beginning with a tiebreaker and then ending with a gold-medal showdown..
Canada's national women's curling championship began Feb. 19 with 18 teams hitting the sheets in Calgary, Alta. Normally scheduled to take place with 16 teams — and two teams duking it out for a wild-card entry — Curling Canada opted to expand to ensure more than one game for the teams that normally would have played for the last spot because of the travel and COVID-19 protocols undertaken. It marked the first time in the tournament's history that the field was expanded.
While there won't be any page playoffs this year, there is a full slate of sheets because the day will kick off with a tiebreaker between Alberta and Manitoba. Six-time Scotties winner Jennifer Jones entered Saturday's championship pool needing two wins and did just that. She and her Manitoba team first beat Ontario, skipped by Rachel Homan, 9-1 before needing the 11th end to hand Team Canada and defending champion skip Kerri Einarson a 10-9 loss.
Homan and Einarson will still be in the mix Sunday as each rink advanced to the playoffs. Ontario and Homan, who is eight months' pregnant, earned an automatic spot in the final thanks to a 10-2 record and a win over Canada in Draw 17. Canada will await the winner of the tiebreak in the semifinal. They defeated Alberta in Draw 15 but, as previously mentioned, lost to Manitoba on Saturday night.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts playoffs.
When is the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts playoffs?
Tiebreaker
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
- Time: 10 a.m. ET
- Rinks: Alberta (Walker) vs. Manitoba (Jones)
The two teams were tied after the championship pool and will now meet for a spot in the semifinals. Alberta, based in Edmonton and skipped by Laura Walker, defeated Manitoba in Draw 20.
Semifinal
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Rinks: Canada (Einarson) vs. Alberta (Walker)
Alberta with a three-spot in the final end seal a spot in the semifinals. They conceded to Canada, 8-3, in Draw 15. Einarson and her team won gold last year and will be looking to get back in the final on Sunday.
Gold medal
LIVE BLOG: Ontario vs. Canada
- Date: Sunday, Feb. 28
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Rinks: Ontario (Homan) vs. Canada (Einarson)
Homan, who skipped Canada at the 2018 Olympics, is a three-time Scotties winner: 2014 for Team Canada and 2013 and 2017 for Ontario. She won silver in 2019 and 2020 for Ontario, losing last year to Einarson and will now get a chance at revenge. It'll be Canada vs. Ontario in the final with 2021 marking the first time in tournament history it'll be the same two teams in back-to-back years. The teams went 1-1 in earlier draws this year.
What channel is the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts playoffs on in Canada?
The Scotties will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2, with live streaming available on TSN.ca, the TSN app and ESPN+.
Where is the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts taking place?
Originally scheduled to take place in Thunder Bay, Ont., teams are now competing in a bubble in Calgary, Alta. The Markin MacPhail Centre in Canada Olympic Park is serving as the host.
Will there be fans in attendance?
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fans will not be allowed to be in attendance for this year's tournament. The bubble in Calgary is similar to the ones for the NHL (Edmonton and Toronto) and the 2021 IIHF World Juniors Championship (Edmonton).
What is the purse for the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts?
In 2020, the purses for the women's and men's curling championships (Tim Hortons Brier) were equal for the first time.
With 18 teams competing in 2021, the amounts awarded decreased slightly (down $5,000 each for first, second and third) to accommodate the extra teams.
Here's the breakdown for 2021:
Total purse: $300,000
First: $100,000
Second: $60,000
Third: $40,000
Championship pool (fourth through eighth): $15,000
Non-championship pool (ninth through 18th): $2,500
Who won the past 10 Scotties Tournament of Hearts?
2011: Saskatchewan (Amber Holland, Kim Schneider, Tammy Schneider, Heather Kalenchuk)
2012: Alberta (Heather Nedohin, Beth Iskiw, Jessica Mair, Laine Peters)
2013: Ontario (Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk, Lisa Weagle)
2014: Canada (Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk, Lisa Weagle)
2015: Manitoba (Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen)
2016: Alberta (Chelsea Carey, Amy Nixon, Jocelyn Peterman, Laine Peters)
2017: Ontario (Rachel Homan, Emma Miskew, Joanne Courtney, Lisa Weagle)
2018: Manitoba (Jennifer Jones, Shannon Birchard, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen)
2019: Alberta (Chelsea Carey, Sarah Wilkes, Dana Ferguson, Rachel Brown)
2020: Manitoba (Kerri Einarson, Val Sweeting, Shannon Birchard, Briane Meilleur)