(Dec 7, 2008) -- Former World Champion edges Brad Gushue for eighth career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title
QUEBEC CITY, December 7, 2008 – Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.) captured his eighth career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling title today after stealing a point in the eighth end for a 4-3 victory over Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.) in the finals of The National at ExpoCité in Quebec City.
Tied at 3-3 in the last end, Gushue held the hammer and had an opportunity to win his first career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling championship on the game’s final shot. Needing to draw to the face of a Middaugh stone at the back of the four-foot for the win, Gushue’ attempt came up heavy and his shot rubbed off Middaugh’s rock.
“On that type of shot you can’t really use the backing,” said Gushue, the reigning Olympic gold medallist. “If you throw weight to get to the backing it’s not going to curl which is what happened. I really just had to throw T-line weight and I threw back four, back eight weight and that’s the reason we missed the shot.”
Middaugh’s previous Capital One Grand Slam of Curling championship came at The National in 2005-06. The former World Champion sits second all-time in Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event titles, trailing Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) who has 13 career championships.
“I’ve probably only got a few years left to play so this (victory) is really exciting because we know that we can still compete at this level,” said Middaugh, a two-time winner of this event. “I know we’ll get better and better and be ready for the Trials hopefully come next year.”
After trailing for the entire game, Middaugh had an opportunity to grab his first lead in the seventh end with Gushue ahead 3-1. Facing a hit for three points, Middaugh’s stone rolled out of the rings, tying the score at 3-3.
Team Middaugh played the final today without their lead Scott Bailey who was forced to withdraw from the championship game due to a neck injury. Bailey was replaced by former Team Jean-Michel Ménard (Quebec City, Que.) lead Maxime Elmaleh.
With the loss, Gushue falls to 0-2 in career Capital One Grand Slam of Curling finals.
As tournament champions, Middaugh, who finished with a record of 7-1, won $24,500 and earned 36.000 Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) points. By finishing second with a record of 6-2, Gushue’s squad took home $17,000 along with 27.000 CTRS points.
Despite the defeat, Gushue assumes the overall lead in the men’s Capital One Cup standings. The Capital One Cup is a points-based competition that rewards the top three men’s and women’s teams which record the highest cumulative results during the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events.
Following the conclusion of the season ending Players’ Championship, the top men’s and women’s teams in the Capital One Cup standings will each receive $50,000 (CDN). The second and third place men’s and women’s squads will each receive $25,000 (CDN) and $10,000 (CDN) respectively.
The National was also the site of the second regional playoff for the inaugural Capital One Million Dollar Button contest.
Jean Poirier (Cap-Rouge, Que.), 52, emerged from a pool of six randomly selected contestants today when his rock landed 114.7 inches from the button.
The regional playoff aired live on CBC Television during the game’s fourth end break.
“I was a bit nervous beforehand,” said Poirier. “I tried to throw the right weight but it’s difficult because the ice is so fast. I just tried to keep the rock sliding, make sure I had the right rotation and make the shot.”
As the contestant with the closest attempt to the button, Poirier advances to the semi-finals of the Capital One Million Dollar Button contest in Winnipeg where he’ll compete against Masters of Curling regional winner Sheri Smeltzer (Fergus, Ont.) and three other qualifiers for the chance to advance to the finals for an opportunity to attempt to cover the button for $1 million (CDN), live on CBC Television.
Curling’s first ever million dollar contest will take place during the final of the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the third leg of the men’s 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, on Sunday, January 25, 2009 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Man.
Held annually since 2001-02, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight premier men’s and women’s events that boast Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is one of a select few events that are tied to the Canadian Curling Association\'s qualifying process for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver. Through their performance in the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events, rinks can earn points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
About Capital One
Located in Toronto, Ontario, Capital One has offered Canadian consumers a range of competitive MasterCard® credit cards since 1996, when the company first introduced the Platinum MasterCard® in Canada. Capital One Canada is a division of Capital One Bank, a subsidiary of Capital One Financial Corporation of McLean, Virginia (NYSE: COF).
About Insight Sports Ltd.
Insight Sports Ltd. is a leading North American sports media and entertainment company which owns, creates, aggregates and distributes sports and entertainment content across multiple platforms, including broadcast television, events, on-line, mobile, in-arena and video on-demand. Among its event assets, Insight Sports owns and operates the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling (www.worldcurlingtour.com), a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. |
