Game of Stones Podcast

The guys are back after a holiday break to dish out some hardware. They recap 2022 in curling and hand out some awards for the best of the year. They go through 12 categories ranging from Game of the Year to Oddity of the Year. If they missed any out, get in touch over at  GameofStonesPod.com

At last week's Grand Slam, only 7 of the 16 playoff teams were Canadian, including only 2 on the men's side. This led to a fresh round of declarations that the world has caught up with Canada. This prompted us to look back at 20 years of this declaration and whether it's (finally) time to retire this narrative. We also talk about Sherry Anderson winning her fifth(!!!!) consecutive Canadian senior...

Curling Canada announced this week that the 2024 Brier will be held in Regina, prompting the question of whether the days of Briers in NHL arenas are behind us? And does that impact the fan experience? We then talk about this week's Grand Slam and what winners would make for the most interesting storylines going into 2023. The show wraps up by talking about some of our recent games, including a bi...

Sean and Scott start off by celebrating their win in the annual Bad Beer Bet with Rocks Across the Pond. They then get into the European championship playoffs and who is heading up and down next year as well as who booked their spots in the world championship. They then go through what is a very busy week in curling, including the Canadian club championship, the Canadian senior championship, and t...

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about a fun week so far at the European Championships. They discuss Madeleine Dupont's incredible run, the women's final, and the crowded middle of the women's field. They also chat about the men's side and how things look heading into the second semi final. They then look at the current CTRS, Ken Pom, and Twine Time rankings and debate about the value of ranki...

In this crossover episode, Sean is joined by the Professor of Peel, Jonathan Havercroft, to preview the men's A & B fields for the 2022 European Curling Championship, which starts Saturday in Ostersund, Sweden. They go through the A division team by team and discuss how each team looks heading into the week before making their picks for who books their spot in the world championship and who ge...

In this episode, Scott makes his triumphant return to the pod to chat with Sean about the USA Curling situation, including even more changes to the organization. They also talk about the on-going Pan Continental Curling Championship, including the poor attendance, the impact of China not participating, and the teevee coverage. They wrap up by talking about the best ways to incorporate new players...

In this episode, Sean talks about the resignation of Jeff Plush from USA Curling, how the decision was announced, and what this means for the organization moving forward. He also talks about Niklas Edin's injury before previewing both the A & B side of the inaugural Pan Continental Curling Championship. He is then joined by a special guest to make their picks for the week.

This week, Sean talks about the current situation with USA Curling and its CEO Jeff Plush. He opens by going through the Yates Report and Plush's actions while he was the Commissioner of the NWSL and reports of abuse and misconduct were brought to his attention. He then talks with Monica Walker and Courtney Shaw about the grassroots response in the United States and the open letter written by the...

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about what was a fun weekend at the first Grand Slam of the season in North Bay. They discuss some of their big takeaways from the week (2:40) before getting into a couple rather curious strategies decisions from the playoffs. They debate Niklas Edin's decision in the semi-final against Matt Dunstone (7:10) and the pros and cons of being down 2 with hammer comp...

In this episode, Sean and Scott go through the men's and women's fields for this week's Boost National in North Bay, ON. They give their odds for each team's chance at emerging victorious and get some clarification on the schedule live on the pod. For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

In this episode, Sean and Scott look back at the Pointsbet Invitational. They talk about wins for Reid Carruthers and Jennifer Jones as well as which teams stood out, the new timing rules, and what was up with the teevee schedule. They also debate the draw the button at the end of tied games, the state of the extra ends, and how to make end of game scenarios more exciting. They then move on to the...

In this episode, Sean and Scott go through their bracket for this week's PointsBet Invitation in Fredericton. They go through both the men's and women's brackets as they build towards their winner picks. If you want to compete against the guys and the chance for $1 million if you get a perfect bracket, head over to sweep16.ca For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

In this episode, Sean is joined by Sabena Islam about diversity and inclusion initiaitves in curling. They talk about Curling Canada's 'Changing the Face of Curling' symposium and some of Curling Canada's DEI initiatives. The discussion ranges from how these program's came about, where they stand now, and what steps the curling community can take moving forward. Please check out some of the resour...

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about how teams have set their schedules for the 2022-23 curling season. They start by looking at the recent changes announced by the World Curling Federation to the world rankings system and some of the player reaction. That's followed by going through the season schedules for 6 Canadian teams to see how they have set themselves up for the Season of Champions....

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about what's happening in a strangely busy August in the world of curling. They start by talking about some early season events (2:00) before moving on to the first round matchups for the PointsBet Invitational coming up in September (Women - 7:00; Men - 22:40). They wrap up by talking about Eve Muirhead's retirement, legacy, and whether she is the greatest Sco...

This week on the show, Sean and Scott open up the mailbox and answer some of your questions. For more, visit us at GameofStonesPod.com

This week Sean flies solo to try to get to the bottom of the situation in the United States between USA Curling and the Grand National Curling Club. He's joined by Kristen Conrad of GNCC to talk about the background to what led to USA Curling's vote to remove GNCC clubs. They talk about how GNCC supports its members, the financial challenges faced by clubs over the past 2 years, and how this decis...

The News Fairy has come in the middle of the summer! Sean and Scott start by trying to understand what is going on between USA Curling and GNCC (3:00). They then talk about Cheryl Bernard announcing that she is leaving the TSN booth, including Cheryl's legacy in the booth, the expectations for the new person, and throw out some names of who that new person might be. For more, visit us at  Gam...

In this episode, Sean and Scott talk about the news that the Continental Cup will not be played this season and what that means for the event's future before talking about the new March Madness style event set for September in Fredericton. They then look at some other major sporting events that curling could borrow from in order to spice up some of its events. For more, visit us at  GameofSto...

This week, Sean and Scott look back at the best games from the past four years. From worlds to Olympics to national championships, they talk about the most exciting matches that still hold some re-watchability. Agree with their list? Be sure to let them know what they missed. To see the list, including links to watch the game, check out the accompanying blog post. For more, visit us at  Gameo...

This week Sean and Scott welcome Tammy Moyer and Courtney Shaw from the Potamac Curling Club to discuss the return of the Glitter Bombspiel. We talk about the importance of the Bombspiel, the level of competition, and creating inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ2+ community in curling. Registration opens on July 5 here:  https://curldc.org/eventPage.php/glitter-bombspiel-2022 Follow them on Twitte...

This week, Sean and Scott look at the data from the past four years to determine how teams get on TSN? Does winning matter? How important is name recognition? Do certain provinces gets hosed? The guys break it all down. For more, visit us at  GameofStonesPod.com

In this week's episode, Sean and Scott brainstorm some ways to improve the 6 events in the Grand Slam of Curling. After briefly recapping the World Junior Curling Championship (3:00), they go event by event to come up with ways to make the Slams more unique and interesting for curling fans. They talk about why they think the series needs some changes (8:10) and then go through the schedule with id...

In this episode, Sean and Scott share their memories of Thomas Ulsrud, who passed away Tuesday night. A World Champion, European Champion, and Olympic Silver Medallist, he was one of the best players in the sport, both on and off the ice.