The Curling Shuffle

One of the country's great writers, Cam Cole, offers up a nice piece on the changing of the guard in curling. The information isn't really all that newsy but the perspective on the changes is very interesting.

Cole talked with Kevin Martin, who decided to invite all the curlers at the final Grand Slam in Summerside, PEI, back to his room for an end-of-the-season bash.

And while he was at it, he opened his hotel room, stocked up with booze, and invited all his old rivals and pals from decades of bonspieling and cutthroat competition to “come over and we’ll sit around bulls--tting and have a drink,” said the 12-time Alberta, four-time Brier, 2008 world and 2010 Olympic champion. 

“But for about 15 minutes,” Martin said, “I went to the (players’) hospitality room, and I sat in there, myself and Glenn Howard and (Martin’s forever coach) Jules Owchar -- and everybody else in the room was pretty much my son’s age. That room was full of athletes, young and fit and strong. I’ve got no business in there any more. It’s time 

“I can’t believe I’m the only one that retired. I thought there was going to be a whole bunch of us.”

Cole also talked to John Morris about the perspective of the game's best players now and how the Brier is no longer the brass ring. 

“We all have Brier championships now,” said Morris, 35. “The only guys that don’t that are in this equation are maybe Gushue and McEwen, and yes, (the Briers) are a feather in our caps and we’re proud to have them, but the Olympics is where it’s at, and that is why these changes are happening.”