(Dec 24, 2008) -- Winnipeg’s Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Stoughton, Mike McEwen and Reid Carruthers qualify for season’s third Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event
WINNIPEG, December 22, 2008 – Reigning World Champion Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.) will aim to win his third consecutive title at the BDO Classic Canadian Open next month against an elite 18-team field that features a total of eight World Championship and Olympic gold medalists during the third leg of the men’s 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg from January 21-25, 2009.
The all-time leader in Capital One Grand Slam of Curling victories with 14, Martin will enter the tournament as the top seed after overtaking Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.) in the Capital One Order of Merit rankings following a finals appearance at last week’s Canada Cup Qualifier in Edmonton, Alta.
Martin previously captured the BDO Classic Canadian Open during both the 2007-08 and 2006-07 seasons when the event was held in Quebec City and Winnipeg respectively.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling is a series of eight high-profile men’s and women’s events that feature Canada’s deepest and strongest curling fields. The top 13 ranked Canadian teams outside of Manitoba and the top two ranked Manitoba-based squads on the Capital One Order of Merit standings as of December 15, 2008 qualified to compete at the BDO Classic Canadian Open.
Among the 15 Canadian skips that will compete in the tournament include World Champions Martin, Howard, Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Greg McAulay (Richmond, B.C.) and Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).
Burtnyk and Stoughton head of list of four Winnipeg-based teams which qualified for the event. The two remaining local squads include Mike McEwen (Winnipeg, Man.) and Reid Carruthers (Winnipeg, Man.).
Carruthers’ 16th-ranked team was added to the BDO Classic Canadian Open field following the withdrawal of 15th-ranked Shawn Adams (Halifax, N.S.) who was forced to opt out from the event due to work commitments. In order to fill Adams’ vacancy, Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series guidelines state that an invitation must be extended to the highest remaining rink in the Capital One Order of Merit standings.
The remaining three entries in the 18-team field include Thomas Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway), Tom Brewster (Aberdeen, Scotland) and American Pete Fenson (Bemidji, Minnesota).
Full event packages and individual tickets for the BDO Classic Canadian Open are available through TicketMaster by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca or by phoning (204) 780-3333.
Winnipeg previously hosted the BDO Classic Canadian Open for three consecutive seasons from 2004-05 to 2006-07.
The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events are closely 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 a significant amount of points towards securing a berth at the 2009 Canadian Trials.
The 2008-09 men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series began with Howard winning his third consecutive title at the Masters of Curling in Waterloo. Middaugh captured the series’ second leg after winning The National in Quebec City. Following the BDO Classic Canadian Open, the men’s 2008-09 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series concludes with the Grey Power Players’ Championship at the Crystal Centre in Grande Prairie, Alta. from April 14-19, 2009.
The following is a complete list of teams which will compete at the BDO Classic Canadian Open. Note: Team rosters and positions are subject to change prior to the start of the event.
BDO Classic Canadian Open – Participating Teams
Team Martin (Edmonton, AB)
Kevin Martin, John Morris, Marc Kennedy, Ben Hebert.
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 1st (511.950)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Champion (7-1)
Team Howard (Coldwater, ON)
Glenn Howard, Richard Hart, Brent Laing, Craig Savill
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 2nd (510.550 points)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (4-2)
Team Koe (Edmonton, AB)
Kevin Koe, Blake MacDonald, Carter Rycroft, Nolan Thiessen.
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 3rd (354.700)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Ferbey (Edmonton, AB)
David Nedohin, Randy Ferbey, Scott Pfiefer, Marcel Rocque
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 4th (317.300)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (5-1)
Team Middaugh (Midland, ON)
Wayne Middaugh, Jon Mead, John Epping, Scott Bailey
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 5th (276.068)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Lost in semi-finals (5-2)
Team Gushue (St. John's, NL)
Brad Gushue, Mark Nichols, Ryan Fry, Jamie Korab
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 6th (268.876)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Burtnyk (Winnipeg, MB)
Kerry Burtnyk, Don Walchuk, Richard Daneault, Garth
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 7th (252.625)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Simmons (Davidson, SK)
Pat Simmons, Jeff Sharp, Gerry Adam, Steve Laycock
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 8th (228.250)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team Stoughton (Winnipeg, MB)
Jeff Stoughton, Kevin Park, Rob Fowler, Steve Gould
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 9th (223.938)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Lost in quarterfinals (3-3)
Team McEwen (Winnipeg, MB)
Mike McEwen, BJ Neufeld, Matt Wozniak, Denni Neufeld
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 10th (188.700)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Ursel (Kelowna, BC)
Jim Cotter, Bob Ursel, Kevin Folk, Rick Sawatsky
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 11th (187.800)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (2-3)
Team McAulay (Richmond, BC)
Greg McAulay, Ken Maskiewich, Bill Fisher, Aaron Watson
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 12th (150.950)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Ménard (Gatineau, QU)
Jean-Michel Ménard, Martin Crête, Éric Sylvain, Jean Gagnon
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 13th (139.400)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Jordison (Moose Jaw, SK)
Joel Jordison, Scott Bitz, Aryn Schmidt, Dean Hicke
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 14th (135.879)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not advance to quarterfinals (1-4)
Team Carruthers (Winnipeg, MB)
Reid Carruthers, Dan Kammerlock, Derek Samagalski, Shane Kilgallen Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 16th (79.616)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not qualify to compete
Team Ulsrud (Oslo, Norway)
Thomas Ulsrud, Torger Nergaard, Christoffer Svae, Havard Vad Petersson
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 2nd, international standings (227.600)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not compete
Team Fenson (Bemidji, MN-USA)
Pete Fenson, Shawn Rojeski, Joe Polo, John Shuster
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 9th, international standings (49.000)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not compete
Team Brewster (Aberdeen, Scotland)
Tom Brewster, Duncan Fernie, Ron Brewster, Colin Campbell
Capital One Order of Merit Standing: 14th, international standings (29.550)
2007-08 BDO Classic Canadian Open Finish: Did not compete
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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 Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba
Since its establishment in 1971, the Children's Hospital Foundation has been working to meet the unique pediatric medical and research needs of children. Funds raised through the BDO Canadian Open will help the Foundation fund specialized equipment and programs at the Children’s Hospital and pediatric research at its research division, the Manitoba Institute of Child Health. Each year, 130,000 kids are treated at Children's Hospital and the Foundation strives to ensure that each of them receives the very best medical care possible….because children need us.
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. |
