What's Curling's Best Playoff Format?

After some time away from the mic, we're back to kick off our summer season of episodes! This week, we answer an interesting listener question: what is the best playoff format? Scott has gone through the numbers to see whether certain formats offer an unfair advantage and we also chat about the various formats that have been used and how we feel about them from a fan perspective. 

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

What's the Word? Another New Team Edition

While it may not be the frenzy that we saw last year, the end of this curling season has brought with it some big lineup changes and we're here to talk about it. We go through 13 of the biggest lineup changes for Canadian teams and offer up a word to describe each. Let us know how you would describe the lineup changes and if there are any shuffles we missed.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Postseason Power Rankings

We're back to start wrapping up the season that was in 2022-23! We start by stacking up all the teams in the 4-person game and seeing how they stack up against each other in our power rankings. Sean gives his list of the top 10 teams in the world while Scott offers up his feedback, including some honorable mentions. Let us know who you think we missed out in our rankings.

For more visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Sherry Anderson Does It Again! What does Mixed Doubles gold mean for USA Curling?

We're back to talk about what was an exciting weekend in Korea as the world senior and mixed doubles titles were decided. We talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fourth senior world title and what an impressive stretch she is on the event before discussing the all-Canada sweep of the event. We then chat about the world mixed doubles event by debating what the win means for USA curling and whether this influences our perception of specialists v. non-specialists in the discipline.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

Curling Canada Makes Changes

After a week off, we're back to talk about some of the changes Curling Canada made to Olympic, Scotties, and Brier qualification. We briefly touch on the world mixed doubles and senior championships before getting into the Curling Canada changes. We talk about what we like (a lot) and what we don't like (less) and how this could impact things moving forward.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

,

The Era of Dynasties: Swiss Women Win & Swedish Men Take Their Turn

,

We're back to talk about all the action at the Women's World Curling Championship. We talk about the dominance of Team Tirinzoni, a surprise silver for Norway, and the week that was for Team Canada. We also go through the rest of the field and talk about the narratives that emerged about the ice before talking about the Canadian Mixed Doubles and Juniors. We then turn our attention to the Men's Worlds, which kick off on Saturday. We go through all 13 teams in the field, discuss how they can navigate the week, and make our picks for who will emerge as the 2023 World Champion.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

, ,

Women's Worlds Preview: Beat the Streak?

, ,

We're back to talk about the Women's World Curling Championship, which starts on Saturday in Sandviken, Sweden. We chat about the 13 teams in the field, including Silvana Tirinzoni and Switzerland going for their fourth straight title. We also talk Anna Hasselborg's chances at getting her first world title, whether this is the year for Kerri Einarson, and if Satsuki Fujisawa can take what has been a strong season and make it a great season as we debate each team's chances.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com 

, ,

Brier Recap: Another Dynasty

, ,

We're back to recap what was an eventful week in London. We talk about Brad Gushue capturing his fifth Brier title, the cruelty of small misses that cost Matt Dunstone, and Marc Kennedy's stellar play. We also talk about the format, Kevin Koe's tough loss, and breakthrough performances by the Horgan brothers. We wrap up by talking about Colin Hodgson and Ryan Fry's departures and David Murdoch's tough position.

Be sure to check our socials for our giveaway of an Ailsa Craig print by Daniel Martin

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

Brier Update: Strategy Talk, Playoff Expectations, & New Merch Store

The Brier playoffs are set and we're here to talk about what we've seen so far and the playoffs coming up this weekend in London. We talk about Thursday morning's game between Quebec and Wild Card 1, the dominance of the top 4 teams, and how things are stacking up heading into the weekend. We then chat about some of the other stories of the week before talking about our new Merch store and what is now available.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

,

Big Brier Preview

,

We're back to preview the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier! We talk about all 18 teams in the field in London, ON, including the favourites, the young teams trying to establish themselves, and some of the new and returning faces. We also make our picks for the week and announce the winner of our Ailsa Craig print. If you didn't win, have no fear, we're doing another giveaway for the Brier!

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

, ,

Scotties Recap: Back-to-Back-to-Back-to-Back

, ,

We're back to review an eventful 2023 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We start by talking about Kerri Eirnarson's 4th straight Scotties title and her final win over Jennifer Jones. We then discuss another podium finish for Krista McCarville and a breakout week for Christina Black before going through some of the highlights from the rest of the field. 

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

,

Scotties Trends Heading into Playoffs

,

We're back to chat about some of the trends we've seen this week at the Scotties. We discuss the playoff scenarios, the increase in scoring from last year, and time management for teams with more active front ends. We wrap up by talking about the rather interesting measures we've seen, the ice conditions, and the new look TSN booth. 

For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com

, ,

Super Scotties Preview

, ,

It's time for our favourite event on the curling calendar, the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. We talk about Joanne Courtney joining the TSN booth for the week and how strong the field is before turning our attention to each team. We go team-by-team through the pools to talk about the lineups, the favourites, and who we think will stand tall at the end of the week. We wrap up by talking about our special Scotties giveaway.  

For more, visit us at gameofstonespod.com

Gambling & Curling

Matthew Hall, former Canadian and World Junior champion, stops by to discuss gambling and curling. Currently an oddsmaker with CoolBet, he talks about his interest in math, creating odds for curling, and how he models events. He also discusses the amount of money brought in by curling, the guard rails in place to prevent foul play, and curling prop bets.

For more, visit us GameofStonesPod.com

,

Scotties Field Set, Dumb Pregnancy Rules, & Best Bonspiel Formats

,

Recorded before the David Murdoch to Curling Canada news, Sean and Scott talk about a busy weekend in curling as the Scotties Tournament of Hearts field is set. They talk about the provincial championships from the weekend, the Wild Card selections, and a rather stacked pool for the Scotties. They then turn to 2 announcements by Curling Canada, including the very strange pregnancy policy and the new qualification format for next season's PointsBet Invitational. FInally, the guys talk about their bonspiel experience over the weekend and what formats work best when heading to a 'spiel. 

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

High Performance v. Grassroots, Curling Canada Launches Streaming, & ChatGPT Curling Storytime

It's been a big week in the world of curling, both on and off the ice. The guys start by talking about some of the provincial finals from the weekend and currently on going, including a phenomenal game winning shot from Kayla Skrlik. They then discuss Curling Canada's review of the high performance program and the attention (or lack thereof) on the grassroots level in Canada. They also give their thoughts on Curling Canada+, the new streaming service for all non-Season of Champions events. They wrap up by sharing a curling story from ChatGPT.

Check out Scott's AI generated curling image here.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

News Roundup & First Timer Live Event Tips

There's been a lot going on in curling, so Sean and Scott roundup all the news, including the Grand Slam, provincial results, and some lineup changes. They also dish out some tips for first timers heading to live events during the Season of Champions.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

2023 Bold Predictions

The guys are back with one of their favourite annual traditions - bold predictions for the year to come! They start by recapping which of last year's predictions came true and then give 13 bold predictions for 2023. They go from championships to breakups to off the ice stories to outline what could be some of the biggest stories of the year.

For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com