Chatham-Kent will be home to the biggest and brightest curling stars next week as the Princess Auto Elite 10 – the first event of the 2018-19 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season – rolls into town from September 26-30. Sportsnet’s live coverage of the Princess Auto Elite 10 kicks off Thursday, Sept. 27 at Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW. (Full broadcast schedule below).
Taking over St. Clair Campus Arena in Chatham-Kent, the Princess Auto Elite 10 is set to make history next week as the tournament format expands to include both men’s and women’s teams – a first for the Grand Slam event. Featuring 10 of both the top men’s and women’s teams in the world, the Princess Auto Elite 10 competition will include fan favourites Team Gushue (St. Johns, NL), nine-time Grand Slam champion Team Jones (Winnipeg), reigning world champions Team Edin (Karlstad, Sweden) and Olympic gold medallist Team Hasselborg (Sundbyberg, Sweden). All participating teams will compete in a unique match play format during the round robin-style bonspiel, contending for a combined $200,000 purse and berths in the Humpty’s Champions Cup, the final Grand Slam event of the season.
Returning for another must-watch Grand Slamseason, Sportsnet’s expert curling commentators will be at the heart of the action in Chatham-Kent. Veteran broadcasterRob Faulds has the play-by-play call while 2010 Olympic gold medallist Kevin Martin, 1998 Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris and 1998 Olympic gold medallist Joan McCuskerprovide insight and analysis throughout the bonspiel.
Pinty’s Cup
As announced in April, Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling will be unveiling a new season-long race for all competing men’s and women’s curling teams – the Pinty’s Cup. Beginning at the Princess Auto Elite 10, teams will compete to accumulate points according to their performance during every Grand Slam event. The team that collects the highest total of points by the conclusion of the 2019 Players’ Championship will capture the winner’s share of the $300,000 Rogers Bonus pool at the end of the season. The winners of both the men’s and women’s Pinty’s Cup will also receive personalized championship rings to commemorate their win.
Sportsnet Broadcast Schedule – Princess Auto Elite 10
*Broadcast schedule subject to change
Thursday, Sept. 27
- Round Robin, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
Friday, Sept. 28
- Round Robin, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet NOW)
Saturday, Sept. 29
- Women’s Quarter-finals, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Men’s Quarter-finals, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Men’s & Women’s Semifinals, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360& Sportsnet NOW)
Sunday, Sept. 30
- Women’s Final, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Men’s Final, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet NOW)
