After nine days of competition, the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier comes to a close on Sunday.
Canada's national men's curling championship began March 5 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 due to COVID-19 impacting the majority of provincial/territorial championships.
There won't be any page playoffs, or a tiebreaker for that matter, for the 2021 edition. The playoffs will begin with the semifinal as just three teams remain. Kevin Koe and his squad, Wild Card 2, advanced straight to the final after finishing atop Pool B (7-1) and then going 3-1 in the Championship Pool. A two-time world champ, Koe will be going for a record fifth Brier win. He won with Alberta in 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019.
MORE: Why is Canada's men's curling championship called the Brier?
In the last draw of the Championship Pool, his team knocked out Glenn Howard's squad led by Wayne Middaugh. Howard could not compete because of injury but snagged the Canadian Curling Hall of Famer and three-time Brier champ out of retirement. With a titanium rod in his left leg, Middaugh led the team to within one shot of advancing to a Sunday tiebreak.
Koe and his crew will await the winner of Sunday's semifinal between Team Alberta and Team Saskatchewan. Alberta and skip Brendan Bottcher knocked out the defending champs, Team Canada, led by three-time winner Brad Gushue, in their final draw to advance. Matt Dunstone, who led Saskatchewan to bronze in 2020, is aiming for the province's first Brier trophy since 1980.
Here's everything you need to know about the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier playoffs.
When is the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier playoffs?
Semifinal
- Date: Sunday, March 14
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Rinks: Alberta (Bottcher) def. Saskatchewan (Dunstone), 6-5
Dunstone and Team Saskatchewan defeated Alberta 8-7 in the Championship Pool. They went up 8-4 but held Alberta to just one in the 10th End to snag the win.
Gold medal
- Date: Sunday, March 14
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- Rinks: Wild card 2 (Koe) vs. Alberta (Bottcher)
A rematch of the 2019 final, it will be the Battle of Alberta on the sheets as Calgary's Koe faces off against Edmonton's Bottcher. In 2019 Koe, who was the Alberta skip, defeated Bottcher and the Wild Card team 4-3. Now, Koe is going for Brier Tankard Trophy No. 5 while Bottcher is playing in his fourth-straight final — and aiming for his first gold. Alberta defeated Saskatchewan in the semifinals on the very last stone of the 10th End to get two and come-from-behind to win 6-5. It marks the second-straight year Saskatchewan and skip Dunstone leave with a bronze. The province's Brier drought continues; the last Saskatchewan win was in 1980.
These two teams met in the Championship Pool with Bottcher and Alberta defeating Koe and crew 8-7 in the 11th End.
With Alberta advancing to the final via a semifinal match, the gold-medal game will be the 1000th game played by Alberta at the Brier.
What channel is the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier playoffs on in Canada?
The Brier will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2, with live streaming available on TSN.ca, the TSN app and ESPN3.
Where are the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier playoffs 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 Junior Championship (Edmonton).
What is the purse for the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier?
In 2020, the purses for the women's (Scotties Tournament of Hearts) and men's curling championships 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 last 10 Tim Hortons Brier?
2011: Manitoba (Jeff Stoughton, Jon Mead, Reid Carruthers, Steve Gould)
2012: Ontario (Glenn Howard, Wayne Middaugh, Brent Laing, Craig Savill)
2013: Northern Ontario (Brad Jacobs, Ryan Fry, E.J. Harnden, Ryan Harnden)
2014: Alberta ( Kevin Koe , Pat Simmons, Carter Rycroft, Nolan Thiessen)
2015: Canada (Pat Simmons, John Morris, Carter Rycroft, Nolan Thiessen)
2016: Alberta ( Kevin Koe , Marc Kennedy, Brent Laing, Ben Hebert)
2017: Newfoundland and Labrador (Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker)
2018: Canada (Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker)
2019: Alberta ( Kevin Koe , B.J. Neufeld, Colton Flasch, Ben Hebert)
2020: Newfoundland and Labrador (Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant, Geoff Walker)