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Sportsnet Slides into Action with Return of Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling, Beginning April 14 in Calgary

Apr 7, 2021

–  Curling’s premier series kicks off with Humpty’s Champions Cup (April 14-18), followed by Princess Auto Players’ Championship (April 20-25) –

–  Sportsnet to deliver exclusive coverage of the broadcast-only events, starting Thursday, April 15 –

April 7, 2021 – The wait is over, international curling fans! After a prolonged hiatus, the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling series is making its long-awaited return to the ice. Delivering all the action fans have come to expect from curling’s premier series, the condensed Grand Slam circuit will feature the world’s best curlers competing in two back-to-back, high-stakes events: Humpty’s Champions Cup (April 14-18) and Princess Auto Players’ Championship (April 20-25).

From the safety of the curling hub city at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, and following all government and event protocols, Sportsnet arrives in the bubble to serve up exclusive TV and streaming coverage of both broadcast-only events for two consecutive weeks starting Thursday, April 15 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Sportsnet & SN NOW (full broadcast details below).

Event Format & Teams

Complying with government health and safety protocols within the hub city, the Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship will both feature 12 of the top men’s teams and 12 elite women’s teams from around the world.

In both events, all teams will compete in a round-robin format comprised of two pools of six teams. Each team will play four games in the round-robin stage, with the top six ranked teams advancing to the playoff round or tiebreaker (if necessary). Throughout the course of the two weeks and two events, teams will contend for a combined $560,000 purse.

Complete fields for the Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship are available here.

Broadcast Details

Exclusive coverage of the condensed Grand Slam season will be available to viewers coast-to-coast-to-coast across Sportsnet’s TV and streaming platforms. Coverage of the Humpty’s Champions Cup gets underway on Thursday, April 15 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Sportsnet & SN NOW, followed by the first broadcast of the Princess Auto Players’ Championship on Tuesday, April 20 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT on Sportsnet & SN NOW.

Complementing Sportsnet’s TV coverage, two select Players’ Championship draws on April 20 and April 21 will be available to viewers exclusively on SN NOW, Sportsnet’s premier streaming service.

Veteran broadcaster Rob Faulds will have the play-by-play call from Calgary while World Curling Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Martin, 1998 Olympic gold medallist Joan McCusker and 1998 Olympic silver-medallist Mike Harris serve as analysts throughout both bonspiels.

Complete broadcast details for the Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship are as follows:

Humpty’s Champions Cup | April 15-18

*all broadcasts available to stream on SN NOW

Thursday, April 15

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Round Robin, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet 360)

Friday, April 16

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Round Robin 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)

Saturday, April 17

  • Tiebreakers (if necessary), 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Men’s & Women’s Semifinals, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)

Sunday, April 18

  • Men’s Final, 11 a.m. ET / 8 a.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet ONE)
  • Women’s Final, 3:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)

Princess Auto Players’ Championship | April 20-25

*all broadcasts available to stream on SN NOW

** exclusive to SN NOW

Tuesday, April 20

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (SN NOW**)
  • Round Robin, 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360)

Wednesday, April 21

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (SN NOW**)
  • Round Robin, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario & Pacific)

Thursday, April 22

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Round Robin, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West & Sportsnet ONE)

Friday, April 23

  • Round Robin, 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet)
  • Round Robin, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Round Robin, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)

Saturday, April 24

  • Tiebreakers (if necessary), 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT (Sportsnet West, Pacific & Sportsnet 360)
  • Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals, 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT (Sportsnet 360)
  • Men’s & Women’s Semifinals, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE & Sportsnet 360)

Sunday, April 25

  • Women’s Final, 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT (Sportsnet ONE)
  • Men’s Final, 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT (Sportsnet & Sportsnet ONE)

*schedule is subject to change; visit here for most up-to-date schedule

Media Requests and Interviews

Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling competitors and Sportsnet curling commentators are available for virtual Zoom interviews throughout the duration of the Humpty’s Champions Cup and Princess Auto Players’ Championship.

Please submit interview requests by the second end of each draw to [email protected].

Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling

Owned and operated by Sportsnet since 2012, the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling is an elite series regularly comprised of six curling events that feature the best men’s and women’s teams from across Canada and around the world. Awarding equal purses to both men’s and women’s teams, Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling presents $2.1 million in total prize money over a full season. For more events details, please visit the Grand Slam series website here.

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About Sportsnet
Sportsnet is Canada’s #1 sports network. Uniting Canadians through sport, Sportsnet’s multimedia offerings include Sportsnet (consisting of 4 regional channels: East, Ontario, West, and Pacific), Sportsnet ONE, Sportsnet 360, Sportsnet World, the Sportsnet Radio Network, sportsnet.ca, Sportsnet NOW, SN NOW+, the Sportsnet app, and podcasts. Sportsnet is the official Canadian NHL national multiplatform rights holder, and is the regional broadcaster for the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Sportsnet also has extensive coverage of the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Raptors, as well as NBA, MLB, Grand Slam of Curling, National Bank Open presented by Rogers, CHL, IndyCar, WWE, Super League Rugby, Premiership Rugby, Bundesliga, FA WSL, and FA Cup. Sportsnet is part of Rogers Sports & Media, which is a subsidiary of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX, NYSE: RCI). Visit Sportsnet.ca