Three Cheers! My Top 10 Curling Celebrations of the Last Quadrennial
Beijing 2022 is only months away and we're surely going to be gifted with celebrations, both explosive and emotional. What better way to remember our past champions then to revisit some of the best celebrations the curling world has seen in the past four years.
Fasten your seatbelts, crank up your volume, and maybe grab some tissues if you'd like as we count down my top 10 celebrations of the last Olympic quadrennial. I can't possibly choose a favourite- so we'll just start with 2018 and work our way to the present!
10. Team Scotland (Mouat) at the 2018 European Championship
9. Team Europe at the 2019 Continental Cup
It would be the first of back-to-back Continental Cup titles for team Europe. It was six years since team Europe/World captured the fan-favourite event. Europe only needed 1.5 skins points to claim the trophy, but were shutout of the first four ends in each of the skins games by team North America, replicating more final drama (2018 came right down to a draw to the button for the win). But this time, it was team Europe who hit the jackpot in Las Vegas.
8. Team Alberta (Carey) at the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
A newly-formed team remained resilient to defeat the odds and become Canadian champions. Down 5-1 at one point, Chelsea Carey and her team from Alberta stole their way to victory in the Scotties final in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Another light draw from Homan cemented the come-from-behind victory for the team, with my favourite part arguably being Pooks and Fergie throwing their brooms up in the air in jubilant celebration. How much more iconic can the dynamic duo become?
7. Team Dunstone at the 2019 GSOC Masters
Can we get any more emotional than this? Matt Dunstone let it all out as he described how his dreams came true at the 2019 Masters in North Bay. The two-time Canadian junior champion made a bundle of unbelievable shots en route to his first slam title in front of a packed house. Moments like this remind me of what dreams are made of and this celebration will remain one of the most inspiring in my books.
6. Team Manitoba (Einarson) at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts
A highly dramatic championship final with Homan stealing two to force an extra end, team Einarson stuck to their guns and rolled out another great Scotties celebration. Many had doubts about an all-skip lineup. Those thoughts proved to be wrong as Einarson captured her first of back-to-back national titles in spectacular fashion saluting the crowd being crowned Canadian champions. Moose Jaw and fans nationwide were treated to history in the making!
5. Team Alberta (Bottcher) at the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier
4th time is the charm! After previous defeats in the Brier final in 2018, 2019, and 2020, Team Bottcher finally broke through after a stellar performance in both the semi and final this year. A long time coming for the team, who never gave up and finally became team Canada. I suppose the socks and hats had something to do with this? Anyway, one of the longest-lasting team lineups finally got what they deserved.
4. Team Mouat at the 2021 GSOC Players' Championship
3. Team United States (Peterson) at the 2021 World Women's Championship
Although a bit more reserved than the rest, Team Peterson may have not been in the minds of many people to win a medal this year. No one will argue that they weren't a favourite, but many would've betted against a podium finish. This may have come as an even bigger surprise considering a bad showing in the two slam events prior, although they came in very rusty lacking ice time. Considering all of this, they had an even bigger reason to celebrate, capturing the United States' first bronze medal at the women's worlds.
2. Team Czech Republic (Paulova/Paul) at the 2021 World Mixed Doubles Championship
It wasn't for gold. It wasn't even for a medal. The Czech couple of Zuzana Paulova and Tomas Paul erupted in celebration as they beat the United States to secure the last direct qualifier spot in the Olympic Games. If you were lucky enough to catch this game live like I did, this celebration definitely caught me by surprise after an unbelievable last rock miss by Sweden in the feature game. You can even hear Paulova at 1:43:55, "I can't believe, I can't believe" crying in disbelief at what they've just achieved for their country. Not only was this celebration explosive, it was equally as emotional considering that Czechia will make their Olympic curling debut in February. One thing to note is that Tomas' mustache will probably not make the trip over to Beijing- a win for some, but surely a tragic loss for others.
1. (Honourable Mention) Team NFLD (Gushue) at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier
Okay, I know that this was from 2017, but how can we possibly talk about celebrations without mentioning this beauty? It was a storybook ending at the Mile One Centre in St. Johns, Newfoundland. It was Gushue's 14th attempt at the Brier and let's just say that the wait was worth it. Probably one if not the most electrifying experiences: a post-to-post sweep for Gallant and Walker, with Nichols substituting for Walker at the far hog line. The packed crowd urging them as much as they could until all hell broke loose and Team Gushue could call themselves Canadian champions. Just take a look for yourself how one of the most iconic Briers in history came to a close.
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