Canada’s Best Curlers to Battle in Guelph at The National

GUELPH, ONT. – The Capital One Grand Slam of Curling announced that the Sleeman Centre in Guelph, Ont. will host The National, the second leg of the men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series, from January 6-10, 2010.

The National is an international 18-team tournament which will feature many of Canada’s top teams including World Champions Kevin Martin (Edmonton, Alta.), Glenn Howard (Coldwater, Ont.), Randy Ferbey (Edmonton, Alta.), Wayne Middaugh (Midland, Ont.), Jeff Stoughton (Winnipeg, Man.), Kerry Burtnyk (Winnipeg, Man.), as well as Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue (St. John’s, Nfld.).

“We’re thrilled to award Guelph and the Sleeman Centre the hosting rights to The National,” said Wendy Kane, Executive Director of the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling. “Featuring an elite international field, The National will be one of the final opportunities for some of the world’s Olympic qualifiers to go head to head prior to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.”

Advanced ticket packages for The National will be available through local curling clubs in the Guelph region this spring. Tickets to the event will go on sale to the general public on November 15, 2009.

The 2009-10 edition of The National will mark the first time the city of Guelph has played host to a Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.

“This is easily the biggest curling event the City of Guelph has ever had the privilege of hosting,” said George McCaw, President of the Guelph Curling Club. “With 18 of the world’s best teams playing in our own backyard, this will be a must attend event for our city’s large and passionate curling fan base.”

An elite, annual Canadian curling series, the Capital One Grand Slam of Curling features six premier men’s and women’s events that include this nation’s deepest and strongest curling fields.

The top 18 ranked Canadian and international teams on the Capital One Order of Merit rankings as of November 23, 2009 will automatically qualify to compete at The National.

The 2009-10 men’s Capital One Grand Slam of Curling series kicks off with the Masters of Curling, a pre-Olympic tournament, from October 21-25, 2009 at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Ont. Dates and locations for the 2009-10 BDO Classic Canadian Open and the 2009-10 Grey Power Players’ Championship will be announced in the coming weeks.

As part of its exclusive agreement, CBC will air live playoff coverage of the first three men’s 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling events. CBC will also broadcast the men’s and women’s finals of the 2010 Grey Power Players’ Championship, the sixth and final 2009-10 Capital One Grand Slam of Curling event.