The 2021 Canadian Olympic Curling Trials (branded as the 2021 Tim Hortons Curling Trials for sponsorship reasons) were held from November 20 to 28 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The winners of the men's and women's events represented Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
In the women's final, the Jennifer Jones rink from Winnipeg defeated Tracy Fleury's East St. Paul, Manitoba rink 6–5 in an extra end. The win sent Jones back to the Olympics for the first time since winning a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. Jones had a chance to win the game in the tenth end with an easy hit and stay to score two points, but her release was tight, and her rock ended up rolling too far, settling for one point, and tying the game 5–5. In the final end, with last rock advantage, Fleury had a chance to win on her final shot, playing a soft-weight hit on a Jones rock. However, her rock curled too much and hit a guard, giving up a point and the game to Jones. For Jones and leads Dawn McEwen and Lisa Weagle, the win led to their second trip to the Olympics (Weagle went to the 2018 Winter Olympics as a member of team Rachel Homan). Third Kaitlyn Lawes qualified for her third Olympics, after also playing in the 2018 Olympics in the mixed doubles curling event, where she won gold. For second Jocelyn Peterman, it was her first Olympics.
In the men's final, Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue rink defeated Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario's Brad Jacobs rink 4–3 to send Gushue back to the Olympics for the first time since he won a gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics. The game was a low scoring affair, with both teams either getting singles or blanks, until Gushue scored two points in the ninth end to take a 4–2 lead. In the tenth and final end, Jacobs had a chance to make a tough hit and stick to tie the game, but was wide and rolled out, settling for just one point, losing the game. Gushue and his third Mark Nichols qualified for their second trip to the Olympics after 2006, but it was the first time for their front end of Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker.
Qualification process Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the qualification process had to be revised for the event as the 2020 Canada Cup was cancelled. Instead of the usual pool of teams that was designated as eligible to represent Canada at the Olympics, more qualification events were needed to allow the teams that made changes in the off-season to qualify. The winner of each trials will represent Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Nine teams qualified for the Olympic Trials based on the following criteria.
Men Qualification method Qualifying team Scenario if team has already qualified Winner of the 2019 Canada Cup John Epping None (first qualifier) Winner of the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier Brad Gushue (None) Teams in the top three of CTRS in either 2018–19 or 2019–20 Brendan Bottcher First place on 2018–19 CTRS Teams in the top three of CTRS in either 2018–19 or 2019–20 Kevin Koe Second place on 2018–19 CTRS Teams in the top three of CTRS in either 2018–19 or 2019–20 Brad Jacobs First place on 2019–20 CTRS Winner of the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier Brendan Bottcher Spot went to qualifier from the Trials Direct-Entry Event Trials Direct-Entry Qualifier #1 Mike McEwen (None) Trials Direct-Entry Qualifier #2 Matt Dunstone (None) Pre-Trials Qualifier #1 Jason Gunnlaugson (None) Pre-Trials Qualifier #2 Tanner Horgan (None)
Women Qualification method Qualifying team Scenario if team has already qualified Winner of the 2019 Canada Cup Rachel Homan None (first qualifier) Winner of the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Kerri Einarson (None) Teams in the top three of CTRS in either 2018–19 or 2019–20 Jennifer Jones First place on 2018–19 CTRS Teams in the top three of CTRS in either 2018–19 or 2019–20 Tracy Fleury Second place on 2019–20 CTRS Winner of the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts Kerri Einarson Spot went to qualifier from the Trials Direct-Entry Event Trials Direct-Entry Qualifier #1 Casey Scheidegger (None) Trials Direct-Entry Qualifier #2 Kelsey Rocque (None) Trials Direct-Entry Qualifier #3 Laura Walker (None) Pre-Trials Qualifier #1 Krista McCarville (None) Pre-Trials Qualifier #2 Jacqueline Harrison (None)
Men
Teams Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club Brendan Bottcher Darren Moulding Brad Thiessen Karrick Martin Pat Janssen Saville Community SC, Edmonton, Alberta Matt Dunstone Colton Lott Kirk Muyres Dustin Kidby Highland CC, Regina, Saskatchewan John Epping Ryan Fry Mat Camm Brent Laing Glenn Howard Leaside CC, East York, Toronto, Ontario Jason Gunnlaugson Adam Casey Matt Wozniak Connor Njegovan Morris CC, Morris, Manitoba Brad Gushue Mark Nichols Brett Gallant Geoff Walker Jeff Thomas RE/MAX Centre, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Tanner Horgan Jonathan Beuk Wesley Forget Scott Chadwick Jacob Horgan Cataraqui G&CC, Kingston, Ontario Brad Jacobs Marc Kennedy E. J. Harnden Ryan Harnden Community First CC, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Kevin Koe B. J. Neufeld John Morris (vice) Ben Hebert Denni Neufeld The Glencoe Club, Calgary, Alberta Mike McEwen Reid Carruthers Derek Samagalski Colin Hodgson Kelly Knapp West St. Paul CC, West St. Paul, Manitoba
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyTeams to PlayoffsTeams to Tiebreakers TeamWLPFPADSC Brad Gushue 7 1 59 35 39 24 11 13 89% 332.3 Brad Jacobs 7 1 63 35 33 27 6 8 92% 327.4 Kevin Koe 6 2 57 43 30 30 6 6 90% 396.3 Mike McEwen 4 4 47 43 30 29 6 7 88% 351.2 Matt Dunstone 3 5 47 54 29 31 5 5 87% 292.6 John Epping 3 5 47 58 28 33 4 3 85% 422.1 Brendan Bottcher 3 5 49 49 32 29 8 7 87% 524.0 Jason Gunnlaugson 2 6 47 63 28 36 3 1 85% 434.8 Tanner Horgan 1 7 33 69 26 36 4 2 83% 712.8
Round robin results All draw times are listed in Central Time (UTC−06:00).
Draw 2 Saturday, November 20, 7:00 pm
Draw 4 Sunday, November 21, 2:00 pm
Draw 6 Monday, November 22, 2:00 pm
Draw 8 Tuesday, November 23, 2:00 pm
Draw 10 Wednesday, November 24, 9:00 am
Draw 12 Wednesday, November 24, 7:00 pm
Draw 14 Thursday, November 25, 2:00 pm
Draw 16 Friday, November 26, 9:00 am
Draw 18 Friday, November 26, 7:00 pm
Playoffs
Semifinal Saturday, November 27, 2:00 pm
Final Sunday, November 28, 7:00 pm
Top 5 player percentages Round Robin only Leads % Ryan Harnden 94 Dustin Kidby 92 Ben Hebert 92 Karrick Martin 92 Colin Hodgson 92 Seconds % John Morris 91 Brett Gallant 90 E. J. Harnden 89 Mat Camm 87 Derek Samagalski 87 Thirds % Marc Kennedy 92 Colton Lott 91 Ryan Fry 89 Mark Nichols 89 B. J. Neufeld 88 Reid Carruthers 88 Skips % Brad Jacobs 92 Brad Gushue 89 Kevin Koe 88 Mike McEwen 86 Brendan Bottcher 84
Women
Teams Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club Kerri Einarson Val Sweeting Shannon Birchard Briane Meilleur Krysten Karwacki Gimli CC, Gimli, Manitoba Tracy Fleury Selena Njegovan Liz Fyfe Kristin MacCuish Chelsea Carey East St. Paul CC, East St. Paul, Manitoba Jacqueline Harrison Allison Flaxey Lynn Kreviazuk Laura Hickey Dundas Valley G&CC, Dundas, Ontario Rachel Homan Emma Miskew Sarah Wilkes Joanne Courtney Ottawa CC, Ottawa, Ontario Jennifer Jones Kaitlyn Lawes Jocelyn Peterman Dawn McEwen Lisa Weagle St. Vital CC, Winnipeg, Manitoba Krista McCarville Kendra Lilly Ashley Sippala Sarah Potts Fort William CC, Thunder Bay, Ontario Kelsey Rocque Danielle Schmiemann Dana Ferguson Rachelle Brown Stefanie Lawton Saville Community SC, Edmonton, Alberta Casey Scheidegger Cary-Anne McTaggart Jessie Haughian Kristie Moore Susan O'Connor Lethbridge CC, Lethbridge, Alberta Laura Walker Kate Cameron Taylor McDonald Nadine Scotland Erin Pincott Saville Community SC, Edmonton, Alberta
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyTeams to PlayoffsTeams to Tiebreakers TeamWLPFPADSC Tracy Fleury 8 0 69 37 44 26 2 17 84% 656.9 Jennifer Jones 5 3 61 48 38 33 3 11 82% 423.0 Krista McCarville 4 4 45 52 32 35 7 5 83% 594.1 Kerri Einarson 4 4 55 53 37 32 3 14 83% 788.6 Casey Scheidegger 4 4 44 53 31 33 4 7 82% 1136.1 Laura Walker 3 5 61 57 34 38 2 9 81% 774.9 Kelsey Rocque 3 5 49 56 32 38 3 7 83% 830.3 Jacqueline Harrison 3 5 46 60 31 40 3 4 76% 1096.5 Rachel Homan 2 6 46 60 32 36 5 7 81% 455.6
Round robin results All draw times are listed in Central Time (UTC−06:00).
Draw 1 Saturday, November 20, 2:00 pm
Draw 3 Sunday, November 21, 9:00 am
Draw 5 Sunday, November 21, 7:00 pm
Draw 7 Monday, November 22, 7:00 pm
Draw 9 Tuesday, November 23, 7:00 pm
Draw 11 Wednesday, November 24, 2:00 pm
Draw 13 Thursday, November 25, 9:00 am
Draw 15 Thursday, November 25, 7:00 pm
Draw 17 Friday, November 26, 2:00 pm
Tiebreakers
Tiebreaker 1 Saturday, November 27, 9:00 am
Tiebreaker 2 Saturday, November 27, 2:00 pm
Playoffs
Semifinal Saturday, November 27, 7:00 pm
Final Sunday, November 28, 2:00 pm
Top 5 player percentages Round Robin only Leads % Dawn McEwen 90 Joanne Courtney 90 Kristie Moore 87 Rachelle Brown 87 Nadine Scotland 86 Sarah Potts 86 Seconds % Ashley Sippala 88 Liz Fyfe 85 Shannon Birchard 85 Jessie Haughian 84 Jocelyn Peterman 82 Thirds % Val Sweeting 84 Danielle Schmiemann 83 Selena Njegovan 82 Kaitlyn Lawes 82 Kate Cameron 80 Skips % Tracy Fleury 87 Kelsey Rocque 80 Kerri Einarson 80 Krista McCarville 79 Laura Walker 78
Qualification events
Trials Direct-Entry Event
The Trials Direct-Entry Event took place from September 22 to 26, 2021 at the RA Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. To qualify for the event, teams had to fall under one of these three categories: Canadian teams in the top 18 of the World Curling Team Ranking as of August 31, 2020, Eligible teams that finished in the top 9 of the Canadian Team Ranking System in 2019–20, Eligible teams that finished in the top 7 of the Canadian Team Ranking System in 2018–19.
The teams that didn't qualify for the trials via this event had a second chance to make the trials through the Pre-Trials.
For the men's tournament, there were 2 spots available in the trials for direct-entry. For the women's tournament, there were 3 spots available.
Men
Teams The teams are listed as follows: Skip Third Second Lead Club Matt Dunstone Braeden Moskowy Kirk Muyres Dustin Kidby Highland CC, Regina, Saskatchewan Colton Flasch Catlin Schneider Kevin Marsh Dan Marsh Nutana CC, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Jason Gunnlaugson Adam Casey Matt Wozniak Connor Njegovan Morris CC, Morris, Manitoba Glenn Howard Scott Howard David Mathers Tim March Penetanguishene CC, Penetanguishene, Ontario Mike McEwen Reid Carruthers Derek Samagalski Colin Hodgson West St. Paul CC, West St. Paul, Manitoba
Round robin standings Final round robin standings TeamWLPFPA Mike McEwen 3 1 25 17 15 13 3 5 Matt Dunstone 3 1 28 21 18 14 3 7 Glenn Howard 2 2 18 27 12 14 4 5 Colton Flasch 1 3 20 21 12 13 2 4 Jason Gunnlaugson 1 3 21 26 15 18 2 4
Qualifying round standings Final Qualifying Round standings Note: one game (Flasch vs. Howard) was not played as Dunstone and McEwen had already qualified. KeyTeams to Trials
TeamWLPFPA Mike McEwen 5 1 43 29 25 20 4 8 Matt Dunstone 5 1 42 32 29 21 5 10 Glenn Howard 2 3 24 35 16 20 4 5 Colton Flasch 1 4 24 30 14 19 3 4 Jason Gunnlaugson 1 5 34 41 23 27 4 5
Women
Teams The teams are listed as follows: Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Club Suzanne Birt Marie Christianson Meaghan Hughes Michelle McQuaid Cornwall CC, Cornwall & Montague CC, Montague, Prince Edward Island Corryn Brown Erin Pincott Dezaray Hawes Samantha Fisher Kamloops CC, Kamloops, British Columbia Kelsey Rocque Danielle Schmiemann Dana Ferguson Rachelle Brown Saville Community SC, Edmonton, Alberta Casey Scheidegger Cary-Anne McTaggart Jessie Haughian Kristie Moore Lethbridge CC, Lethbridge, Alberta Laura Walker Kate Cameron Taylor McDonald Heather Rogers Nadine Scotland Saville Community SC, Edmonton, Alberta
Round robin standings Final round robin standings KeyTeams to TrialsTeams to Playoff