Starting next Tuesday, Canada’s Gateway to the West will play host to the world’s elite curlers as the Tour Challenge – the third event of the 2018-19 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season – slides into Thunder Bay from November 6-11. Live from the Tournament Centre, Sportsnet’s exclusive live coverage of the Tour Challenge begins Thursday, Nov. 8 at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT on Sportsnet and Sportsnet NOW. (Full broadcast schedule below).
Hitting the ice in Thunder Bay next week, the Tour Challenge will shine the spotlight on 30 top men’s and 30 elite women’s teams from around the world, with the 60 teams divided into Tier 1 and Tier 2 tournaments. Competing in a round-robin style bonspiel, the Tier 1 competition will include defending champions Team Gushue (St. John’s), nine-time Grand Slam champion Team Jones (Winnipeg, MB), Canada’s 2018 Winter Olympics representatives Team Koe (Calgary, AB) and Team Homan (Ottawa, ON), Northern Ontario’s own Team Jacobs (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) and hometown favourite Team McCarville (Thunder Bay, ON). Competing Tier 1 teams will be contending for a combined $200,000 purse, while the Tier 2 teams play for a combined $100,000 purse. Champions of both tiers will also qualify for the 2019 Humpty’s Champions Cup, the final Grand Slam event of the season.
Returning for another can’t-miss Grand Slamevent, Sportsnet’s expert curling commentators will be at the centre of the action in Thunder Bay. Veteran broadcasterRob Faulds will have the play-by-play call while World Curling Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Martin, 1998 Olympic silver medallist Mike Harris and 1998 Olympic gold medallist Joan McCusker provide insight and analysis throughout the bonspiel.
Pinty’s Cup
First introduced at the start of the 2018-19 season, the race for the Pinty’s Cup is set to continue next week in Thunder Bay. A new season-long race between all men’s and women’s teams, the Pinty’s Cup will see teams compete to accumulate points according to their performances at each Grand Slam event. The team that collects the highest total of points by the conclusion of the Players’ Championship in April will capture the winners’ share of the $300,000 Rogers Bonus Pool. 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 – Tour Challenge Tier 1
*Broadcast schedule subject to change
Thursday, Nov. 8
- Round Robin, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet NOW)
Friday, Nov. 9
- Round Robin, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Round Robin, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
Saturday, Nov. 10
- Women’s Quarterfinals, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet NOW)
- Men’s Quarterfinals, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (CBC)
- Men’s & Women’s Semifinals, 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360 & Sportsnet NOW)
Sunday, Nov. 11
- Women’s Final, Noon ET / 9 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
- Men’s Final, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet NOW)
