The absence of five-time champion Rachel Homan from the Canadian women’s curling championship lineup, as she focuses on Olympic preparations, has created an unpredictable field of 18 teams without a clear favorite. This sets the stage for competitors like Kerri Einarson, Kaitlyn Lawes, Christina Black, and other prominent players at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts commencing on Friday at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Noteworthy teams to watch include Krista Scharf from Northern Ontario, Jolene Campbell from Saskatchewan, Selena Sturmay from Alberta, and Taylor Reese-Hansen from British Columbia. Manitoba vice Beth Peterson remarked, “I think it’ll be really interesting to see who comes out at the end because I think that you could pick a name out of a hat.”
Einarson, who hails from Gimli, Man., is a four-time champion and the 2025 finalist who will represent Canada in Homan’s absence. Halifax’s Christina Black and Calgary’s Kayla Skrlik secured pre-qualification berths, while Lawes claimed Einarson’s vacated spot after losing to Peterson’s team in the Manitoba final. Black, a semifinalist last year, enters the tournament with momentum after defeating Einarson to reach the Olympic trials final for the first time.
Jocelyn Peterman, Lawes’ second, will not participate in the event as she prepares for mixed doubles with Brett Gallant at the Winter Games. Laura Walker will step in as her replacement. In the provincial final, Calvert earned the Manitoba berth by defeating Lawes 9-7, with Lawes missing a chance to win due to a minor error in her final throw.
Despite the setback, Lawes, a two-time Olympic champion, managed to secure the vacated pre-qualification spot by a narrow margin over Serena Gray-Withers of Alberta. The team rankings determined Lawes’ entry. The competition will also feature teams from New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Yukon.
The teams will be divided into nine-team pools, with the top three teams from each pool advancing to the playoffs. The championship will culminate with the winner representing Canada at the world women’s curling championship in Calgary from March 14-22. Meanwhile, the Canadian men’s curling championship, the Brier, is scheduled to take place from February 27 to March 8 in St. John’s, where teams will vie for the title won by Brad Jacobs’ Calgary-based team over Matt Dunstone’s Winnipeg squad in the 2025 final.